Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to introduce the Providing Our Regional Companions Upgraded Protection in Nefarious Environments (PORCUPINE) Act. This legislation will streamline the process for U.S. arms sales to Taiwan regulated by the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). The bill will also make it easier for allies and partners, including NATO members, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, to transfer U.S.-origin items to Taiwan.
“Taiwan is a crucial U.S. partner standing at the forefront of our shared fight for democracy,” said Bennet. “As China escalates military, economic, and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan, this legislation will bolster the island’s ability to deter a potential Chinese invasion and defend itself against China’s greyzone offensives, reinforcing U.S. and allied efforts to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
“On my recent CODEL to Taiwan, I saw a partner ready and willing to provide for its own self-defense in the face of increasing aggression by Communist China,” said Ricketts. “However, our antiquated arms sales process and struggling defense industrial base have prevented Taiwan from getting the weapons it needs in a timely manner. The PORCUPINE Act will make it easier for us to send arms to Taiwan, quicker, while also creating a process for our closest allies and partners to do the same.”
“Taiwan is on the front lines of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and defending the island and our values requires that we swiftly provide the weapons systems it needs—but in the face of Chinese greyzone pressure and the constant threat of invasion, it takes far too long to deliver these weapons,” said Coons. “China isn’t going to bide its time and wait for arms sales to be completed before launching an attack. Passing the PORCUPINE Act today is the first of many steps we need to take to update our arms sales process and ensure our Taiwanese partners have what they need to defend themselves.”
Currently, U.S. sales to NATO member states and other allies have shorter congressional notification timelines and higher weapons value thresholds under the AECA. But Taiwan is not currently included on that list.
Specifically, the PORCUPINE Act will:
- Put Taiwan in the NATO-plus category for shorter formal Congressional notification times and higher weapons value thresholds; and
- Require the Secretary of State to establish an expedited decision-making process for blanket third-party transfers of defense articles and services from NATO member countries, Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, or Israel to Taiwan, including transfers and re-transfers of U.S. origin grant, Foreign Military Sales (FMS), and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) end-items not covered by an exemption under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
Bennet has long advocated for stronger U.S.-Taiwan ties in the face of increasing pressure from China. He has repeatedly warned that allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to claim victory in Ukraine would embolden autocrats everywhere–specifically emboldening China’s President Xi Jinping to consider military action against Taiwan.
In May, Bennet introduced legislation to strengthen the State Department’s Taiwan strategy to ensure that the Department remains agile enough to counter Beijing’s saber-rattling. In January, he introduced legislation to provide expedited double-tax relief on U.S.-Taiwan cross-border investment and authorize the President to negotiate a tax agreement with Taiwan to provide broader bilateral tax relief.
Bennet played a leading role in securing the April 2024 passage of the national security aid package, which included $8.13 billion for Indo-Pacific partners, including Taiwan. In March 2024, Bennet urged the leaders of Alphabet, Meta, TikTok, and X to better counter election interference–noting China-linked state actors’ use of malicious information campaigns to undermine Taiwan’s January 2024 elections.
In addition to Bennet, Ricketts, and Coons, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) cosponsored the bill.
The text of the bill is available HERE.