[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Unidentified Flying Objects

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, it was a busy weekend for the U.S. 
military, which has now shot down three unidentified objects over North 
American airspace in as many days.
  On Friday, an F-22 took down an object hovering over Alaska, which 
officials described as being about the size of a small car. On 
Saturday, an F-22 brought down an object over Canada that was described 
only as cylindrical. On Sunday, an F-16 shot down another unidentified 
object over Lake Huron, which was traveling at about 20,000 feet--low 
enough to interfere with commercial air traffic.
  Given the high profile of the Chinese spy balloon, this is, 
obviously, of great interest to the American people.
  Over the last several days, starting in late February, the American 
people watched as China's surveillance balloon traveled across the 
country before President Biden finally instructed the military to shoot 
it down off the coast of South Carolina. That was just 9 days ago. The 
military is still recovering pieces of that balloon from the bottom of 
the Atlantic in an effort to gain some answers, but given everything 
that has happened in the interim, the swirl of questions has only 
grown.
  The United States has shot down four objects flying over our country 
since February 4, and they have identified one of those four objects. 
Based on what we know now or perhaps what we don't know now, we know 
the government has shot down three objects of unknown provenance. Since 
they don't know what they are, presumably, they don't know where they 
came from; yet the President ordered them shot down. We have not been 
told whether they were emitting any sort of signature, like heat, which 
might be picked up by an infrared sensor, or some other signal, with 
data either coming from or going to that object. So you can imagine 
that the American people have a lot of questions about these 
unidentified objects as well as the broader threat to our national 
interest.
  They are looking to the administration for answers, and the only path 
forward is full and complete transparency. President Biden needs to 
explain what happened and just how concerned the American people should 
be, and he needs to consult with Congress and share the information he 
has with us. Until that happens, speculation will only intensify. If 
you don't know what the cause of a particular concern is or an anxiety 
or maybe even a threat, it is only human nature to speculate and 
imagine the very worst. So the last several days have prompted a lot of 
questions, and I hope the administration will provide some necessary 
answers soon.
  I expect the Chinese spy balloon and these unidentified objects will 
be the topics of discussion in the Senate this week. I know all of our 
colleagues, Republican and Democrat alike, are eager to learn more, and 
I hope the administration will be what it has not yet been, and that is 
forthright and transparent.