House and Senate clash over Taiwan military aid levels

The Senate Sets Up Showdown Over Taiwan Aid

WASHINGTON ― The Senate intends to provide Taiwan with grants to purchase more U.S. military equipment, but the chamber’s bill sets up a showdown with Republican House appropriators who want even more money for the nation while slashing the overall foreign aid budget.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has yet to send Congress details on the presidential drawdown package it is preparing to quickly give Taiwan weapons from U.S. stocks, which will require additional congressional appropriations.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
2. Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Foreign Aid Spending Bill Advances in Senate

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday advanced the fiscal 2024 foreign aid spending bill 27-2, including $113 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan. Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Deb Fischer of Nebraska were the two “no” votes.

The State Department administers the Foreign Military Financing grant program, and providing it to Taiwan for the first time aims to deter China from attacking the island. China views Taiwan as a rogue province and has threatened to retake the island by force if necessary.

That’s less generous than the House Appropriations Committee, which allocated $500 million for Taiwan when it passed its FY24 foreign aid bill 32-27 in a party-line vote last month.

Appropriators resisted efforts to provide foreign military financing to Taiwan last year amid concerns it would squeeze out other foreign aid priorities. But even as appropriators fund Taiwan aid, the House seeks to drastically lower the State Department and foreign aid top line.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Showdown Between Senate and House Expected

The discrepancy in both the Taiwan aids levels and the top lines set up a showdown between the Senate and House later this year amid a broader government funding fight.

Foreign Military Financing grant assistance for Taiwan was one of the 10 bipartisan proposals the House’s Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party advanced in May.

Congress authorized up to $2 billion in annual Foreign Military Financing grants and up to another $2 billion in presidential drawdown authority in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act. Drawdown authority is the same mechanism Biden has used to arm Ukraine.

The Pentagon is preparing a presidential drawdown authority package to transfer U.S. weapons to Taiwan. Congress will need to approve a separate spending package to backfill the weapons sent to Taiwan.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
2. Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Administration’s Schedule for Taiwan Aid Unclear

“I would anticipate the administration is going to have to submit a supplemental for the presidential drawdown for Taiwan,” Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, told Defense News. “The administration has not been forthcoming yet on exactly what its schedule is for either the drawdown or the supplemental.”

Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, asked Congress on Thursday to fund both Foreign Military Financing and presidential drawdown authority while testifying before the China-focused committee.

There is currently a massive delivery backlog in U.S. weapons Taiwan purchased. Transferring American arms from existing stockpiles to Taiwan — as the U.S. has done for Ukraine — could alleviate that pressure since the systems would be immediately available for shipment.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
   • Indicator: Not mentioned or implied in the article

2. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.1: Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
   • Target 17.13: Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
   • Indicator: Not mentioned or implied in the article

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Analysis

The issues highlighted in the article are primarily related to foreign aid and military financing for Taiwan. The article mentions the Senate’s intention to provide grants for Taiwan to purchase more U.S. military equipment, while the House appropriators want even more money for Taiwan while slashing the overall foreign aid budget. The article also discusses the Biden administration’s preparation to give Taiwan weapons from U.S. stocks, which will require additional congressional appropriations.

Based on this analysis, the relevant SDGs are SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

Under SDG 16, the specific targets that can be identified are Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere and Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. However, no indicators are mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards these targets.

Under SDG 17, the specific targets that can be identified are Target 17.1: Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection and Target 17.13: Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence. Again, no indicators are mentioned or implied in the article for these targets.

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Source: defensenews.com

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