02.05.23

McConnell Statement on PRC Balloon

LOUISVILLE, KY – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement this morning regarding the PRC balloon:

“As usual when it comes to national defense and foreign policy, the Biden Administration reacted at first too indecisively and then too late. We should not have let the People’s Republic of China make a mockery of our airspace. It defies belief to suggest there was nowhere between the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and the coast of Carolina where this balloon could have been shot down right away without endangering Americans or Canadians. This was a reminder of the PRC’s brazenness and President Biden missed the opportunity to defend our sovereignty, send a message of strength, and bolster deterrence.

“Given reports of additional PRC surveillance balloons in Latin America and elsewhere, I hope the Administration will engage and assist America’s allies and partners worldwide so they, too, can better defend themselves against brazen Chinese espionage.

“I hope the President’s belated decision to finally do the right thing carries over into his soon-to-be-released annual budget request. Whether it’s spy balloons or spy satellites, hypersonic weapons or stealth aircraft, massive naval construction or nuclear stockpile expansion, China’s military modernization effort is no joke. Last year President Biden proposed an absurd budget that would have cut defense funding after inflation. Let’s hope his budget proposal this year is more decisive, serious, and strong than the embarrassment that just played out in our skies.”

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