The Defense Ministry warned Monday that a stalled arms procurement bill could derail U.S. weapons deals and domestic drone production, urging lawmakers to refer it to committee before the legislative session ends. Both the arms procurement bill and NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special budget have been stalled in the legislature since early December.

The ministry noted that the U.S. has already approved a US$11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, with the letter of offer expected soon. However, a strict 45-day processing window applies; without a U.S. extension, an expiration would restart the deal and cause further delays. Therefore, ruling DDP lawmakers urged sending the budgets to committee, arguing that opposition parties should discuss issues there instead of holding aimless meetings that waste time. 

The special budget includes plans for over 200,000 domestically produced drones, with the Armaments Bureau already holding recruitment briefings. Delays could erode investor confidence among local firms. 

Defense Ministry Strategic Planning Director General Huang Wen-chih (黃文啓) said that for small drones, they hoped to spur initial investments from domestic manufacturers. He noted that the Armaments Bureau had already conducted two-year recruitment briefings for 45,000 units. He added that if they delayed now, manufacturers would hesitate, as they needed substantial investment to build production lines for tens of thousands of units.

KMT lawmaker Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) argued the eight-year, NT$1.25 trillion procurement should revert to annual buildup plans for item-by-item review, not lumped into a special budget. Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) responded that each item has urgency and necessity, and lawmakers could raise concerns in committee rather than denying referral.