[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 27 (Thursday, February 9, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H794-H799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONDEMNING THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY'S USE OF A HIGH-ALTITUDE
SURVEILLANCE BALLOON OVER UNITED STATES TERRITORY AS A BRAZEN VIOLATION
OF UNITED STATES SOVEREIGNTY
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 104) condemning the Chinese Communist Party's use
of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over United States territory as
a brazen violation of United States sovereignty.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 104
Whereas, on February 2, 2023, the Department of Defense
publicly announced it was tracking over United States
territory a high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to
the People's Republic of China (PRC);
Whereas the Department of Defense has since acknowledged
that North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) first
began tracking the surveillance balloon on January 28, 2023,
prior to its entry into United States airspace;
Whereas the Secretary of Defense has stated that the
balloon ``was being used by the PRC in an attempt to surveil
strategic sites in the continental United States'';
Whereas the surveillance balloon traveled near sensitive
United States national security facilities, including
Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana;
Whereas, on February 4, 2023, a United States Air Force
aircraft shot down the surveillance balloon off the coast of
South Carolina;
Whereas the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) intelligence
collection directed against the United States poses a threat
to United States interests and security;
Whereas, while the PRC has a long history of intelligence
collection operations against United States national security
entities, reports of its espionage have risen significantly
in recent years;
Whereas the CCP attempted to spread false claims about the
nature and purpose of the surveillance balloon, falsely
claiming it to be a weather balloon that veered off-course
due to ``force majeure'' events;
Whereas, on February 3, 2023, the Secretary of State
postponed his planned trip to the PRC and referred to the
balloon incident as an ``irresponsible act and a clear
violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law that
undermined the purpose of the trip'';
Whereas Article I of the Convention on International Civil
Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, states that
``every State has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the
airspace above its territory'';
Whereas although PRC surveillance balloons have previously
violated United States airspace, this incident differs from
those prior violations due to the length of time the balloon
spent over United States territory; and
Whereas it is in the United States national security
interest to deter foreign adversaries from engaging in
intelligence collection and other malign activities within
United States territory and airspace: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the PRC's brazen violation of United States
sovereignty;
(2) denounces the CCP's efforts to deceive the
international community through false claims about its
intelligence collection campaigns in violation of United
States sovereignty;
(3) determines that it should be the policy of the United
States to promptly and decisively act to prevent foreign
aerial surveillance platforms, including those directed by or
connected to the CCP, from violating United States
sovereignty; and
(4) calls on the Biden administration to continue to keep
Congress apprised by providing comprehensive briefings on
this incident that include--
(A) a complete account of all known infiltrations of the
national airspace by the PRC over the past several years,
regardless of platform;
(B) a complete account of similar past incidents of the
PRC's use of surveillance balloons around the world;
(C) a complete timeline of events for the most recent
infiltration from first detection to the eventual shootdown
of the balloon;
(D) an assessment of what surveillance data the PRC was
potentially able to collect or transmit, via the balloon
while it was over United States territory;
(E) a detailed account of what measures were taken to
mitigate the intelligence collection threat posed by the
balloon, the costs of those measures, and the impact on the
regular operations of the affected installations, platforms,
and personnel;
(F) a description of what options were identified to
mitigate the threat, and a description and timing of the
recommendation the U.S. military made to the President
regarding those response options;
(G) a detailed account of diplomatic communications between
the United States and the PRC regarding this incident,
including any demarches by Department of State personnel and
subsequent responses by the PRC; and
(H) a detailed description of plans, capabilities, and
methods to deter and defeat intelligence collection
activities conducted by the PRC or 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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. McCaul) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. McCAUL. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
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 the three places where our minuteman 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
canceled.
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. As I have 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 that they will not forget.
This is further proof that the CCP does not care about having 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 is any question whether the administration should request
funds supporting Taiwan's foreign military financing grants, this
incident alone should make it clear that the time is now to harden
ourselves and our partners against the 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 is projecting power; and we need to project power and force and
strength against the Chinese Communist Party.
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.
The resolution, under section 4, does call for the Biden
administration to continue to keep Congress apprised by providing
comprehensive briefings on this incident that include--and there
[[Page H795]]
are many of these, but I want to go to the end,--most importantly, a
detail description of plans, capabilities, and methods to deter and
defeat intelligence collection activities conducted by the PRC or other
foreign adversaries in the national airspace system and any additional
authorities needed from Congress to ensure detection and defeat these
activities in the future.
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 action 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.
Mr. Speaker, I urge unanimous support of this resolution, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 104, condemning the
CCP's use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the United
States territory as a brazen violation of U.S. sovereignty, that was
authored by my friend and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, Michael McCaul.
Last week, the entire world witnessed a clear and unacceptable breach
of U.S. sovereignty. I stand here today to strongly denounce the
presence of the PRC balloon in the United States airspace.
It is now up to Beijing to demonstrate, not just to the United States
but to the world, that it is serious about respecting international
rules and law, and that it is genuine about stabilizing relations with
the United States.
Secretary Blinken was on his way to Beijing to engage in diplomacy
but, and I believe, correctly, canceled his trip. It was the PRC's
irresponsible behavior that once again hindered U.S. efforts at
dialogue and de-escalation because once we crossed that line, it will
not be good for any nation; and that is why diplomacy is always
important.
The PRC also needs to come clean and stop pretending that this was a
civilian airship gathering weather information that accidentally veered
into the U.S. airspace. We all know, and now with the debris that we
are picking up after the responsible shooting down of the balloon in
the Atlantic Ocean, we all know that the PRC--it was a PRC surveillance
balloon, full stop, and Beijing needs to own up to it.
I thank the Biden administration for the transparency that we learned
that this was not the first time that the PRC balloon has transited
over U.S. airspace. In fact, this has happened at least three times
during the Trump administration and once before during this
administration.
We also learned that last week's incident was part of a larger PRC
global surveillance operation that has infringed on the sovereignty and
threatened the security of nations across five continents.
We read this morning, in various public forums, like The New York
Times and The Washington Post, that we have gained knowledge by
shooting this balloon down in the Atlantic Ocean. As we dig it up, we
will find more information and be able to share it with our allies so
that we can collectively make sure that the violation of sovereignty
does not continue by the PRC.
Over the weekend when this incident happened, I was talking to a
number of members of my staff and they were telling me they were in the
SCIF being informed by the administration of things that were going on.
It is that kind of transparency and information that must continue, and
I thank them for that.
Finally, let me just say that I thank the Biden administration for
bringing that balloon down. I don't believe that China thought we would
take it down. We did. We benefited from it. We have learned from it. We
are examining it. We are working with our allies to make sure that our
sovereignty is not invaded by the PRC.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Fry), who personally eyewitnessed
the spy balloon in the Atlantic Ocean as it was shot down on the
beaches right off of his district, off the coast of his district in
South Carolina.
Mr. FRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 104, a
resolution condemning the Chinese Communist Party's use of a high-
altitude surveillance balloon over United States territory as a brazen
violation of United States sovereignty, introduced by House Foreign
Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas.
I would never have imagined that my Saturday afternoon would have
been disrupted due to a Chinese spy balloon. Not only did it float
across most of South Carolina, it floated across the entire Continental
United States, and ended up over my district and, out of all places in
this country, the balloon was shot down right off the coast of my
hometown, Surfside Beach, which I represent.
And yes, it does--if you watched it and if you were there on the
ground--sound like it was straight out of a sci-fi movie.
There is no question that the response or, rather, lack of response
from this administration, in my opinion, was negligent.
More than 19 million people annually visit our area to enjoy our
beautiful beaches and southern hospitality along more than 60 miles of
coast that is known as the Grand Strand.
Myrtle Beach is known for many things, Mr. Speaker, but part of that
equation has never been an international incident taking place right
off of our shores.
{time} 1030
The Chinese Communist Party last Friday, February 3, said that this
was merely a weather balloon gathering meteorological data that got
lost in our country. It is comical to me that they would actually think
that we would fall for such a bogus claim.
Let me be clear: This was a blatant violation of American sovereignty
as part of the comprehensive surveillance program on the United States
as well as other countries across the globe.
This was a test by the Chinese Communist Party, and it saddens me to
say that I think this administration failed that test.
This is the United States. Our foreign policy has always been built
on peace through strength. This is our wake-up call. It is time for
President Biden to step up on the world stage and take a page from one
of my favorite Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt: Speak softly and carry a
big stick. While diplomacy should always be our first objective, we
must be prepared to respond with strength when necessary.
This resolution shows that the U.S. House of Representatives, in a
bipartisan fashion, condemns the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to
deceive the international community with their false claims of
intelligence collection. I call on this administration to promptly and
decisively act to further prevent surveillance attempts in the future.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Sherman), a member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee.
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, China says it reserves the right to
retaliate against America for the temerity of shooting down their spy
balloon over our territory. This arrogance should not surprise us. It
is the fruit of decades of China successfully pushing us around and
getting away with murder. The balloon is just the latest, and I think
the smallest, invasion of our sovereignty.
China denies access to American companies to its market, thus
creating the most lopsided trading relationship in the history of
trading relationships, with all the macroeconomic effects that has.
But it also has an effect on our sovereignty, because it then allows
access to their markets to selected American companies, handing out
that access like dog training treats. And lo and behold, our
corporations, they roll over, they sit down, they play dead. Morgan
Stanley has to tell its American customers to invest--advises them to
invest 15 percent of their money in China; and if it fails to do so,
Morgan Stanley won't be able to do business in China.
God forbid anybody from the NBA mentions Hong Kong or the Uyghurs.
They are bounced out of the league.
[[Page H796]]
And Hollywood is told they can only get 40 movies into China every
year, which means if they make a movie about Tibet, it will not be
shown in China. Hell, if they make a movie about Tibet, none of their
movies will ever be shown in China. As a result, we are not going to
see a movie about Tibet or the Uyghurs. China controls what we see on
our screens.
And then a little problem with COVID, where China's obfuscation and
lack of cooperation led to hundreds of thousands of deaths around the
world.
But most significantly are the millions of jobs that we have lost as
we have seen our industry hollowed out. The result is a decline in real
wages over the last 30 years of Americans without college degrees and
the fentanyl crisis as well.
All of these offenses deserve a major response, and we cannot limit
that response to just this balloon. Like a balloon, we cannot allow
this to all blow over.
I have five modest proposals.
First, we should sell identified weapon systems to Taiwan, including
the helicopters.
Second, we should provide that China automatically loses its most-
favored-nation status if they invade or blockade Taiwan.
Third, all major American corporations should report to their
shareholders how they would be affected by a rupture in the U.S.-China
trade relationship, because that is a genuine risk factor. It might
happen. But that will encourage the companies to disengage from China
and to build resiliency to compete for capital by showing shareholders
that they are ready and that they have disengaged. And if our companies
are resilient, our economy is resilient.
Fourth, we need a fund to compensate American companies that choose
not to bow down to China and, therefore, suffer losses. This needs to
be funded from a tariff on Chinese goods.
And, fifth, we need tough responses to China in tariffs if they
retaliate for any of the four things I just identified.
We have a lot to do. This balloon has woken up the American people,
and it should wake us up to the far greater things that China has done.
In the meantime, let's pass this resolution.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman
from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), the vice chair of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs and another eyewitness to this act of aggression as the balloon
traveled across her State, the State of Missouri.
Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul for yielding the
time and for this resolution. I rise in support of the resolution.
Literally, from the heart of Missouri's Second Congressional
District, there I was, in the suburbs of St. Louis County, as I watched
this spy balloon with my own eyes. I wasn't the only one. I was getting
calls from friends and family all over Missouri who were horrified that
this was allowed to happen.
We watched in real time from our backyards and workplaces as a
foreign aircraft equipped with spyware navigated over our
neighborhoods, our military installations, and our vital
infrastructure.
As this spy balloon approached Alaska, the response should have been
crystal clear. It should have been shot down before it entered our
skies. Instead, the Biden administration waffled again. They knowingly
allowed a foreign military aircraft equipped with spyware to invade
U.S. sovereign territory and navigate itself unimpeded all across the
country, putting the privacy of countless Americans at risk.
Communist China issued a deliberate and serious provocation. Instead
of responding with strength and resolve, the administration showed the
dictatorship in Beijing that they could again be bullied.
President Biden's weakness and indecision send a dangerous signal to
our adversaries like Iran, Russia, and North Korea, and it certainly
does not give confidence to our allies.
It is unconscionable that the administration waited so long to take
action and protect our national security, infrastructure, and military
assets. The administration needs to take action to correct its mistake
and to restore American deterrence.
Congress must get to the bottom of this deeply disturbing episode. We
have a duty to our constituents, many of whom feel much less safe today
than they did at about this time a week ago.
I can tell you that that is the case in Missouri's Second
Congressional District, where families literally watched as a foreign
military aircraft flew over their private property, collecting data
about their lives to send back to Beijing.
Mr. Speaker, this must never happen again. I urge my colleagues to
join me in supporting H. Res. 104.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member and thank
the managers of this bill for their work.
This was no weather balloon. This was a spy balloon.
Let me be very clear: Members of both sides of the aisle, Democrats
and Republicans, are standing before the American people and
recognizing that this resolution of the Chinese Communist Party's
actions are appropriate, and we should, as Americans, denounce their
actions.
Let me be very clear as well: I want to congratulate United States
military intelligence officials and others who effectively took the
Commander in Chief's order that occurred on February 1 to shoot it
down, and they handled themselves with the greatest amount of
appropriateness to ensure that the American people were safe, to
contain the threat, and to do their job.
It serves no purpose to suggest that the Commander in Chief,
President Joe Biden, failed the American people or did anything wrong.
Interestingly enough, in the midst of the spy balloon, over 70
percent of the American people believe that Joe Biden took to the
podium in the State of the Union and gave them enough comfort that the
State of the Union is well, our souls are strong, and the American
people are strong.
Yes, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am keenly
aware and concerned about this Nation's national security, keenly aware
of the timeframe in which this spy balloon came into our eyesight.
With that in mind, even as it traversed the United States, I can
assure you, in spite of the chronicling of the facts here, that General
Austin, the Department of Defense, and others that were responsible for
our safety, pursuant to the direction of the Commander in Chief,
followed this spy balloon and were able to handle it appropriately in
the course of shooting it down.
Finally, let me say: It is important that we use this as a
condemnation of the Chinese Communist Party. Let us not use this to
intimidate Chinese Americans or to be able to create atmospheres of
hate. I denounce that, and I denounce SB 147 in the State of Texas that
wants to stop Chinese Americans from buying property. That is not the
American way.
What is the American way is to stand as Democrats and Republicans and
others and Members of Congress to take our full responsibility,
alongside the executive, to ensure your national security. We have done
that.
We have the facts, we know the traversing, and I can assure you that
the Chinese Americans have not engaged themselves in this activity and
should not be condemned.
The Chinese Communist Party is aware of the strength of the people of
the United States and their defense.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International
Organizations.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for
offering this very important and very timely resolution. It asks many
of the tough questions that have to be asked, and we need answers.
Mr. Speaker, journalist Paul Bedard wrote an incisive article on
February 3 entitled: ``Dry run: Balloons called top `delivery platform'
for nuclear EMP attack.'' It points out that, obviously, the grid would
be fried; we would be unable to do just about anything. Here is a
balloon going over our military installations, including our ICBM base,
with the capability to launch an EMP attack. Did we know it? Did it
have such a payload? We have no idea.
[[Page H797]]
Let me also say surveillance was at a minimum what was happening. It
should have been shot down much sooner over the Aleutian Islands in a
way that would have just stopped this unbelievable breach of U.S.
sovereignty.
He quotes in this article a man by the name of David Stuckenberg, who
is an EMP expert, and he says: ``A high altitude balloon could be
designed, created, and launched in a matter of months.'' And that is
what they did. ``There is nothing to prevent several hundred pounds of
weapons material from being delivered'' from that altitude. He talks
about the flyover as being a dry run.
They are testing us, and we did not rise to that challenge.
Let me say to my friends and colleagues: The militaristic aspirations
of the PRC and Xi Jinping are global. He watches his enemies,
obviously, in the region, but he looks at the entire world, and he has
a multi-year plan for conquest.
Finally, I have chaired 76 congressional hearings on human rights
abuses in China. I am barred from going there by the CCP.
Xi Jinping and the CCP systematically murder, jail, torture,
persecute, and commit genocide against their own citizens. As we all
know, it does pose an existential threat to its neighbors in the region
and to the United States.
We need to up our game and mitigate the threat to our own people.
Americans deserve better, and this resolution is asking the tough
questions so that happens.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1045
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Kim), chair of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on
Indo-Pacific.
Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul for
yielding and for his leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution condemning
the Chinese Communist Party's use of a high-altitude surveillance
balloon over U.S. territory as a brazen violation of U.S. sovereignty
and international norms.
The balloon has been shot down, and I thank those who bravely
completed the mission.
However, many questions remain, and intelligence reports show what we
all knew: This was neither a coincidence nor something to be taken
lightly.
This surveillance balloon was part of a larger program by the CCP
that has collected information on military assets in Indo-Pacific
countries like Taiwan, Japan, India, and the Philippines.
We all know that this balloon does not even scratch the surface of
the CCP's surveillance capabilities. Millions of Americans are spied
upon every single day through TikTok and other state-affiliated
applications and technologies.
Whether in airspace or cyberspace, we cannot allow the CCP to spy on
us. We cannot allow the CCP to threaten our way of life and the
American Dream.
The time to project strength is now. We must defend our airspace,
send a strong signal to the CCP that this behavior will not be
tolerated, and equip our allies with the tools they need to deter and
defend against CCP's aggression.
As the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee chair, I am committed to getting
answers from the Biden administration about when they knew the CCP's
balloon was entering the U.S. airspace and what they know about the CCP
balloon program.
We need to ensure the United States responds to this type of
aggression with strong, decisive action from our leaders.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me say that the Biden administration--we just had a
classified hearing so the questions could be asked. They have been
transparent. If there are any questions that need to be asked--as I
said earlier, my staff and other staff were informed and briefed.
The fact of the matter is the Biden administration has declassified a
lot of the information, and that is why we read it in The New York
Times today and in The Washington Post yesterday. The American people
know what is going on.
There is no secrecy in what took place. We know that there was a
decision, as indicated in the Times today, that we would get more
information by bringing it down in the Atlantic Ocean and obtaining the
balloon, looking at it, learning from it, having more of a benefit than
China did with what its civilian balloon was attempting to do. We know
that.
If there is any question that any Member of Congress has about what
took place or transpired, one, you can first just go to The New York
Times or The Washington Post; two, yesterday, Secretary of State
Blinken held a press conference; or you could have gone to the
classified hearing this morning where all the decisionmakers were
present to ask any question that you wanted to. There has been complete
transparency by the Biden administration.
Mr. Speaker, I conclude by saying there is one thing that we all
agree upon, that the United States' sovereignty was crossed by the PRC.
There is one thing that we can agree upon, that the PRC are the ones
that violated it and sent a civilian balloon not only here to the
United States but, as we have learned, over five continents.
We have to work collectively together to isolate the PRC and its
dictatorship for the harm and spying that it is doing across this
globe.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Montana (Mr. Zinke), an original cosponsor of this bill and yet another
Member who witnessed the spy balloon as it flew over his State of
Montana.
Mr. ZINKE. Mr. Speaker, I am thrilled to death that both sides
recognize it is a problem, and it is. Let's call it like it is.
First of all, I don't expect China to tell the truth. It says it was
a civilian airship. We know that is a lie.
Nor do I appreciate the Biden administration's explanations. Let's go
through them really quickly.
Number one was remote. Our concern not to shoot it down was because
it was going someplace remote or we could have collateral damage on the
ground. It went through the Aleutian chain, one of the most remote
places on the planet. As a former SEAL, I can tell you there is not a
lot out there.
Then, it went over Montana. Petroleum County, for instance, has 434
people in it. That is less than the United States Congress. I can
guarantee you, the chance of hitting collateral damage was probably
more off the coast of Myrtle Beach than it was in Montana.
They even suggest, well, we gained great intelligence as it meandered
from Montana to the Carolinas because we were monitoring what the
Chinese were spying on. That is like inviting a burglar to your house
just to see what he takes.
Look, it is a problem and has been a problem. Also, to blame the
Trump administration--look, I was Secretary of State. Does anyone in
this body or anyone in America remember a balloon the size of three
buses at 65,000 feet going from Montana to North Carolina? I mean, come
on. We all recognize it is a problem.
Lastly, if this administration can't figure a balloon out, then how
can we figure out Taiwan?
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Moran), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul and the ranking
member for H. Res. 104. Mr. Speaker, I stand to support this
resolution.
The sovereignty of any nation should, at the very least, be defined
by its physical barriers. Certainly, sovereignty extends far beyond
geographic borders, but at its base, a sovereign nation not only has
the right to defend itself against intrusion, but it has the
responsibility to do so.
Daily, our executive branch chooses policy pathways in the areas of
national defense, foreign affairs, and homeland security that weaken
the sovereignty of these United States. We see this on the southern
border on a minute-by-minute basis.
This past week, we saw this weak-minded leadership when we failed to
[[Page H798]]
take timely and decisive action to shoot down what we knew was an
intelligence-gathering balloon on a mission from the Chinese Communist
Party.
This Nation is capable of strong and decisive action to protect its
national interests, but we must be willing to act on this capability.
Let the foreign affairs and national defense policies in this Nation
be strong, strategic, and steady. If we are not, our sovereignty will
certainly erode to nothing.
Mr. Speaker, I stand again to support H. Res. 104 and appreciate the
bipartisan support on this issue. In doing so, I stand to support the
sovereignty of the United States and the security of its people.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
New Jersey (Mr. Kean), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe.
Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res.
104, which rightfully condemns this violation of the United States'
sovereignty by the Chinese Communist Party.
Last week, we saw the Chinese Communist Party breach U.S. airspace
with the intention of openly surveilling sensitive U.S. national
security facilities, including locations housing nuclear missiles. This
is unacceptable and demonstrates again that the CCP is willing to
challenge the United States and to flaunt its intelligence-gathering
operations in our country.
The Biden administration owes the American people an explanation as
to why earlier action was not taken against this threat. Why is any
foreign government allowed to act in this fashion without an immediate
response from the U.S.?
We must project strength, not weakness, if this Nation wants to be
taken seriously on the world stage.
I thank the men and women of our Armed Forces who carried out this
mission to remove this surveillance from our skies. I will continue
working with my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee to support
our partners in the Indo-Pacific to address this threat posed by the
CCP and to provide appropriate oversight over this administration.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 104 is an opportunity for this body to denounce
the People's Republic of China's repeated infringement of U.S.
sovereignty. The events of the past week and our response to it,
including this resolution, reveal the PRC's irresponsible actions to
the world and demonstrate that the United States will always act to
defend our sovereignty and work with our allies.
Indeed, this balloon traveled over Canada and, as we said, over five
continents. There are conversations that our allies are having
collectively to make sure that sovereignty is preserved.
Through its measured and effective action that safeguarded civilian
life and prevented escalation, the Biden administration showcased to
the world once again that the United States is the responsible power.
By swiftly sharing information about the PRC's global surveillance
efforts, we have strengthened the confidence and trust that our allies
and partners have in us.
In short, the PRC came out on the bottom and America came out on top.
With the confidence that we will continue to do so in our competition
with the PRC, I hope that all of my colleagues join me in condemning
the PRC's violation of our sovereignty and support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, let me just say that lies, deceit, espionage, spying,
this is nothing new.
Mr. Speaker, I remember, in 1997, I was assigned to a case at the
Department of Justice to prosecute a man named Johnny Chung. He was
taking money from Chinese intelligence officials, from China Aerospace,
to put into the Clinton campaign to influence the election because
China wanted to influence the election back then. They wanted
satellites. They wanted aerospace technology. That is why they were
doing it then.
Guess what? My FBI agent got indicted for espionage for sleeping with
a Chinese spy--imagine that--a Chinese spy who for 20 years was
cultivated as an FBI asset. Her name was Katrina Leung. I will never
forget it because all the information I gave my agent went straight
back to the mother ship in Beijing. A Chinese spy, 20 years cultivated,
became a double agent reporting back to Beijing, and we can't release
those documents from 20 years ago, 30 years ago.
{time} 1100
But this--this one--takes the cake: a balloon this brazen that is
only 60,000 feet above the ground and that can be seen with the naked
eye surveilling the United States of America.
We talked at our organizational meeting last night about how this
committee is bipartisan. We are bipartisan. We are bipartisan on this
issue.
Mr. Speaker, I will tell you this: If there is anything this Congress
should get done--I challenge the other side of the aisle--let's stand
together against this common enemy that we have.
Our enemy is not each other. Our enemies are foreign enemy nations
like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea--China being the largest
foreign state adversary and the biggest threat long term to the
national security interests of the United States.
Let's do it with one voice. Let's put our partisan politics aside and
do what is right for America.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Lawler). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) that the House suspend
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 104.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 104
will be followed by 5-minute votes on:
Passage of H.J. Res. 24; and
Passage of H.J. Res. 26.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 419,
nays 0, not voting 15, as follows:
[Roll No. 117]
YEAS--419
Adams
Aderholt
Aguilar
Alford
Allen
Allred
Amodei
Armstrong
Arrington
Auchincloss
Babin
Baird
Balderson
Balint
Banks
Barr
Barragan
Bean (FL)
Beatty
Bentz
Bera
Bergman
Beyer
Bice
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NC)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Boebert
Bonamici
Bost
Bowman
Boyle (PA)
Brecheen
Brown
Brownley
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Budzinski
Burchett
Burgess
Burlison
Bush
Calvert
Cammack
Caraveo
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carey
Carl
Carson
Carter (GA)
Carter (LA)
Carter (TX)
Cartwright
Casar
Case
Casten
Castro (TX)
Chavez-DeRemer
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Cicilline
Ciscomani
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Cline
Cloud
Clyburn
Clyde
Cohen
Cole
Collins
Comer
Connolly
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crane
Crawford
Crenshaw
Crockett
Crow
Cuellar
Curtis
D'Esposito
Davids (KS)
Davidson
Davis (IL)
Davis (NC)
De La Cruz
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Dingell
Doggett
Donalds
Duarte
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Estes
Evans
Ezell
Fallon
Feenstra
Ferguson
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fletcher
Flood
Foster
Foushee
Foxx
Frankel, Lois
Franklin, C. Scott
Frost
Fry
Fulcher
Gaetz
Gallagher
Gallego
Garamendi
Garbarino
Garcia (TX)
Garcia, Mike
Garcia, Robert
Gimenez
Golden (ME)
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Gonzales, Tony
Gonzalez, Vicente
Good (VA)
Gooden (TX)
Gosar
Gottheimer
Granger
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Green, Al (TX)
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grijalva
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
Harder (CA)
Harris
Harshbarger
Hayes
Hern
Higgins (LA)
Higgins (NY)
Hill
Himes
Hinson
Horsford
Houchin
Houlahan
Hoyer
Hoyle (OR)
Hudson
Huffman
Huizenga
Issa
Ivey
Jackson (IL)
Jackson (NC)
[[Page H799]]
Jackson (TX)
Jackson Lee
Jacobs
James
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (PA)
Kamlager-Dove
Kaptur
Kean (NJ)
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Khanna
Kiggans (VA)
Kildee
Kiley
Kilmer
Kim (CA)
Kim (NJ)
Krishnamoorthi
Kustoff
LaHood
LaLota
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Landsman
Langworthy
Larsen (WA)
Latta
LaTurner
Lawler
Lee (CA)
Lee (FL)
Lee (NV)
Lee (PA)
Leger Fernandez
Lesko
Letlow
Levin
Lieu
Lofgren
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luna
Luttrell
Lynch
Mace
Magaziner
Malliotakis
Mann
Manning
Massie
Mast
Matsui
McBath
McCarthy
McCaul
McClain
McClintock
McCollum
McCormick
McGarvey
McGovern
Meeks
Menendez
Meng
Meuser
Mfume
Miller (IL)
Miller (OH)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Molinaro
Moolenaar
Mooney
Moore (AL)
Moore (UT)
Moore (WI)
Moran
Morelle
Moskowitz
Moulton
Mrvan
Mullin
Murphy
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Nehls
Newhouse
Nickel
Norcross
Norman
Nunn (IA)
Obernolte
Ocasio-Cortez
Ogles
Omar
Owens
Pallone
Palmer
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Peltola
Pence
Perez
Perry
Peters
Pettersen
Pfluger
Phillips
Pingree
Porter
Posey
Pressley
Quigley
Ramirez
Raskin
Reschenthaler
Rodgers (WA)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rosendale
Ross
Rouzer
Roy
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rutherford
Ryan
Salazar
Salinas
Sanchez
Santos
Sarbanes
Scalise
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Scholten
Schrier
Schweikert
Scott (VA)
Scott, Austin
Self
Sessions
Sewell
Sherman
Sherrill
Simpson
Slotkin
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (WA)
Smucker
Sorensen
Spanberger
Spartz
Stansbury
Stanton
Stauber
Steel
Stefanik
Steil
Stevens
Stewart
Strickland
Strong
Sykes
Takano
Tenney
Thanedar
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Titus
Tlaib
Tokuda
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Trone
Turner
Underwood
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Van Orden
Vargas
Vasquez
Veasey
Velazquez
Wagner
Walberg
Waltz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Wexton
Wild
Williams (GA)
Williams (NY)
Williams (TX)
Wilson (FL)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Yakym
Zinke
NOT VOTING--15
Bacon
Castor (FL)
Duncan
Garcia (IL)
Hunt
Joyce (OH)
Kuster
Larson (CT)
Luetkemeyer
McHenry
Pocan
Scott, David
Soto
Steube
Swalwell
{time} 1123
Mses. FOXX, GRANGER, and Mr. HIMES changed their vote from ``nay'' to
``yea.''
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and
the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted
``yea'' on rollcall No. 117.
____________________