US House passes ‘Honest Maps’ bill

By: CNA, Washington

The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year.

The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC.

The act includes US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending.

Before the vote, US Representative Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, who proposed the amendment, urged support from his colleagues.

He said that the House had approved a similar measure in the previous Congress as part of the State Department Appropriations bill and that this new amendment aims to extend the policy to the defense department.

Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as lawmakers in the House recognize that “Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China, even for a single day.”

The US lawmaker said Taiwanese choose their leaders, maintain their armed forces, conduct their foreign policy and manage their trade agreements with other nations.

“By every measure, Taiwan is a sovereign, democratic and independent nation — and any claims to the contrary are simply false,” Tiffany said.

Since the 1970s, Washington’s so-called “one China” policy has acknowledged Beijing’s unsubstantiated claims over Taiwan, Tiffany added.

He called it “an antiquated and dishonest policy — one that we should abandon.”

Although Tiffany said the “Honest Maps” amendment would not end the misguided “one China” policy, he emphasized that it would ensure US maps reflect the reality that “China is China, and Taiwan is Taiwan.”

The Department of Defense Appropriations Act also included US$500 million in aid for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative (TSCI).

In a statement dated Tuesday last week, the US Office of Management and Budget under the Executive Office of the President said it appreciated the House Appropriations Committee’s inclusion of US$500 million for the initiative.

The US$500 million is crucial to the defense department’s efforts to enhance Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, the office said.

“The administration strongly urges full consideration of the fiscal 2026 budget request of US$1 billion for TSCI, as Taiwan’s ability to credibly defend itself is vital for deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and important for safeguarding United States personnel in the event of a contingency,” the office said.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party told the Central News Agency that the House discussed the TSCI after hearing testimony from retired US Navy rear admiral Mark Montgomery in May titled “Deterrence Amid Rising Tensions: Preventing CCP Aggression on Taiwan.”

In his testimony, Montgomery urged the Congress to increase financial aid to Taiwan to strengthen its defense, adding that Taiwan is too small to face China alone since Beijing’s GDP is 23 times larger than Taipei’s.

Montgomery said defense aid to Taiwan can be increased through Foreign Military Financing, Presidential Drawdown Authorities and the TSCI, which allow the US to provide equipment to Taiwan.

Montgomery recommended US$300 million for the first year of the TSCI and urged Congress to approve US$1 billion for next year and beyond.

A key use for this money would be training Taiwan’s troops, including captain’s courses and battalion-level training at US bases in Hawaii and the west coast, Montgomery said.

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