"Face the Nation" on Feb. 12, 2023

Interview

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Morning, Margaret. Thanks for having me.

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Well, it's certainly the right move.

It will be one of my number one priorities, as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in this Congress, to stop the export of technology to China that then goes into their most advanced weapons systems, in this case, a sophisticated spy balloon that went across three nuclear sites, I think it's important to say, in plain view of the American people, you know, in Montana, the triad site, air, land, and sea nuclear weapons.

In Omaha, the spy balloon went over our Strategic Command, which is our most sensitive nuclear site. It was so sensitive that President Bush was taken there after 9/11. And then, finally, Missouri, the B-2 bomber, that's where they are placed. It did a lot of damage.

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They say they mitigated it.

But my assessment, and -- and I can't get into the detail of the intelligence document -- is that, if it was still transmitting going over these three very sensitive nuclear sites, I think -- I think, if you look at the flight pattern of the balloon, it tells a story as to what the Chinese were up to as they controlled this aircraft throughout the United States.

Going over those sites, in my judgment, would cause great damage. Remember, a balloon could see a lot more on the ground than a satellite.

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Well, we have what's called an entities list. The Department of Commerce had jurisdiction over the office within their -- the Department of Defense has one.

We need to harmonize those, make it more security-focused. You know, capital flows is one issue, but technology exports into China that they use to turn -- that maybe eventually turn against us, we have to stop doing that.

And I think we can do it by sectors. They do it by companies now. Obviously, they identified the six. I think, shockingly, when the balloon was recovered, it had American-made component parts in there with English on that. It was made -- you know, parts made in America that were put on a spy balloon from China. I don't think the American people accept that.

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When I saw the sites that it was flying over, it was very clear to me this was an intentional act. It was done with provocation to gather intelligence data and collect intelligence on our three major nuclear sites in this country.

Why? Because they're looking at what -- what is our capability in the event of a possible future conflict in Taiwan? They're really assessing what we have in this country. I find it extraordinary the timing of this flight as well, right before the State of the Union speech, and also right before Secretary Blinken was scheduled to meet with Chairman Xi.

I think it was very much an act of belligerence on their part. And perhaps they don't care what -- what the American people think about that.

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I still believe, Margaret, there are many, on both sides of the aisle, a majority of the majorities in support of this.

We have -- we have factions on the left and right that do not support Ukraine...

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... assistance, and that will probably continue.

Right. And I do think, for me, particularly, it's -- we have to educate, where has the money gone? You know, the audits that are in place right now, there are four of them on Ukraine funding. And we have to explain, why is Ukraine so important?

You know, what happens in Ukraine impacts Taiwan and Chairman Xi, that China's aligned with Russia, Iran and North Korea against freedom, democracy in the West. And I think that's a debate we'll have, but I still feel very confident that we will give them the assistance they need.

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I would like to see it faster, so they can win this faster.

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I -- you know, look, we took Marjorie Taylor Greene into a briefing.

She was satisfied, I thought, with what -- the controls that have been put in place on the spending. But I don't think that they will be -- ever be persuaded that this cause is something that they would support.

I think they have this false dichotomy that somehow we can't help Ukraine beat back the Russians, who invaded their country and -- and secure the border. We can do both. We're a great nation. And the fact of the matter is, unfortunately, this administration has chosen not to secure the border. He can't even control and secure our airspace now, it looks like.

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Thanks, Margaret. Thanks for having me.

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