[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1216 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 321
119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1216

    To support Taiwan's international space, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 31, 2025

   Mr. Van Hollen (for himself, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Bennet) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

                           February 10, 2026

                Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To support Taiwan's international space, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Taiwan Allies Fund 
Act''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress makes the following findings:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Taiwan is a free and prosperous democracy of 
        more than 23,000,000 people and an important contributor to 
        peace and stability around the world.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) The People's Republic of China has engaged in 
        a years-long campaign to diplomatically isolate Taiwan on the 
        world stage.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Since 2013, the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, 
        Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, the 
        Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Nicaragua, Honduras, and, most 
        recently in 2024, Nauru have severed diplomatic relations with 
        Taiwan in favor of diplomatic relations with the People's 
        Republic of China.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) The People's Republic of China has used 
        economic and diplomatic intimidation against countries pursuing 
        unofficial relations with Taiwan, including Lithuania, Czechia, 
        and the United States.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (Public Law 
        96-8) states that it is the policy of the United States ``to 
        maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort 
        to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the 
        security, or the social or economic system, of the people on 
        Taiwan''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) The Taiwan Allies International Protection and 
        Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-
        135) states that the United States Government should--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) ``support Taiwan in strengthening its 
                official diplomatic relationships as well as other 
                partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific region 
                and around the world''; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) ``consider, in certain cases as 
                appropriate and in alignment with United States 
                interests, increasing its economic, security, and 
                diplomatic engagement with nations that have 
                demonstrably strengthened, enhanced, or upgraded 
                relations with Taiwan''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    It is the sense of Congress that the United States 
Government should--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) advocate, as appropriate, for Taiwan's 
        presence on the global stage, including at international 
        organizations;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) promote the preservation and expansion of 
        Taiwan's official diplomatic relations with countries around 
        the world;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) expand Taiwan's unofficial relations with 
        countries around the world;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) encourage countries with unofficial relations 
        with Taiwan to deepen their engagement; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) advance the economic development of countries 
        that support democratic partners like Taiwan.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. TAIWAN ALLIES FUND.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts made 
available under the Countering PRC Influence Fund for each of the 
fiscal years 2026, 2027, and 2028, there is authorized to be 
appropriated $40,000,000 for each such fiscal year to support Taiwan's 
international space.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Eligible Countries.--Amounts available pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) may be used in 
countries that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) maintain official relations with Taiwan or 
        have meaningfully strengthened unofficial relations with 
        Taiwan;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) have been subject to coercion or pressure by 
        the People's Republic of China due to their relations with 
        Taiwan; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) lack the economic or political capability to 
        effectively respond to such coercion or pressure by the 
        People's Republic of China without the support of the United 
        States.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Use of Funds.--Amounts available pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) may be used to 
support any of the following activities in the countries described in 
subsection (b):</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) To support health initiatives that provide 
        alternatives to the Health Silk Road.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) To build the capacity and resilience of civil 
        society, media, and other nongovernmental organizations in 
        countering the influence and propaganda of the People's 
        Republic of China.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) To diversify supply chains away from the 
        People's Republic of China.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) To provide alternatives to People's Republic 
        of China development assistance and project 
        financing.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) To advance Taiwan's meaningful participation 
        in international fora and multilateral organizations.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) To work with the private sector to provide 
        United States or allied alternatives to People's Republic of 
        China information and communications technology infrastructure 
        and components.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Limitation on Funds.--A country described in 
subsection (b) may not receive more than $5,000,000 of funds made 
available pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under 
subsection (a) during any fiscal year.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Implementation.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, in 
        consultation with the Administrator for the United States 
        Agency for International Development, the Director of the 
        American Institute in Taiwan, and the heads other relevant 
        Federal agencies, shall coordinate and carry out activities 
        described in subsection (c).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Authorities.--Amounts available pursuant to 
        the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) may be 
        considered foreign assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act 
        of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for purposes of making 
        available the administrative authorities in that Act and may be 
        transferred to, and merged with, funds made available for any 
        provision of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to carry out 
        the purposes of this section, except that such funds shall 
        remain available until expended.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Coordination with taiwan.--In order to 
        maximize cost efficiency and eliminate duplication, the 
        Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator for 
        the United States Agency for International Development, should 
        work with the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan to 
        ensure coordination with relevant parties of Taiwan, as 
        appropriate.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Cost-sharing with taiwan.--The Secretary of 
        State should convey to relevant parties of Taiwan, as 
        appropriate, that Taiwan should contribute commensurate 
        assistance to countries described in subsection (b).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Report.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year 
                after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
                annually thereafter for two years, the Secretary of 
                State shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
                committees a report on activities described in this 
                section that were carried out during the preceding 
                fiscal year.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Elements.--Each report required by 
                subparagraph (A) shall include--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) with respect to each activity 
                        described in subsection (c)--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) the amount of funding 
                                for the activity;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) the goal to which the 
                                activity relates; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (III) an assessment of the 
                                success of the activity to meet the 
                                goal to which the activity relates; 
                                and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) with respect to this 
                        subsection--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) the amount of funding 
                                for the activity provided by Taiwan 
                                during the preceding year, if any; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) an assessment of 
                                whether the funding described in 
                                subclause (I) is commensurate with 
                                funding provided by the United 
                                States.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to apply to or limit United States foreign assistance not 
provided using amounts available pursuant to the authorization of 
appropriations under subsection (a).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (g) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
        Senate; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
        of Representatives.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This subtitle may be cited as the ``Taiwan Allies Fund Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Taiwan is a free and prosperous democracy of more than 
        23,000,000 people and an important contributor to peace and 
        stability around the world.
            (2) The People's Republic of China (PRC) has engaged in a 
        years-long campaign to diplomatically isolate Taiwan on the 
        world stage.
            (3) Since 2013, the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, 
        the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, the Solomon 
        Islands, Kiribati, Nicaragua, Honduras, and, most recently in 
        2024, Nauru have severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 
        favor of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of 
        China.
            (4) The People's Republic of China has used economic and 
        diplomatic intimidation against countries pursuing unofficial 
        relations with Taiwan, including Lithuania, Czechia, and the 
        United States.
            (5) The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (Public Law 96-8) 
        states that it is the policy of the United States ``to maintain 
        the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force 
        or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, 
        or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan''.
            (6) The Taiwan Allies International Protection and 
        Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-
        135) states that the United States Government should--
                    (A) ``support Taiwan in strengthening its official 
                diplomatic relationships as well as other partnerships 
                with countries in the Indo-Pacific region and around 
                the world''; and
                    (B) ``consider, in certain cases as appropriate and 
                in alignment with United States interests, increasing 
                its economic, security, and diplomatic engagement with 
                nations that have demonstrably strengthened, enhanced, 
                or upgraded relations with Taiwan''.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government 
should--
            (1) advocate, as appropriate, for Taiwan's engagement on 
        the global stage, including at international organizations;
            (2) promote the preservation and expansion of Taiwan's 
        official diplomatic relations with countries around the world;
            (3) expand Taiwan's unofficial relations with countries 
        around the world;
            (4) encourage countries with unofficial relations with 
        Taiwan to deepen their engagement; and
            (5) advance the economic development of countries that 
        support Taiwan.

SEC. 4. TAIWAN ALLIES FUND.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts made available 
under the Countering People's Republic of China Influence Fund for each 
of fiscal years 2026, 2027, and 2028, there is authorized to be 
appropriated $10,000,000 for each such fiscal year to support Taiwan's 
international space.
    (b) Eligible Countries.--Amounts available pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) may be used in 
countries that--
            (1) maintain official relations with Taiwan or the 
        Secretary of State certifies to Congress have meaningfully 
        strengthened unofficial relations with Taiwan;
            (2) have been subject to coercion or pressure by the 
        People's Republic of China due to their relations with Taiwan; 
        and
            (3) lack the economic or political capability to 
        effectively respond to such coercion or pressure by the 
        People's Republic of China without the support of the United 
        States.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Amounts available pursuant to the authorization 
of appropriations under subsection (a) may be used to support any of 
the following activities in the countries described in subsection (b) 
if such activities have a direct linkage to the goal of supporting 
Taiwan's international engagement, are aligned with clear and 
justifiable United States counter-PRC strategic imperatives that guide 
all programs funded by the Counter PRC Influence Fund, and support 
United States national interests :
            (1) To support initiatives that provide alternatives to the 
        People's Republic of China health, digital, and energy 
        initiatives.
            (2) To build the capacity and resilience of civil society, 
        media, and other nongovernmental organizations in countering 
        the malign influence of the People's Republic of China.
            (3) To diversify supply chains away from the People's 
        Republic of China, particularly to mitigate vulnerabilities to 
        PRC economic coercion.
            (4) To provide alternatives to People's Republic of China 
        development assistance and project financing and to expose the 
        People's Republic of China's failure to deliver on development 
        promises or other negative aspects of PRC development 
        assistance.
            (5) To support Taiwan's official or unofficial diplomatic 
        presence abroad or advance Taiwan's meaningful participation in 
        international fora and multilateral organizations.
            (6) To provide United States or allied alternatives to 
        People's Republic of China information and communications 
        technology infrastructure and components, in coordination with 
        the private sector, as appropriate.
            (7) To strengthen the capacity of partner countries to 
        address and reduce the impacts of foreign malign influence 
        operations, propaganda, and other asymmetric informational 
        activities originating from the People's Republic of China.
            (8) To mitigate a country's specific vulnerabilities to the 
        People's Republic of China's coercion over the country's 
        relationship with Taiwan.
    (d) Limitation on Funds.--A country described in subsection (b) may 
not receive more than $5,000,000 of funds made available pursuant to 
the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) during any 
fiscal year.
    (e) Implementation.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, in consultation 
        with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall 
        coordinate and carry out activities described in subsection 
        (c).
            (2) Authorities.--Amounts available pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) may be 
        considered foreign assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act 
        of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for purposes of making 
        available the administrative authorities in that Act and may be 
        transferred to, and merged with, funds made available for any 
        provision of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to carry out 
        the purposes of this section, except that such funds shall 
        remain available until expended.
            (3) Coordination with taiwan.--In order to maximize cost 
        efficiency and eliminate duplication, the Secretary of State 
        should ensure coordination with relevant counterparts in 
        Taiwan, as appropriate.
            (4) Cost-sharing with taiwan.--The Secretary of State 
        shall, to the maximum extent practicable, encourage cost-
        sharing arrangements with Taiwan for the assistance described 
        in subsection (b) or otherwise complementary assistance.
            (5) Report.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of the enactment of this section, and annually 
                thereafter for two years, the Secretary of State shall 
                submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
                report on activities described in this section that 
                were carried out during the preceding fiscal year.
                    (B) Elements.--Each report required by subparagraph 
                (A) shall include--
                            (i) with respect to each activity described 
                        in subsection (c)--
                                    (I) the amount of funding for the 
                                activity;
                                    (II) the goal to which the activity 
                                relates; and
                                    (III) an assessment of the success 
                                of the activity to meet the goal to 
                                which the activity relates; and
                            (ii) with respect to this subsection--
                                    (I) the amount of funding for the 
                                activity provided by Taiwan during the 
                                preceding year, if any; and
                                    (II) an assessment of whether the 
                                funding described in subclause (I) is 
                                commensurate with funding provided by 
                                the United States.
    (f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to apply to or limit United States foreign assistance not provided 
using amounts available pursuant to the authorization of appropriations 
under subsection (a).
    (g) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives.
                                                       Calendar No. 321

119th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 1216

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To support Taiwan's international space, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           February 10, 2026

                       Reported with an amendment