US Weighs New Arms Sales To Taiwan After Trump’s China Visit

oldglorychronicle.com — Washington’s mixed messages on a massive $14 billion weapons deal for Taiwan are reviving fears on both left and right that foreign policy is being run for elite agendas, not for America’s security or taxpayers—or Taiwan’s survival.

Story Snapshot

Taiwan’s defense chief says arms talks with the United States are still active, despite a U.S. Navy official calling the $14 billion package “paused.”
President Trump has not approved the package yet, while Congress from both parties is pressing him to move it forward.^[2]^[3]
Separate, smaller U.S. arms deals to Taiwan are still being formally notified, suggesting policy continuity even amid the stall.^[1]^[2]
The controversy highlights how slow, politicized weapons decisions can endanger deterrence against China while draining U.S. stockpiles and budgets.

Conflicting Signals Between Trump and Taiwan’s Defense Minister

Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers he is “cautiously optimistic” about U.S. arms sales, stressing that discussions with Washington are ongoing and that the weapons channel remains open.^[2]^[4]^[5] His comments came after President Donald Trump said he was still deciding whether to approve a new package of weapons for Taiwan.^[2]^[4] Koo emphasized that the United States has repeatedly told Taipei its fundamental policy toward Taiwan has not changed and that arms sales support peace in the Taiwan Strait.^[2]

Trump and some U.S. defense officials have sent a different signal, describing the roughly $14 billion package as stalled or on “pause” while Washington diverts munitions to the war in Iran.^[2]^[3] An acting Navy secretary said the United States had to ensure it had enough ammunition for operations labeled “Epic Fury,” creating the impression that Taiwan’s long-term security was temporarily taking a back seat to another conflict.^[2] That explanation frames the pause as logistical, not a strategic break with Taiwan, but it still undermines confidence in U.S. reliability.

Stalled $14 Billion Package Versus Ongoing Smaller Arms Sales

The disputed package, about $14 billion, reportedly includes counter-drone systems, an integrated battle command network, and medium-range munitions intended to make Taiwan a harder target for any Chinese invasion.^[2]^[3] The executive branch has not formally notified Congress of this package, leaving it stuck in limbo despite earlier congressional pre-approval.^[3] At the same time, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the U.S. government continues to notify smaller arms sales, such as a roughly $330 million package of aircraft components announced in November 2025.^[1]

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said this November 2025 sale was the first arms package of Trump’s second term and proof that Washington still “honors its security commitments to Taiwan” under the Taiwan Relations Act and the long-standing “Six Assurances.”^[1] Those commitments obligate the United States to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan and to avoid consulting Beijing in advance on such sales.^[3]^[4] That ongoing activity explains how Taipei can publicly deny any formal “halt” even while a large, high-profile package remains blocked inside the U.S. system.^[1]^[2]

Congress Pushes, Bureaucracy Drags, Beijing Watches

Members of Congress from both parties are now pressing Trump to move the stalled $14 billion package, warning that delay erodes deterrence against an increasingly aggressive China.^[3] Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Thom Tillis, and others urged the president in a May 8 letter to “formally notify the $14 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan that Congress pre-approved,” insisting that American support for Taiwan “is not up for negotiation.”^[3] For lawmakers, the message is that Taiwan’s defense must not become a bargaining chip in U.S.-China talks.^[3]

US policy toward Taiwan is unchanged, and Taiwan is "cautiously optimistic" about arms sales, Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo says.

(United Daily News) pic.twitter.com/keHnt4rIgW

— Taiwan Defense News Tracker 🇹🇼 (@TaiwansDefense) May 21, 2026

Congress is also trying to force the bureaucracy’s hand through legislation. The House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced the “PORCUPINE Act” in May 2026 by a unanimous 45–0 vote, and a companion bill had already passed the Senate by unanimous consent.^[3] The bill would give Taiwan “NATO Plus”-style treatment under the Arms Export Control Act, shortening review periods to as little as 15 days and streamlining third-party transfers from U.S. allies.^[3] That rare unity on Capitol Hill contrasts sharply with the executive branch’s hesitation.

Why Both Left and Right See a Broken System

For many Americans watching this from home, the Taiwan fight exposes familiar frustrations. On one hand, the United States is legally obligated by the Taiwan Relations Act to supply defensive weapons, and Taiwan is ramping its defense budget above three percent of economic output, aiming for five percent by 2030.^[1]^[2] On the other hand, decisions worth tens of billions of dollars are being made through opaque pauses, internal reviews, and summit calculations that most citizens will never see.^[2]^[3]

Conservatives who support a strong military but resent endless foreign commitments see a system that promises Taiwan the world while struggling to keep stockpiles filled for America’s own wars.^[2]^[3] Liberals who worry about the gap between rich and poor see a weapons pipeline that can move when defense contractors are involved, yet stalls when basic domestic needs are debated for months. Both sides see evidence that security policy is driven less by clear doctrine and more by a small circle of officials and lobbyists who rarely face consequences when things go wrong.

High Stakes for Taiwan—and for U.S. Credibility

The pattern surrounding this package fits a long history: Taiwan arms deals are often contested in public, delayed internally, and then partially released under pressure.^[2]^[5] That stop-and-go approach may feel normal inside Washington, but it is dangerous in a region where China is building forces specifically designed to overwhelm Taiwan quickly if it ever chooses war. Every delay in critical systems such as air defenses, command networks, and munitions shortens the warning time Taiwan and the United States would have in a crisis.^[2]^[3]

For Americans who believe government has drifted away from constitutional clarity and basic competence, this dispute is another warning sign. If the United States is going to arm Taiwan, officials owe citizens a transparent strategy: how much risk, how much money, and for what concrete goal. If leaders are not willing to stand behind that openly, then both the Taiwanese people and American taxpayers are right to ask whether decisions are being made for national security—or for the comfort of an unaccountable foreign policy elite.