Republicans criticized President Joe Biden’s response to the suspected Chinese spy balloon that U.S. military fighter jets shot down Saturday.
China claimed the balloon, which had been seen flying over Montana earlier last week, was only meant for observing weather conditions. The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed the move to destroy the balloon was a “clear overreaction and serious violation of international practice.”
Biden was briefed on the balloon Wednesday but it was not shot down until it was flying over water Saturday, in part, because of the potential damage caused by debris.
"The president will always put the safety and security of the American people first," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday. "We are tracking closely and keeping all options on the table."
Republicans criticized the administration for waiting so long to shoot it down.
“I will be demanding answers and will hold the admin accountable for this embarrassing display of weakness,” Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
Sen. Marco Rubio, lead Republican on the Intelligence Committee, similarly said it sent the wrong message to the rest of the world.
“The message embedded in this to the world is we can fly a balloon over airspace of the United States of America and they won’t be able to do anything about it to stop us,” Rubio said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also criticized the president.
McConnell said in a statement Sunday that "this balloon could have been shot down right away without endangering Americans or Canadians.”
“This was a reminder of the PRC's brazenness and President Biden missed the opportunity to defend our sovereignty, send a message of strength, and bolster deterrence," he added.
But Democrats defended the administration's actions.
“We sent a clear message to China that this is not acceptable. We protected civilians. We gained more intelligence while protecting our own sensitive information,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “The bottom line here is that shooting down the surveillance balloon over water wasn't just the safest option but it was the one that maximized our intelligence payload.”
A group of eight congressional leaders on intelligence committees will receive a classified briefing this week on China and the surveillance balloon.
Senators will receive a classified briefing on February 15 with the latest intelligence on the balloon as the United States searches for debris off the South Carolina coast.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday signaled a cautious approach to future interest rate cuts, in sharp contrast with other Fed officials who have called for a more urgent approach. In remarks in Providence, Rhode Island, Powell noted that there are risks to both of the Fed’s goals of seeking maximum employment and stable prices. His approach is in sharp contrast to some members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee who are pushing for faster cuts.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the American media landscape have led to the suspension of late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
