Taipei: The United States government on Sunday called on Taiwanese lawmakers across party lines to pass a special defense budget bill that would finance Taiwan's planned purchases of American weapon systems for self-defense.

According to Focus Taiwan, an unnamed U.S. State Department spokesperson emphasized the importance of overcoming political differences in Taiwan's legislature to swiftly approve a defense budget that underscores Taiwan's commitment to self-defense. The spokesperson highlighted that the acquisition of critical defense capabilities aligns with the Taiwan Relations Act, which has supported Taiwan's security for over 45 years.

The State Department's comments came in response to inquiries about U.S. support for a special defense budget bill proposed by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), should it be passed in Taiwan's Legislature. Last week, the KMT suggested a NT$350 billion (US$11.04 billion) budget to fund eight weapon sales approved by the U.S. in December.

This proposal is notably less than the NT$1.25 trillion bill from Taiwan's Cabinet, which aims to cover not only the eight systems but also potential future U.S. arms sales and procurement of drones and domestic T-Dome multilayered air defense systems. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party's NT$1.25 trillion proposal has faced delays in the Legislature due to opposition from the KMT and Taiwan People's Party (TPP), who together hold a majority.

Both the KMT and DPP's proposals, along with a NT$400 billion bill from the TPP, have advanced to the committee stage in the Legislature as of last Friday.