Rear Admiral Fred Kacher, director for operations of the Joint Staff, during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) questions witnesses during a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill about the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2023. The hearing was part of a series of events Thursday morning in Congress, all related to the spy balloon. In the House, a resolution condemning "the Chinese Communist Party's use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon" passed unanimously, 419-0. That vote took place shortly after House members received a classified briefing about the balloon and the recovery efforts from defense and intelligence officials.

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