Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2011
Floor Speech
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Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I would like to address the Senate on an amendment I have to the pending legislation, which will be familiar to my colleagues because it is similar to a bipartisan bill Senator Menendez of New Jersey and I have introduced, a stand-alone bill. It is called the Taiwan Airpower Modernization Act of 2011.
It does something very simple but very important: It requires the United States to respond to a request by the Government of Taiwan to purchase 66 F-16C/D models of fighter aircraft. Why is this important? It is important for all sorts of reasons, one of which Robert Kaplan recently pointed out in an op-ed in the September 23 edition of the Washington Post:
By 2020, the United States will not be able to defend Taiwan from a Chinese air attack, a 2009 RAND study found, even with America's F-22s, two carrier strike groups in the region and continued access to the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.
The United States will not be able to defend Taiwan. So it is very important that we sell Taiwan, at no taxpayer expense--it is cash money coming from the Taiwanese Government to the United States that happens to sustain thousands of jobs right here in America--that we sell them these F-16s so they can defend themselves.
Dan Blumenthal, in an October 3, 2011, article published by the American Enterprise Institute, lists what he calls the top 10 unicorns of China policy. He says in the article:
A unicorn is a beautiful make-believe creature, but despite overwhelming evidence of its fantastical nature, many people still believe in them.
He lists the top 10 unicorns of U.S.-China policy. The No. 2 unicorn relates to the subject of this amendment, and it is entitled ``Abandoning Taiwan will remove the biggest obstacle to Sino-American relations.'' In other words,
rather than antagonize China, Communist China, by selling 66 F-16C/D models to Taiwan, some might suggest we should withhold and not make that sale, as the Obama administration has apparently at least decided to do for now, because we do not want to antagonize China. If we antagonize China, our relationship will deteriorate. But, as Mr. Blumenthal points out, rather than basking in the recent warming of its relationship with Taiwan, China has picked fights with Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and India.
He goes on to say:
It doesn't matter what obstacles the United States removes, China's foreign policy has its own internal logic that is hard for the United States to shape. Abandoning Taiwan for the sake of better relations is yet another dangerous fantasy.
As my colleagues may recall, I introduced this amendment earlier on the trade adjustment assistance provisions, the TAA, and the distinguished chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, from Montana, quoted Ecclesiastes to make the point that it was not the right time. He said, ``For every thing there is a season.'' He also indicated that my amendment might derail the carefully negotiated bipartisan agreement on trade assistance. I did not agree with him at that time because my amendment was related to trade because these F-16s represent an export for the U.S. economy that creates jobs right here at home, in addition to its importance for other reasons.
But now the reason for that objection no longer exists. The pending legislation is not a carefully negotiated bipartisan agreement. And I hope my colleagues who shared my concerns--or shared the concerns the chairman of the Finance Committee argued earlier--will find an opportunity to support this amendment on the merits today because I think it is very important.
The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee also argued at the time against my amendment on the TAA bill. He said it was unprecedented for the Congress to force the White House's hand when it comes to foreign military sales. The fact is, I remind my colleagues, the Taiwan Relations Act that passed and was signed into law in 1979 makes it clear that Congress has a very important role to play. The Taiwan Relations Act says:
The President and the Congress shall determine the nature and quantity of such defense articles and services based solely upon their judgment of the needs of Taiwan. .....
This is the law of the land.
Unfortunately, I do not believe the administration's policy when it comes to selling defensive weaponry to Taiwan, that their agreement that we should just upgrade the existing fleet of F-16s is adequate to meet the demands of the Taiwan Relations Act.
This chart, taken from Defense Intelligence Agency public materials, shows the incredible shrinking Taiwan air force. Taiwan's projected fighter fleet over time goes from roughly 400, as part of a total of 490 combat aircraft. As you can see, the F-5 is an obsolete American aircraft, basically because of needed repairs, replacement parts, and it is basically not dependable anymore. The French Mirage 2000, it is estimated, will basically drop off the chart shortly after 2015 or so. Then we see the F-16 A/B models, which the administration says we should upgrade, and roughly 150 of those will be basically the remaining Taiwan air force, down from a total of roughly 400 fighters today. Actually, the administration's proposed upgrade will essentially take some of these F-16s offline, a whole squadron of F-16A/Bs, during the retrofitting period, further diminishing the number of aircraft available for Taiwan to defend itself.
The Taiwan Relations Act was a responsible decision in response to a decision of the executive branch of the Federal Government that Congress happened to disagree with. Congress can disagree with the administration and force the administration's hand when Congress believes it is appropriate to do so. The Taiwan Relations Act was one example of that. That decision was based on President Carter's diplomatic recognition of the People's Republic of China and the breaking of diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Congress had a different view and wanted to make sure the freedom of the Taiwanese people was secure, so we passed bipartisan legislation which was ultimately signed into law by President Carter.
But what is great about the Taiwan Relations Act and the relationship of the United States with Taiwan is it has always enjoyed strong bipartisan support. This is not a partisan issue at all. Here is what former Senator Jesse Helms said about it 20 years after the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act:
It is a bit of a rarity when an issue comes up that brings Jesse Helms and Ted Kennedy together.
I never served with Senator Helms. I did serve with Senator Kennedy. I can assure you, from what I know about Senator Helms and his record, that was an understatement.
He said:
But this was precisely such an issue. Senator Kennedy, Senator Goldwater, and I--along with Congressman Wolff, Derwinski and others--set out to ensure that after having their treaty of alliance tossed in the trash can, our friends in Taiwan would be left with far more than the vague verbal promises the Carter administration was offering Taiwan. So we went to work and the result was the Taiwan Relations Act.
I believe my amendment is a natural extension--actually, a fulfillment--of the Taiwan Relations Act and a reaffirmation of the bipartisan leadership the Senate has brought, which originally brought Senator Kennedy and Senator Helms together way back in 1979. We should not depart from that strong bipartisan tradition of supporting our ally in Taiwan and providing the defensive weaponry they need in order to defend themselves so the United States will not have to fill that gap.
During the debates on the trade assistance authority bill, the Senator from Massachusetts and distinguished chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argued that President Ma of Taiwan is happy with the administration's decision merely to upgrade the existing F-16A/B models and not to replace the F-5s and Mirages and other aircraft that are fast becoming obsolete. The Senator from Massachusetts went so far as to say at the time that ``the President of Taiwan has said [the approved package] is entirely adequate. He feels they have the defensive capacity necessary under the [Taiwan Relations Act] in order to be able to defend themselves at the current level with the upgrade we are providing.''
The facts are the government of Taiwan needs both the existing F-16A/B models upgraded through this upgrade but also the 66 additional F-16C/D aircraft that are the subject of my amendment. To quote Taiwan's foreign minister, he said:
Our government will continue to work closely with the United States to strengthen our national defense and security ..... by urging the United States to continue its arms sales to Taiwan with needed articles and systems for our defensive capabilities ..... including F-16C/D aircrafts and diesel-electric submarines.
Again, to remind my colleagues, this is a familiar chart from the last time I offered this amendment, which shows the growing imbalance of the Taiwan Strait, with China having some 2,300 operational combat aircraft and Taiwan with 490 operational combat aircraft, including 400 fighters, as part of their air force.
The fact is we know China doesn't tell the truth when it comes to its defensive and national security expenditures. It shows only a fraction of what it spends as it projects power across the world to follow its economic needs and interests.
Let me quote the Taiwan defense minister. Earlier I quoted another Taiwanese official. Taiwan's defense minister said:
The F-16A/B fleet upgrade package and the F-16C/D fighters purchase have different needs and purposes. It is not contradictory to have both cases done.
Last Friday, September 30, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, who happens to be of the other party, met with President Ma in Taiwan. According to the official press release by the Government of Taiwan, President Ma commented that:
The upgrades of the F-16A/B series aircraft are aimed at extending the life of fighter jets and avoiding a lack of spare parts due to the age of the F-16A/B series. Meanwhile, [Taiwan] wishes to purchase F-16C/D fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of F-5E fighter jets.
That is in red here, the aging F-5E fighter jets.
President Ma explained, ``Therefore, the objectives of the two are different.''
Let me leave with one final comment. Several of my colleagues have argued the Obama administration could approve the sale of the F-16C/D series at a later date, but that is actually not the case. The F-16 production line recently received a small order from the Air Force of Iraq to sell Iraq F-16s, but without additional orders the production line will soon be shutting down. The people who are working there will be laid off or reassigned other jobs. We are rapidly approaching a point at which the President of the United States will not be able to approve the sale of new F-16s because they will not be able to be manufactured because the production line will be shut down. I hope my colleagues will keep this in mind as they consider my amendment.
Even if the production line was not an issue, why should we make our allies in Taiwan wait? Why would the United States tell our friends to come back later? Well, as I said, the chairman of the Finance Committee quoted Ecclesiastes during our last debate. Allow me to conclude with some wise words from Proverbs:
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act.
Do not say to your neighbor, come back tomorrow, and I'll give it to you when you already have it with you.
To that, I hope my colleagues would give a hearty amen.
I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
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