The Senate’s version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will include $10 billion in military aid for Taiwan, Defense News reported on Monday.
The $10 billion would be given to Taiwan over five years in the form of Foreign Military Financing (FMF), a State Department program that gives foreign governments money to purchase US weapons.
However, Taiwan will be able to use $300 million of the FMF each year to purchase military equipment from its own industrial base, a privilege only currently enjoyed by Israel. Other FMF recipients need waivers to use the funds to purchase arms that don’t come from the US.
The $10 billion is a massive increase from the $4.5 billion initially proposed by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in a piece of legislation known as the Taiwan Policy Act. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee brought the military aid up to $6.5 billion when it advanced the bill in September.
But the senators have decided to include the military aid portion of the Taiwan Policy Act in the NDAA, which was boosted to $10 billion in a bipartisan amendment added to the military spending bill by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI).
The Taiwan Policy Act would also boost diplomatic ties with Taiwan, requires sanctions in the event of Chinese aggression, and give Taiwan the benefits of being a major non-NATO ally. But those aspects of the bill were not included in the NDAA amendment.
The Senate is expected to vote on the NDAA when Congress returns to Washington after mid-term elections in November. Once approved, the House and Senate will need to negotiate the final version that will head to President Biden’s desk.
The Senate’s effort to give Taiwan a massive amount of military aid comes as tensions are soaring between the US and China over the island. China’s unprecedented military drills in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visiting Taiwan and its rhetoric over the issue make it clear that more US support for Taiwan will only make a conflict in the region more likely.
So it goes.
Yet another reason to oppose the 2023 NDAA…..
These generous senators can start by contributing their annual pay..
They can contribute by resigning en masse.
If only they had the intellect to do so, Bear.
Problem is, in their stupendous ignorance, they believe they have all the answers.
I see revolution as the only alternative ( or a great big nuke dropped on DC.)
They are the people who do feel entitled like no one else.
No money for a plate of soup for a hungry child at a school lunch.
Why bother to vote, big money picks the bastards we may vote for. That is how we had presidents like Clinton, Obama, Bush, Trump and Biden.
If Amerikkkans weren’t so stupid, Renate, they’d realize that they had other options. Sadly, it’ll never happen.
They should donate their “defense” co stock options …
We should have a referendum to cut their salaries and benefits in half, and only voter approved wage increases. They just think the treasury is for their personal use, Nancy did not even pay for her Taiwan pleasure trip. Travel expenses must be capped, let them pay for their vacations out of pocket, none of their travel is needed. If anything they create trouble. All Biden the senile old man does is campaign at taxpayers expense.
I’d take it a step further, Renate; only an allowance for food, housing and necessities.
Maybe then we’d get individuals who actually wished to work for the people, instead of collecting fat paychecks and pensions.
Bloody well right! And free toilet paper for all the bull-sh-t!
they’re doing the same thing to Taiwan as they did to Ukraine – militarizing and fortifying the whole island so as to some day inflict considerable pain and suffering not only onto the inhabitants of the island itself, but all the Chinese mainlanders who will die if and when they try to take back the island. ….
and all the while, the USS and its Nato lackies will stand on the sides saying how aggressive China has been and is. It’s all bullshit
The profiteers are the only winners, that includes our club of millionaires in congress. We, their voters, are the suckers, regardless for whom we vote, red or blue.
Wars are the most profitable business there is. that is why we have never-ending wars.
!!! Gracias Renate, gracias!
I take it, thank YOU.
Can you imagine the outrage it would cause if China decided to give $10 billion to Texit: the grassroots movement organized to re-establish Texas as a nation?
I wonder if it has occurred to the people of Taiwan that our interest in their independence lies solely in 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 to provoke China.
That would certainly be interesting.
On the other hand, it’s not really comparable. Texas has been part of the US continuously since 1865. Taiwan hasn’t been part of China since 1895.
Your statement re Taiwan reflects your seeming bias against the Chinese view. I’m getting the impression that you believe in some kind of universal right and wrong.
China’s relationships with various parts of her present day geographic makeup has been rather fluid for well over a thousand years. So making statements about who is part of China depends on which chunk of that 1000+ years you’re considering.
I’m considering the last 127 years. But if you want to go further back than that, Taiwan wasn’t ruled from China until the 1700s, and then only partially and intermittently.
The people of Taiwan should determine their fate.Apparently,the hongkong people were very reluctant to become part of mainland China.
How about the Russian speaking people in Eastern Ukraine?
Uh, maybe give that right to occupied east Jerusalem, Gaza and west bank . How do the zionist take two contradictory positions at the same time. Why does Israel keep building settlements against the wishes of native west Bank population and keep direct control of certain areas and use pa authorities as kapo?
But then again the Palestinians r just mindless beasts who cannot be reasoned with, right?
It is time for us to put our begging bowls out, as well… My state could use some help but we don’t need any bombs or weapons… How much can you give?…
Are you enormously wealthy? If not, no one cares.
People should care ED because some day, those of us who are down and out may employ a very different strategy…
We need to reduce salaries and benefits for elected officials, the high compensations attract scumbags, conmen instead of genuine public servants. We need to stop the lobbying jobs they start the day they end their job. We need to do some housecleaning, corruption is getting out of hand, the ethics committee is a waste of time and money, it has become a cheap façade if it ever was more than that.
Excellent Renate, excellent! Henceforth, all SCUMBAGS and their totem nut sacks should either “put up” or “shut-up”!
Greetings to everyone who appreciates this website and uses its forum;
I have spent my entire adult life as a semi naive person attempting to help the US see reality clearly and then get its act together. My first presidential voting experience was between Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater. The press and Johnson’s slithering lies convinced me to vote for him.
Fast forward to now.
We are faced with a long list of public interest problems everyone already has their own individual grasp of. The overarching situation is representative democracy is dysfunctional at every level. It needs to be replaced with something else no single person can describe or even be helpful at solving. The riddle ends with extinction and thus cannot be ignored. Organizations have gone along for the ride and cannot help. Only humanity as a whole has the required intelligence and knowledge.
Our species has evolved to listen to warnings of danger and react using cooperative intellect and strategies. Humans are the apex species with respect to the self-made danger. Academia can and does train PhD dummies to stoke our fears to herd us in directions chosen by what are called leaders. We are on the cusp of extinction. There are plastic molecules accompanying our body proteins and in mother’s milk. Low brows stoke our fears to distract attention, WW3 is the ultimate.
I have reserved two website names and will donate them to an organization that forms out of this remarkable forum. My idea is to see democracy as something more than a win/lose sports contest. Maybe the brains behind Anti War dot com will agree to be originating caretakers of a tool we can use to find out what we as a species know and propose from human knowledge at large. This task is not particularly expensive. I simply have not been able to accomplish it alone with semi interested programmers who skip off to good pay. Bob Dylan had this same problem in his younger career years. He became a star. All we want is to give peace a chance.
constituentassembly.org autonomousdemocracy.org
Do they even know who elected them and pays their salaries and all the bennies they get?
What happened to Manchin and Sinema? Suddenly there is all the money for the taking. The money is to be used to purchase US weapons, that is nice to know. How many school lunches could we fund with that money?
We have a collection of millionaire scumbags like any third world country. Politicians are scum, maybe there are a few exceptions, but one can count them on one hand.
And the list goes on and on Renate, on and on…………………………………
What a scheme for the Complex to get more riches.
Let’s not pretend that the NDAA isn’t just an annual theft of taxpayer money to enrich the military industrial complex. No debates on it ever other than how many zeros they can to the number.
Can’t actually pay for any of it? Well more deficit spending and inflation for us chums while the politicians go sip their blood-soaked champagne in yachts paid for by the MIC.
This administration has forfeited every right it may have had for my support. If I were a senator, I would vote to impeach – every one of them. But I’m not.
The only way the planet survives is through the removal of these hideous creatures who call themselves leaders. Otherwise, it will be past time for the great asteroid.
I will never again vote for the lesser of two evils. I will stay home and not vote at all. I will not be played for a sucker again, enough is enough.
Biden has disgraced himself, the party, and the office. He does not represent my views at all.
Time for the 25th.
The whole system is a disgrace. Biden is just the phlegm it produces.
I prefer what I learned in my Independent youth — “throw the bums out.” Serially. Just keep throwing them out.
……………………………..
Every vote I take will be directed against any candidate who supports Biden’s wars.
“Every vote I take will be directed against any candidate who supports DC’s wars and interventions.”
Much better. Biden is just a semi animated stage prop.
Defense contractors are rubbing their hands with glee
Section 901 establishes, beyond any reasonable doubt, that every legislator who supports the act is a liar.
Sec.901. Rule of Construction.
Reaffirms that nothing in this Act shall be construed as entailing restoration of diplomatic relations with Taiwan or altering the United States Government’s position on Taiwan’s international status.
Good vfm, if u look at how it has been used to weaken Russia and kill some ruskie. Not good for Ukraine and will definitely not be good for Taiwan but will be good for the empire, especially it’s ruling elite
What could possibly go wrong ?.