The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the “Honest Maps” amendment, a significant legislative move aimed at curbing the depiction of Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China in any official maps produced or displayed by the U.S. Department of Defense. The amendment was passed on July 18 as part of the broader 2026 Defense Appropriations Bill.
The provision explicitly prohibits the Pentagon from using federal funds “to create, procure, or display any map that depicts Taiwan, including Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou, Green Island, and Orchid Island, as part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China.” This builds upon legislation passed in March 2024, which had already imposed similar restrictions on the State Department.
Introduced by Representative Tom Tiffany (R-WI), the amendment reflects growing bipartisan support in Congress for aligning U.S. cartographic practices with its strategic and ideological support for Taiwan. “This is not a controversial amendment, since all of us know that Taiwan is not (nor has it ever been) a part of Communist China even for a single day,” Tiffany said on the House floor. “China is China, and Taiwan is Taiwan.”
Tiffany also criticized the U.S. “one China” policy as outdated and misleading. He stated that the policy merely acknowledges Beijing’s claims over Taiwan without validating them. “By every measure, Taiwan is a sovereign, democratic, and independent nation and any claims to the contrary are simply false,” he added.
In addition to the cartographic language, the FY2026 defense bill includes $500 million in funding under the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative (TSCI). This funding is designated to enhance Taiwan’s defense capabilities and to improve deterrence amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the Taiwan Strait where Chinese military activity has intensified.
While the amendment does not change the U.S. government’s formal diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, it marks a clear shift in how American institutions represent Taiwan in practice. Lawmakers from both parties have increasingly voiced support for measures that elevate Taiwan’s status and push back against Beijing’s diplomatic pressure.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed appreciation for the amendment, calling it a “firm and concrete support for Taiwan’s international dignity and status.” The statement emphasized the symbolic and practical importance of accurate representation in official U.S. documents.
The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it must be reconciled with the Senate version before being sent to President Joe Biden for approval. As of this writing, the Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to release its draft of the FY2026 Defense Appropriations Bill.
The “Honest Maps” amendment is part of a broader initiative by pro-Taiwan lawmakers and advocates to eliminate Chinese territorial narratives from official materials. The campaign stems from concerns over how geopolitical influence can be subtly embedded in seemingly technical areas like cartography. By enforcing geographic distinctions aligned with U.S. values and realities on the ground, the amendment aims to prevent the inadvertent legitimization of Beijing’s territorial claims.
