[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 129 (Tuesday, August 2, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S3838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Taiwan

  Mr. President, now on one final matter, public reports indicate the 
Speaker of the House just landed in Taiwan as she travels through Asia. 
I believe she has every right to go, and it has been unseemly and 
counterproductive for President Biden and his aides to have publicly 
sought to deter her from doing so.
  There is significant precedent for high-ranking U.S. officials 
visiting Taiwan, including a past Speaker of the House. Beijing claims 
such a visit is now unacceptable. They claim that things have changed. 
Well, it is certainly true China has stepped up its aggressive actions. 
They are trying to change the status quo through force. They have 
expanded militarily in the South China Sea. They have invested in anti-
ship and anti-aircraft capabilities to threaten U.S. vessels. They have 
manipulated and threatened neighbors and mounted an all-out assault on 
democracy and autonomy in Hong Kong.
  Now Beijing wants to dictate Taiwan's future to its people and snuff 
out the island's democracy, and they are building the military capacity 
to actually bring that about. That is what is provocative. And to hear 
those responsible for this aggression complain--complain--that Speaker 
Pelosi's travel itinerary is provocative is utterly absurd.
  So I welcome the Speaker's display of support for Taiwan's democracy, 
but I hope she returns from Asia more mindful of the military 
dimensions of the Chinese threat and more committed to working with 
Republicans to address the changing balance of military power in the 
region. What that requires is selling the right mix of weapons to 
Taiwan on a prompt timeline, while helping Taiwan's military prepare 
for likely threats.
  The Biden administration has had 2 years to build on the robust 
investments their immediate predecessors made in military 
modernization. Instead, they submitted defense budget requests that 
pointed in the completely wrong direction. While China keeps ramping 
up, the Biden administration proposed to actually cut--cut--our defense 
spending after inflation.
  So when Congress debates the Defense authorization and appropriations 
bills, we must address national security challenges in the Indo-Pacific 
head-on. And I hope the Speaker's travels will mean that we do so with 
more of a bipartisan consensus on American might than we have seen in 
the recent past.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.