Four Republican senators are pushing back against the White House holding up more than $15 billion in security help for Taiwan, a warning sign that Taiwan's defense is being treated as a bargaining item in US-China talks.

• Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis wrote to Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth demanding the frozen money move.
• The State Department has not released $300 million in military financing, the war department has not spent $1 billion, and a $14 billion arms sale is on hold.
• The letter points to Trump calling Taiwan a "very good bargaining chip" in dealings with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party.
• Xi is expected to press Trump during his three-day Washington visit to end all arms sales to Taiwan, citing the 1982 US-China communiqué.
• The senators argue the US cannot credibly deter anyone in Asia if it denies partners weapons to keep diplomacy smooth.

Outlook: The summit will show whether Trump trades Taiwan's arms pipeline for a deal with Beijing, or releases the aid to quiet his own party.