U.S. pauses $14 billion Taiwan weapons sale

Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao said on Thursday that Washington has paused a proposed $14 billion weapons sale to Taiwan while the administration reviews munitions needs tied to the U.S. war with Iran. Cao made the remark at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing on the Navy’s fiscal 2027 budget request. Al Jazeera first reported the comments on Friday, and other outlets including CBS and AFP matched the account. The proposed package would be the largest U.S. weapons transfer to Taiwan if it goes forward. ### What exactly did Hung Cao say? Hung Cao told senators on May 21, “Right now, we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury,” according to Al Jazeera’s account of the hearing. He added that “the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.” (appropriations.senate.gov) The Senate Appropriations Committee lists Cao as a witness at the May 21 defense subcommittee hearing alongside Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle and Marine Corps Commandant General Eric Smith. The committee page identifies the session as a review of the president’s fiscal 2027 budget request for the Navy. (aljazeera.com) ### What sale is on hold? The package at issue is a proposed $14 billion sale to Taiwan that Al Jazeera reported Congress approved in January, though final movement still requires President Donald Trump’s sign-off. Al Jazeera said the package would exceed an $11 billion Taiwan arms package approved in December and become the largest U.S. transfer to the island. (appropriations.senate.gov) Cao said the decision on whether to move ahead would be made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the same report. That places the next formal step with the Pentagon and State Department rather than the Navy alone. ### Why did the administration say it paused the sale? (aljazeera.com) Cao tied the pause directly to U.S. stockpiles needed for operations connected to Iran. Al Jazeera reported that he said the administration wanted to make sure it had the munitions required for “Epic Fury,” the U.S. campaign he referenced in his testimony. CBS, citing AFP, separately reported that Cao said the arms sales had been put on pause so the U.S. military would have sufficient munitions for its Iran operations. (aljazeera.com) MSN and Yahoo summaries of the hearing also said Cao linked the pause to preserving missile and munitions inventories during the Iran conflict. Those reports matched the central point of his testimony even though they differed in wording. ### How does this fit into the broader Taiwan debate? (aljazeera.com) Al Jazeera reported that the arms sale came up a week earlier during talks in Beijing between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump later said in a Fox News interview that he “may” or “may not” approve the package, according to Al Jazeera. (msn.com) William Yang of the International Crisis Group said in a social media post cited by Al Jazeera that the pause would deepen anxiety in Taiwan about U.S. support. That assessment was Yang’s, not a statement from the administration. ### What has Taiwan said? Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai told reporters on Friday that Taiwan would continue to pursue arms purchases, Al Jazeera reported, citing Taiwanese outlet FTV News. (aljazeera.com) His remarks were the first public response in the reporting reviewed here from Taipei’s top civilian leadership. The next decision point is President Trump’s approval of the package, which Al Jazeera said is still required after January congressional approval. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were named by Cao as the officials who would decide when to resume the foreign military sale process. (aljazeera.com)