WASHINGTON — The House is expected to vote Thursday on a resolution condemning China’s use of the surveillance balloon over the United States, calling it a “brazen violation of United States sovereignty.”
The resolution also calls on the Biden administration to continue to keep Congress briefed on the incident.
The House will vote on this as a suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds vote — suggesting that House leaders are expecting support to be overwhelming.
Also on Thursday, defense officials are expected to appear before a Senate defense subcommittee chaired by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., to testify publicly about the balloon. Lawmakers in both chambers are receiving classified briefings from Biden administration officials on the issue, as well.
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A senior State Department official said Thursday that high-resolution photos from U-2 fly-bys established that the high-altitude balloon was capable of collecting signals intelligence collection operations. NBC News was first to report on the fly-bys.
‘We know these balloons are all part of a [People’s Republic of China] fleet of balloons developed to conduct surveillance operations. These kinds of activities are often undertaken at the direction of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA),” said the official. “We are confident that the balloon manufacturer has a direct relationship with China’s military and is an approved vendor of the PLA, according to information published in an official procurement portal for the PLA.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Haley Talbot and Abigail Williams contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
