As Chinese balloon crosses Kansas and Missouri, governors want White House communication
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Friday he had received “zero communication” from the Biden administration as a suspected Chinese spy balloon traveled across Kansas and then Missouri.
“We have heard no explanation or plan to remove it. Why has this been allowed to reach our heartland? Why has it not been eliminated?” Parson, a Republican, said on Twitter at 1:55 p.m.
Parson said his office would remain in contact with the Missouri National Guard and law enforcement agencies in the state “to monitor the safety of Missourians.”
On Saturday, a National Security Council official told McClatchy that the White House briefed governors, including Parson, late Friday afternoon.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, also expressed concern after sightings of the balloon in northeast Kansas earlier in the day. She said that if reported sightings are true, “this provocation is alarming.”
“My team is in communication with our federal delegation and has reached out to the White House to ensure we work together to protect the safety and security of Kansans,” Kelly said on Twitter at 3:52 p.m.
Spokespeople for Parson and Kelly didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday on whether the governors had been briefed.
The balloon gripped residents as it slowly moved across parts of Kansas and then Missouri, home to Whiteman Air Force Base and Fort Leonard Wood. The National Weather Service’s Kansas City office said around midday that it had received reports of a large balloon moving across northwest Missouri.
Republican officials in both states swiftly condemned Democratic President Joe Biden for not shooting down the plane, despite a Pentagon recommendation against a strike because of the risk a large debris field could cause to people on the ground.
U.S. Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt both called on American authorities to take out the balloon. Hawley, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, called for immediate hearings.
Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, said he was in contact with the Department of Defense. “China invaded US airspace, & the Biden admin needs to take action to address this situation,” Moran said on Twitter.
Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican running for governor in 2024, called the balloon’s appearance deeply disturbing, noting that Missouri is home to multiple military bases.
“The fact that Missourians can see a surveillance object from a hostile nation from the ground is unacceptable,” Kehoe said.
Missouri state Sen. Nick Schroer, a St. Charles County Republican, called on Parson to order the Missouri Air National Guard to bring down the balloon.
“Since the federal government refuses to take a stand, I hereby call on you as the executive leader of the Show Me State to show the rest of the nation how we treat adversaries of our republic that breach our borders without permission,” Schroer wrote in a letter to Parson.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Aboard Air Force One, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the balloon “does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
“And as my colleague said over at the Department of Defense earlier today, we are tracking closely and keeping all options on the table,” Jean-Pierre added soon after.
The balloon is at about 60,000 feet, meaning it’s above civilian air traffic. There are civilian cameras that could spot the balloon, but officials don’t think it poses a physical threat or military threat to people on the ground.
While U.S. officials say the balloon is a surveillance vehicle, the Biden administration and the Chinese government appear to be trying to avoid inflaming tensions. Biden has so far declined to shoot down the object for now, though Secretary of State Anthony Blinked has postponed a scheduled trip to China.
The Star’s Daniel Desrochers, McClatchyDC’s Michael Wilner and the Associated Press contributed reporting
This story was originally published February 3, 2023 at 2:38 PM.
