Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the ranking member and thank the managers of this bill for their work. This was no weather balloon. This was a…”

“I thank the ranking member and thank the managers of this bill for their work. This was no weather balloon. This was a spy balloon. Let me be very clear: Members of both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans, are standing before the American people and recognizing that this resolution of the Chinese Communist Party's actions are appropriate, and we should, as Americans, denounce their actions. Let me be very clear as well: I want to congratulate United States military intelligence officials and others who effectively took the Commander in Chief's order that occurred on February 1 to shoot it down, and they handled themselves with the greatest amount of appropriateness to ensure that the American people were safe, to contain the threat, and to do their job. It serves no purpose to suggest that the Commander in Chief, President Joe Biden, failed the American people or did anything wrong. Interestingly enough, in the midst of the spy balloon, over 70 percent of the American people believe that Joe Biden took to the podium in the State of the Union and gave them enough comfort that the State of the Union is well, our souls are strong, and the American people are strong. Yes, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am keenly aware and concerned about this Nation's national security, keenly aware of the timeframe in which this spy balloon came into our eyesight.…”