Senator Josh Hawley is calling for the Senate Homeland Security Committee to begin an investigation into President Joe Biden's response to the Chinese surveillance balloon that is currently floating over America.
The Biden Administration said they would not be shooting down the surveillance balloon.
On Friday, the Missouri senator demanded the investigation in a letter sent to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat. 🚨📩: @HawleyMO demands investigation into Chinese spy balloon, slams lack of action from Biden pic.twitter.com/yn8AqU8Lep
— Abigail Marone 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) February 3, 2023
In the letter, Sen. Hawley said that he requests Sen. Peters "expeditiously convene a hearing on troubling reports that the Chinese government has launched a surveillance balloon over the United States to spy on our nuclear capabilities."
Sen. Hawley continued, "as members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), we have an obligation to obtain full understanding of the surveillance that the Chinese government is currently conducting in gross violation of U.S. airspace and to understand the Biden Administration's baffling response thus far."
"As confirmed today by the Pentagon, there is currently a Chinese surveillance balloon moving across the United States," the letter asserted.
"The Pentagon has confirmed that the balloon is 'maneuverable' and is currently somewhere over the center of the continental United States — in violation of U.S airspace and international law," Sen. Hawley continued.
The letter noted that Pentagon spokesman U.S. Airforce Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder has said that the balloon is expected to continue to operate over U.S. airspace "for a few days."
The Pentagon spokesman has declined to give reporters the dimensions of the balloon but said during a press conference that "it is big enough that, again, in reviewing our approach, we do recognize that any potential debris field would be significant and potentially cause civilian injuries or deaths or significant property damage."
Sen. Hawley is one of many Republicans who have been questioning the validity of not shooting the balloon out of the sky.
"Yet, rather than shooting down or otherwise disabling this high-altitude balloon, the Biden Administration is merely 'monitoring the situation' and referring reporters to the Chinese government for answers," Sen. Hawley continued.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has claimed that the balloon was "affected by the westerly wind" and that their ability to control the aircraft "is limited."
The senator continued, "this is a gross violation of American sovereignty. China's foray into America's sovereign airspace is deeply disturbing and calls for an immediate investigation. This is a matter of homeland security, and we should hear from senior members of the Biden Administration to understand their response, or lack thereof, so far."
"The American people are demanding answers," the letter concluded.
