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Washington, DC- Today, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul’s resolution, H.Res.104, condemning China over its use of a spy balloon violating U.S. sovereignty. Prior to the resolution’s passage, Chairman McCaul gave the following remarks highlighting this sends a clear, bipartisan signal to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and our adversaries around the world that their malign activity will not be tolerated.

“Last week, the nation watched in shock as a Chinese surveillance balloon traversed much of the United States, including sensitive American military sites like Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana,” McCaul said. That base is one of the three places where our Minuteman III ICBM nuclear missiles are stored. Americans were rightfully, deeply disturbed by this brazen violation of sovereignty by the Chinese Communist Party. H.Res.104, sends a clear, bipartisan message to the CCP and to our adversaries around the world that this kind of aggression will not be tolerated. It tells the world, in one united voice, that our national security is not a partisan issue. We stand together today with one voice as Americans.”

 

WATCH HERE.

– Chairman McCaul delivered the following remarks –

Mr. Speaker, this past week the nation watched in shock as a Chinese surveillance balloon traversed much of the United States, including sensitive American military sites, like Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

That base is one of three places where our Minute Man 3 ICBM nuclear missiles are stored.

Americans were – rightfully – deeply disturbed by this brazen violation of sovereignty by the Chinese Communist Party.

This act of aggression was done on the eve of a scheduled meeting between Chairman Xi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. That meeting was ultimately cancelled.

The balloon, I believe, was a test, a test of this administration to see how it would respond.

I believe the President should have shot it down before it entered American airspace, rather than allow it to cross over the continental United States airspace.

But make no mistake, this was another intentionally provocative act by the CCP. And as I’ve said often, weakness invites aggression. 

This act will only further embolden and empower our enemies. It will embolden and empower Chairman Xi.

Mr. Speaker, I have never seen a foreign nation adversary fly a reconnaissance aircraft that you could see from the ground with your own eyes. The CCP threat is now within sight for Americans across the heartland – a vision and memory they will not forget. 

This is further proof the CCP does not care to have a constructive relationship with the United States. 

It is publicly challenging U.S. interests, threatening Taiwan, supporting Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, and now violating U.S. sovereignty.

If there was any question whether the administration should be requesting funds to support Taiwan’s foreign military financing grants, this incident alone, should make clear that the time is now to harden ourselves and our partners against Chinese military aggression.

An event like this, Mr. Speaker, must not happen again.

And it cannot go unanswered.

They only understand one thing, and that is force, and that’s projecting power. We need to project power, force, and strength against the Chinese Communist Party.

[The CCP] must understand that we desire peace, but infringing 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 by decisive force.

And that is why the House should pass this resolution:

The resolution in here, under Section 4, does call for the Biden administration to continue to keep Congress apprised by providing comprehensive briefings on this incident that include… most importantly, a detailed description of plans, capabilities, and methods to deter and defeat intelligence collection activities conducted by the [CCP] of other foreign adversaries in the national airspace system, and any additional authorities needed from Congress to ensure detection and defeat of these activities in the future. 

And I hope this administration will comply with this resolution.

This resolution, I believe, sends a clear, bipartisan signal to the CCP and our adversaries around the world that this act will not be tolerated.

To tell the world with a united voice that our national security is not a partisan issue.

We stand together today with one voice as Americans, Americans against this act of aggression by the Chinese Communist Party.

So with that, Mr. Speaker, I urge unanimous support for this resolution and reserve the balance of my time. 

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