- The 80-year-old Kentucky Republican senator noted subsequent reports that have surfaced about Chinese spy balloons operating in other parts of the Americas and said that Biden needed to work with allies and partners to combat the threat of “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,” McConnell continued.
- “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.”
