Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), the chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee, announced on Friday a hearing on the Chinese balloon suspected of spying on nuclear military sites in Montana.
The Pentagon announced the balloon’s presence over Tester’s home state on Thursday, though President Joe Biden was made aware of the aircraft two days earlier. The Pentagon advised the White House not to shoot down the balloon, reasoning that it does not pose a “military or physical threat to people on the ground,” according to U.S. defense officials.
The incursion, which led Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a trip to China, sparked bipartisan outrage.
‘UNACCEPTABLE’: HAKEEM JEFFRIES BLASTS CHINESE BALLOON’S ‘INCURSION’ INTO US AIRSPACE
“I’m demanding answers from the Biden Administration. I will be pulling people before my committee to get real answers on how this happened, and how we can prevent it from ever happening again,” Tester said in a Friday statement.
The discovery of the balloon exacerbates already tense relations between the United States and China. In the first weeks of the new Congress, the House prioritized bills targeting the Chinese Communist Party and stood up a select committee to counter its growing influence.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Thursday demanded a “Gang of Eight” briefing for congressional leaders and top members of the intelligence committees. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) confirmed that the briefing would be held next week.
Tester’s announcement follows his call for more transparency from the Biden administration earlier in the day.
“This provocation is completely unacceptable, and I am in close contact with Department of Defense and Intelligence officials. We are still waiting for real answers on how this happened and what steps the Administration took to protect our country, and I will hold everyone accountable until I get them,” he said in a statement. “I will always defend Montana and our national security from hostile adversaries like China.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Tester joins his Montana colleagues in voicing concern over the Chinese balloon. Sen. Steve Daines (R) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding a briefing, as did Rep. Matt Rosendale (R), who represents the district where the nuclear missile silos are located.
“Given the increased hostility and destabilization around the globe aimed at the United States and our allies, I am alarmed by the fact that this spy balloon was able to infiltrate the airspace of our country and Montana,” Daines said in the letter. “There is no higher priority for your administration than the safety and security of the American people and it is imperative that your administration reassure them of that fact at this time.”
