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Washington: Twenty-one Democratic US senators have urged President Donald Trump to immediately deliver congressionally approved defence assistance to Taiwan, highlighting delays in weapons deliveries and a stalled new arms package as concerns persist over Taiwan’s security environment. The joint statement, led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, was issued after Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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The senators pointed to $1.3 billion in congressional funds, existing US weapons sales and a $14 billion package of new arms sales as commitments that Washington should move forward with. They argued that US support for Taiwan’s self-defence is important to preventing a cross-Strait conflict with wider regional and economic consequences.
The call comes against the backdrop of a substantial backlog in US arms deliveries to Taiwan. A US-China Economic and Security Review Commission report had previously identified more than $21 billion in undelivered US weapons purchased by Taiwan as of September 2025, with production capacity and global demand contributing to delays.
The issue has also drawn criticism from Republican senators. On September 23, Senators Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis urged the Trump administration to release more than $15 billion in stalled security assistance for Taiwan, including $300 million in foreign military financing, $1 billion in security assistance and the $14 billion foreign military sales package.
Taiwan has meanwhile said discussions with Washington over arms sales are continuing. Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on September 29 that Taipei had received assurances that US policy toward Taiwan had not changed, although the $14 billion package remained stalled.
A significant part of the delivery backlog involves advanced aircraft. On October 2, Taiwan received its first two F-16V Block 70 fighters from a 2019 order for 65 aircraft, with the remaining jets still awaiting delivery. The $8 billion programme had faced years of production and supply-chain delays.
The congressional pressure therefore comes as Washington balances its defence commitments to Taiwan with broader US military requirements and its evolving engagement with Beijing. The Trump administration has maintained that arms sales must be weighed against US forces’ own global readiness requirements, while Taiwan continues to seek faster delivery of systems already approved or purchased.
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