McConnell leads 4 GOP senators in calling for Trump to release Taiwan arms funding

Sen. Mitch McConnell and three other Republican senators have urged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to release stalled national security assistance for Taiwan, warning that delays could weaken U.S. commitments in the Indo-Pacific. In a Wednesday letter, they cited the State Department’s plan not to obligate $300 million in foreign military financing, the Defense Department’s failure to obligate $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, and the administration’s withholding of $14 billion in foreign military sales. The lawmakers also questioned President Donald Trump’s comments describing Taiwan as “a very good negotiating chip” in talks with Xi Jinping, and compared the concern to 2021 Ukraine aid delays before a summit.