Members of the House Intelligence Committee sought to allay public concerns about drone sightings Tuesday after a briefing, saying they had no idea what was behind the activity, despite calls for legislation to address the issue. He reiterated law enforcement statements that there was nothing malicious.
Lawmakers on the committee met for more than two hours with 28 briefers from numerous government agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“No. 1, we spent a lot of time in this hearing trying to figure out whether these sightings in New Jersey, Connecticut, wherever they were, were the result of a federal operation, and if so. “We have asked every conceivable question, and we have asked that question over and over again,” said Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the committee. State) spoke to reporters after the press conference.
“No. 2, they continue to work on the message that there is absolutely no evidence of any law violations by these drones.”
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pennsylvania) similarly said there appears to be no malicious activity.
“I think the message to the American people is that a lot of people in different organizations at the federal level are taking this very seriously. To date, we've seen a lot of concerns about foreign influence, foreign actors, and even “We have found nothing to indicate the existence of little green men reaching out to the American people,” she said.
“It is very important that the American people know that as far as all organizations are concerned, there is no clear threat coming from anywhere.”
The meeting came after the FBI, DHS and Department of Defense released a joint statement Monday night claiming the sightings were a mix of drones and aircraft that did not present a public safety concern. .
“After careful review of technical data and information from relevant members of the public, sightings to date include a combination of legal commercial, hobbyist, and law enforcement drones, as well as inadvertently manned fixed-wing drones. “We assess the aircraft to include aircraft, helicopters, and star drones,” they said.
“We have not observed anything unusual and have not assessed any prior activity that poses a national security or public safety risk to the civil airspace of New Jersey or any other state in the Northeast.”
Still, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed criticism and called for more information.
Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) said the Biden administration is “expressing no confidence” as the public looks to the White House to allay concerns.
“It's amazing to me that the Biden administration is not getting a grip on this issue. I think this is embarrassing for the country and I think it fits a pattern,” he told The Hill.
“No administration has been able to provide clarity or reassurance to the American people on this issue. So this is very frustrating, and I want to thank the Biden administration for their terrible public relations failure and for being frank with the American people.” We hold them accountable for not responding and for not providing clearer, more definitive answers to things today.”
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), also a member of the House Intelligence Committee, is still looking for more information on which to base his conclusion that the sighting was a drone, a plane, or even a cluster of stars. said.
“Show me the data. Show me what's going on with manned aircraft. That's my request to the government, and I hope the government will do that. “I think you need to understand what conclusions you have drawn and see for yourself,” he said.
Many lawmakers said the episode highlights the need for the law.
houlahan issponsored the billA deadline is set to expire at the end of the week for various agencies to reauthorize the authority to intercept drones.
It also aims to strengthen counter-drone coordination efforts among various law enforcement agencies.
“There's some work that needs to be done here in the Legislature to make sure that the people have the authority to respond to this and the technology to respond to something like this,” Houlahan said.
“There will be many more drones in our airspace this Christmas. There will be many more under people’s trees, but we believe there will be many more drones in our airspace this Christmas. If we can get permission from the authorities, we will have less concerns about this.”
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) also called for more drone surveillance.
“We know that more and more people are buying drones, whether it’s hobbyists or businesses that use drones to deliver packages.Again, we want to be able to track these drones on a consistent basis. I think it needs to be put in place legally,” he said.
