To amend the Arms Export Control Act to include Taiwan among the list of recipient countries with respect to which shorter certification and reporting periods apply and to expedite licensing for allies transferring military equipment to Taiwan, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateReported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Mr. Ricketts (for himself and Mr. Coons) introduced the following …
Mr. Ricketts (for himself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Bennet, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The PORCUPINE Act (Providing Our Regional Companions Upgraded Protection in Nefarious Environments Act) amends the Arms Export Control Act to give Taiwan the same expedited treatment for U.S. arms sales that close allies like Israel, Australia, and New Zealand receive. It also requires the State Department to assess how to speed up the process for U.S. allies to transfer their own military equipment to Taiwan.
Who Benefits and How
Taiwan is the primary beneficiary, gaining faster access to U.S. defense equipment through shortened Congressional certification and reporting periods that currently apply only to the closest U.S. allies. U.S. defense contractors may also benefit from streamlined sales processes. Allied countries (NATO members, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Israel, New Zealand) could benefit from a clearer, faster process for transferring their own U.S.-origin military equipment to Taiwan.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of State bears the administrative burden of implementing expedited review processes and conducting feasibility assessments. The State Department must also submit regular reports to Congress on the implementation and effectiveness of these changes. The bill includes a 7-year sunset provision, meaning these benefits for Taiwan would expire unless Congress acts to renew them.
Key Provisions
- Adds Taiwan to the list of countries eligible for shorter Congressional notification periods for arms sales (joining allies like Israel, New Zealand, and Australia)
- Requires the State Department to assess whether licensing for allies to transfer U.S.-origin defense equipment to Taiwan can be expedited to 15 days for government-to-government deals and 30 days for other requests
- Mandates biennial reports to Congress on how well these expedited processes are working
- Includes a rule of construction preserving existing U.S. policy toward Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act
- Contains a sunset clause ending the Act 7 years after enactment
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Amends the Arms Export Control Act to include Taiwan among recipient countries with expedited certification and reporting periods, expedites licensing for allies transferring military equipment to Taiwan, and conducts a feasibility assessment of such processes.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of State
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of State
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology