Biden to make 'reference' to Chinese spy flights in State of the Union address: official
Biden reference to Chinese spy flights expected to be brief after high-profile shoot-down on Saturday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden will reference the Chinese surveillance craft that crossed the continental U.S. in his State of the Union address Tuesday, a senior administration official told Fox News.
The "reference" to the Chinese spy balloon that carried sensors and surveillance equipment is expected to be brief, though Fox News is told Biden is still making edits to the speech as of Tuesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A large balloon drifts above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina, with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it, on Saturday, Feb. 4. (Chad Fish via AP)
The surveillance flight first crossed Alaska's Aleutian Islands on Jan. 28, but the North American Aerospace Defense Command did not take immediate action because the balloon was "not demonstrating hostile act or hostile intent," said Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck.
The air vessel was spotted on Feb. 1 over Montana, which is home to fields of nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom Air Force Base, then made its way across the continental U.S. before being shot down on Saturday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden salutes as he boards Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, on Feb. 4, 2023. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Republican lawmakers have harshly criticized Biden for waiting days to take the balloon down. The president said that he wanted to shoot the balloon down last Wednesday, but the military warned him it was not safe at that time.
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A Coast Guard helicopter assists in recovery efforts after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Jerry Ireland)
A debris field about 1,500 meters by 1,500 meters is now spread out across shallow waters six miles off the coast. The USS Carter Hall is on the scene categorizing debris, along with the USNS Pathfinder, a ship that is capable of conducting oceanographic, hydrographic and bathymetric surveys of the ocean floor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Paul Best contributed to this report.