Analysis-How a U.S. budget dispute imperils funding for Taiwan weapons

FILE PHOTO: Taiwan's armed forces hold two days of routine drills to show combat readiness ahead of Lunar New Year holidays at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Ann Wang

U.S. congressional efforts to counter China's military threats toward Taiwan could stumble over a problem much closer to home: partisan battles in Washington imperiling billions of dollars in security assistance for the self-governed island.

    Last year, both the Senate and House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly for a defense policy bill authorizing up to $10 billion in security assistance and fast-tracked weapons procurement for Taiwan. That money was to be given in $2 billion annual installments of Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, grants over five years.