Washington (November 12, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement on the Taiwan Fellowship Program Memorandum of Understanding entering into force. Senator Markey, along with then-Senator Marco Rubio, introduced the Taiwan Fellowship Act, in 2021 and the legislation passed into law in 2022 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation establishes a fellowship exchange program for U.S. federal government employees to live on the island and work for Taiwan ministries, agencies, or parliamentary offices or other organizations in Taiwan related to their home agency work. Fellows will also learn Mandarin Chinese.

“I am proud that the historic Taiwan Fellowship Program, which was created by legislation that I introduced with Senator Marco Rubio in 2021 and which passed into law in 2022, will now enter into force. The Taiwan Fellowship Program will build essential ties between the United States and Taiwan by establishing a fellowship for U.S. federal government employees to live on the island and work for Taiwan ministries, agencies, or parliamentary offices. Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and a critical U.S. ally that shares our commitment to human rights, the rule of law, and security across the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. I look forward to seeing the first class of U.S. fellows arriving in Taiwan soon to start this important program.”

In May 2024, Senator Markey and then-Senator Rubio, along with a bipartisan group of their Senate colleagues, wrote to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging the United States Department of State to swiftly finalize an agreement with Taiwan to implement the Taiwan Fellowship program to allow its first fellows to arrive in Taiwan by the end of 2024.

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