CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

DemocratAmendment · S.Amdt. 2944· Senate(119-SAMDT-2944)

S.Amdt. 2944

Rep. Merkley
Age: 70 years
Oregon
Introduced
7/17/2025
Sponsored by
Jeff Merkley
Cosponsors
None
Changes bill
119-S-2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
  1. Introduced
  2. Pending Consideration

What this amendment would do

SA 2944, submitted by Mr. Merkley, seeks to add the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act of 2025 to bill S. 2296. The purpose of this amendment is to enhance the partnership between the United States and Taiwan in response to the military buildup in China and security imbalances in the Taiwan Strait.

It aims to add the following to the bill:

  • Diplomatic and Economic Support: It promotes Taiwan's participation in international organizations, bilateral and multilateral summits, and economic forums. It also prioritizes the negotiation of a free-trade agreement that protects labor rights and the environment.

  • Government Coordination: It requires the President to create an interagency Taiwan Policy Task Force featuring senior officials from various departments (such as State, Defense, and Treasury) to execute a plan for strengthening the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.

  • Leadership Changes: It mandates that the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan's Taipei office be appointed by the President with Senate consent and hold the title of Representative.

  • Security and Defense: It urges Taiwan to invest in asymmetric defense capabilities and establishes a policy of inviting Taiwan to participate in military exercises. It also requires a joint report from the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense regarding military deterrence in the Taiwan Strait.

  • Countering "Sharp Power": It defines sharp power as the use of disinformation, economic coercion, and censorship to interfere in democratic institutions. The amendment directs the government to protect U.S. businesses and nongovernmental entities from PRC coercion and provide assistance to Taiwan in countering these operations.

  • Sovereignty and Recognition: It states that Taiwan's sovereignty should be decided by its people through a democratic process. It prohibits U.S. agencies from recognizing PRC claims to sovereignty over Taiwan without the assent of the Taiwanese people and directs agencies to treat Taiwan's elected government as the legitimate representative of its people.