McConnell, GOP Senators Urge Release of Taiwan Arms Funding

Senator Mitch McConnell and three other Republican senators have called on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to release billions of dollars in stalled national security assistance for Taiwan.

The senators, including John Cornyn, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis, sent a letter to the Cabinet officials reminding them of past statements supporting Taiwan's sovereignty. They specifically questioned why the State Department has not released $300 million in foreign military financing set aside for Taiwan in the 2026 budget and why the Pentagon has not released another $1 billion through the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative.

The senators also challenged the administration's freeze on a $14 billion arms package. They expressed concern over President Donald Trump's description of Taiwan as a very good negotiating chip in engagements with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. Separately, Senator John Curtis is pushing for the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate the business dealings of Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden, citing a ProPublica report that Trump Jr.'s wedding after-party was paid for by a Russian oligarch with ties to Vladimir Putin.

Curtis sent a letter to Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley urging a probe into the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit and requesting subpoenas for Donald Trump Jr.