Upholding Sovereignty of Airspace Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1151, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am the proud sponsor of H.R. 1151, the Upholding Sovereignty of Airspace or the USA Act.
First, I thank Chairman Michael McCaul for co-leading this bill and for his partnership on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and presenting a united front on this very important issue.
On January 28 of this year, a PRC surveillance balloon intruded our airspace. The balloon then flew across our Nation, trying to gather intelligence from sensitive American military sites. This was an unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty.
The Biden administration closely monitored and tracked the balloon while it was over U.S. soil and took action to limit the balloon's ability to collect useful information that the PRC could not gather otherwise.
On February 4, once it no longer posed a danger to Americans on the ground, the United States military shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
President Biden safely and successfully took down the balloon in a way that allowed us to collect the debris and learn more about the PRC's surveillance program and capabilities.
Since that day, the Biden administration has smartly declassified additional information about the PRC's global program and shared it with our allies and partners.
We have learned that the United States and Canada aren't alone. PRC surveillance balloons have violated the sovereignty of over 40 nations across 5 continents.
This blatant disregard for the airspace and sovereignty of other nations is not only contrary to international rules, it is dangerous and provocative.
I have been deeply concerned by Beijing's response. Instead of apologizing, Beijing has resorted to denials and absurd misinformation and propaganda. Instead of making amends, Beijing has exacerbated tensions between our nations.
Now, I know that the United States of America will not be brought down by any balloon. We are the greatest and the strongest Nation on this planet.
That is why it was important to have this bipartisan legislation. By doing that, the House can clearly declare that such a violation of international law and U.S. sovereignty will not be tolerated and must not happen again.
H.R. 1151 calls on the administration to coordinate with our allies and partners and work within international organizations to call Beijing out for its repeated infringement of country sovereignty around the entire planet.
It also authorizes the President to hold responsible parties accountable through sanctions and calls for reporting and export controls by the Bureau of Industry and Security to disrupt the PRC's Military-Civil Fusion efforts related to its surveillance balloon program.
Mr. Speaker, the PRC must respect global norms and values. When the PRC doesn't, the United States and the international community must stay together to hold Beijing accountable.
Mr. Speaker, Russia's invasion of Ukraine made clear that the rules- based global order is under attack. Russia and China are increasingly not just bending the rules, they are breaking them. The PRC's violation of our sovereignty is just one example of this.
In the competition with China, we must be vigilant and vocal about upholding our values and upholding international rules.
To succeed in this competition, we must be smart, prioritizing the challenges and strategies to address them while working diplomatically alongside our partners and allies and friends.
The PRC's global surveillance program was a challenge not only to the United States but to the sovereignty of nations around the world, and it deserves a policy response. That is why this bill is very important.
It is also why, again, I thank Chairman McCaul and Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for working collectively in a bipartisan way.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1151, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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