GOP Rep. Gallagher: Taiwan Needs to Be at the ‘Front of the Line’ on Military Sales, We Have $14 Billion Backlog of Undelivered Equipment

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) argued that Taiwan should be moved “to the front of the line when it comes to foreign military sales” because there’s a $14 billion backlog in military equipment that has been sold to Taiwan but hasn’t been delivered.

Gallagher stated, “I really believe that we have a window here where we can really push to give our friends in Taiwan the resources they need to defend themselves. They’re saying the right things, they’re moving in the right direction. They just announced they’re going to increase defense spending by nearly 14%. But here’s the problem: We have about $14 billion in backlogged military equipment that we’ve sold to Taiwan that has not yet been delivered. The lesson of Ukraine is we need to arm our friends before the invasion begins, before the shooting begins. That’s our best chance of avoiding war. But we are not moving fast enough to do that. We have Harpoon missile systems, for example, that aren’t scheduled to be delivered until 2027. That’s too late. We have to start moving Taiwan to the front of the line when it comes to foreign military sales. But remarkably, the Biden administration is lobbying, in cases, against a bill in the Senate that would enhance our assistance to Taiwan. I feel that they’re afraid of provoking China, and that fear is itself provocative and it’s incentivizing the Chinese to really push the limits right now.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett