Surveillance balloon over the U.S. was a “brazen violation” of U.S. sovereignty.
The House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday that condemns the Chinese Communist Party’s use of a spy balloon to surveil military installations and possibly collect and transmit communications over a wide swath of U.S. territory.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have escalated since the balloon was downed off the South Carolina coastline five days ago.
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and sponsor of the resolution, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, said, “An event like this, Mr. Speaker, must not happen again. And it cannot go unanswered.“ He added, “They must understand that we do desire peace, but infringing upon our sovereignty leads us down a dangerous path. Our adversaries must believe that any future incursion into American airspace by a spy balloon or any other vehicle will be met with decisive force. And that is why the house should pass this resolution.”
Under the resolution, President Biden’s administration is to keep Congress apprised of developments through “comprehensive briefings on the incident.” These include a complete timeline, information acquired from collecting balloon debris, the nature of intelligence collected by and from the balloon, options for mitigation, and any diplomatic communications between the U.S. and China.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Speaker McCarthy and members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee as they lead the chamber’s response to Chinese surveillance.
- For wisdom for the president and his administration as they consider the resolution of Congress.
Sources: The Hill, Washington Examiner
