Republican South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry is seeking to insert an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would require the Secretary of Defense to provide a report on the Chinese spy balloon’s impact on national security.
Fry’s amendment, which has eleven cosponsors, would require Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to submit a report to Congress within a year detailing the balloon’s effects on national security. Military jets shot the balloon down off the coast of Fry’s district on Feb. 4, two days after civilians first spotted it flying over Montana. Military officials later recovered surveillance equipment from the crash site. (RELATED: House Unanimously Condemns Chinese Spy Balloon, Leaves Biden Out Of It)
“When I was sworn in as a Member of Congress, I never would have thought the term ‘Chinese Spy Balloon’ would be in our political lexicon and that it would be shot down, of all places, off the coast of my hometown of Surfside Beach, South Carolina. Unfortunately, however, this is the result of projecting weakness on the world stage. Joe Biden and his administration compromised our national security and the safety of the American people. They must own up to their failures and report to Congress on the consequences of their inaction,” Fry said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
Read the amendment here:
FRY_017_xml[28] by Michael Ginsberg on Scribd
President Joe Biden was briefed on the spy balloon’s incursion into U.S. airspace on Jan. 31, although the White House did not alert the public about it until after Montanans spotted it. Military and intelligence officials argued that allowing the balloon to cross the continental U.S. would allow them to collect more information about its capabilities.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed an official visit to China over the balloon, which the government claims was monitoring weather patterns and blew off course. The balloon flew in a figure-eight pattern over sensitive military sites, including a Montana Air Force base that houses key components of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Congress has passed the NDAA, which funds the Pentagon, 60 years in a row. The Fiscal Year 2024 package will dole out $886 billion to defense programs, although Republicans are arguing over whether or not to vote on amendments addressing abortion, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, and Ukraine funding. The House Rules Committee met on Tuesday and approved several amendments for floor votes, although it is yet to decide on all 1500 approved amendments.