Senator Thom Tillis joined Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, and Lisa Murkowski this week in a letter to the State Department and the Pentagon. Their ask: move forward on a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan that’s been paused since President Trump met with China’s Xi Jinping in May. The senators wrote that deterring an invasion of Taiwan “must be our top priority.”
At the center of the tension is Trump’s own description of the deal as a “very good negotiating chip” with China. The senators took issue with that framing, writing that it’s hard to imagine the U.S. credibly projecting deterrence in the Indo-Pacific while withholding key capabilities from partners. The package itself includes military aid and sales that Taiwan has been counting on, and China has formally asked the United States to stop it.
Timing matters here. Xi Jinping is in the United States right now, and both Republicans and Democrats have voiced concerns about the visit and about China’s recent behavior. For Suncoast listeners, this is less about party lines and more about a simple question: when we promise to back our allies, do we follow through? What do you think, should the arms package go forward?
