Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is demanding the Biden administration investigate the use of American technology on the Chinese balloon that traversed the country earlier this year.
The Montana lawmaker, hailing from one of the first states over which the balloon traversed, chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and has raised concerns that export controls on China are too loose.
He first sent a letter Wednesday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo, pressing for a probe. A day later, he proposed an amendment to this year's National Defense Authorization Act to ensure it.
"The fact that the Chinese Communist Party was able to use our technology in their spy program is extremely troubling and must be immediately analyzed," Tester said of the Chinese balloon that United States intelligence said was equipped with surveillance gear.
"This is a clear demonstration that our current defense and technology export controls may not be adequately preventing or dissuading adversaries from using our own technology against us," the senator added.
Per his amendment, Congress would receive a threat assessment report that the departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury would use when reassessing export controls in light of national security concerns.
Tester also directly called on the administration in his letter to "take whatever necessary action is required to bolster our export controls so that this doesn't happen again" as soon as possible.
Tester's amendment comes two weeks after The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. officials believe the Chinese balloon featured equipment originating from the United States, helping it collect photos, videos, and other data.
The balloon initially caught public attention in February when it was seen flying above Montana's Malmstrom Air Force Base and its nuclear missile silos.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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