Finance Committee Hearings Commence on NT$295B Arms Budget; 6 Days to HIMARS Deadline; Trump Says Willing to Call Taiwan President Lai

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan Finance Committee commenced hearings on Monday May 25, 2026 to review the NT$295 billion special procurement budget approved by the Cabinet on May 20, covering the first tranche of HIMARS, M109A7 howitzers, Javelin ATGMs, TOW 2B missiles, and anti-armor drone missile systems under the broader NT$780 billion special defense bill passed on May 8. The May 31 HIMARS down payment deadline — now 6 days away — represents the most pressing legislative urgency since Taiwan's historic defense budget passage. Defense Minister Wellington Koo has reiterated that the Executive Yuan will invoke Article 84 of the Budget Act to authorize emergency payment if the Legislature does not complete the full budget approval process before May 31, a mechanism that would allow the government to make the NT$800 million HIMARS down payment without standard legislative appropriations procedures to prevent automatic Foreign Military Sale case cancellation. A floor vote on the NT$295B budget is expected Wednesday-Thursday May 27-28. On the diplomatic front, Trump stated on May 21 that he was willing to speak directly with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te — the first such presidential-level contact prospect since the US severed formal diplomatic relations in 1979 — a development Taiwan's Presidential Office acknowledged while noting that any call would emphasize status quo maintenance. US Congressional pressure on the paused $14 billion PAC-3 MSE/NASAMS package continues, with the bipartisan PORCUPINE Act (passed House Foreign Affairs Committee 45-0 the prior week) requiring advance notification before any arms delivery delay to Taiwan.