Republicans on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on China say the aid funding President Joe Biden has requested for the Indo-Pacific region is woefully inadequate. The picture shows Congressman Mike Gallagher speaking to reporters after the House Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on September 21, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
[The Epoch Times, November 21, 2023](Epoch Times reporter Li Xin compiled and reported) Mike Gallagher, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Communist Party of China, and six other Republicans on the committee on Sunday (November 2023) 19) jointly sent a letter to congressional leadership, pointing out that the aid funds requested by President Biden for the Indo-Pacific region are seriously insufficient, and believe that Congress must prioritize funding the most urgent national security priorities and curb the growing threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
In this letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch In the letter from Mitch McConnell, Gallagher and other Republican House members said they believed Biden’s request for $2 billion in aid for the Indo-Pacific region in his $106 billion emergency aid request was ” Totally insufficient,” and recommended that congressional leaders approve $12 billion.
The Republicans wrote in the letter: “The Indo-Pacific is a priority theater for us and must not be an afterthought. To maintain peace in Asia and prevent large-scale conflict we have not seen in generations, we must take Act before it’s too late. While deterrence may be difficult, war is hell. We must step up our pleas for additional Indo-Pacific funding and treat the Chinese threat with the seriousness it deserves.”
The letter pointed out that in recent months, the Chinese Communist Party has “carefully planned” multiple incidents of unsafe interception of U.S. ships and aircraft that nearly collided with them, intimidated Taiwan, and harassed Philippine supply ships in the South China Sea. China is also strengthening ties with Moscow and building up its military capabilities “at an extremely fast pace.”
The letter emphasized that there must be sufficient funds to fight the CCP’s aggression, so an additional US$10 billion is needed. This is not only to strengthen the US military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, but also to build facilities for the US Indo-Pacific Command and increase ammunition production. .
The lawmakers also called for an additional $2 billion to replace weapons shipped to Taiwan from U.S. military stockpiles this year. In addition, they also asked Congress to authorize Biden to ship another $650 million worth of weapons to Taiwan.
In addition to Gallagher, Republicans who signed the letter include Virginia Rep. Rob Wittman, Illinois Rep. Darrin LaHood, Florida Rep. Neal Dunn, South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson, California Rep. Michelle Steel and Iowa Rep. Ashley Ashley Hinson.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
Tags: House Republicans urge Congress increase aid funding IndoPacific region House Representatives Committee Communist Party China Biden
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