Fellow Republicans Question Administration's Taiwan Defense Policy Ahead of China Visit

Four Republican Senators—Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis—wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding U.S. policy toward Taiwan. The letter was sent as President Trump prepared to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-day visit. The Senators expressed concern over the administration's failure to move ahead with $300 million in foreign military financing, the Defense Department's failure to obligate $1 billion, and the withholding of a $14 billion foreign military sales package.

The letter specifically cited the administration's description of Taiwan as 'a very good negotiating chip' during talks with the Chinese Communist Party. The Senators questioned how the U.S. could credibly project influence in the Indo-Pacific while denying partners key deterrent capabilities.