Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., said Monday that New Jerseyans' patience with the federal government's response to drone sightings in the state is "getting very thin."
The New Jersey Democrat, who is a retired Navy helicopter commander, slammed the Biden administration's lack of "coordination and communication" and released a plan to help "locate and track" the drones that have been gliding through the night skies in her district and others for nearly a month.
"After weeks of unidentified-drone sightings over New Jersey, two things are clear: One, the drones remain unidentified and, two, the people of New Jersey need clearer, more consistent communication as to what our government is learning and doing about the drones," Sherrill said in a statement.
"New Jerseyans' patience is getting very thin, including my own," she added.
Sherrill is running in the 2025 New Jersey governor's race.
As drones continue to be spotted throughout the Northeast, the Biden administration has faced intense criticism from both sides of the political aisle over its seemingly shrugged-shoulders response.
GOP and Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill have called on the administration to disclose more information about the origin of the drones and assuage public concern about their intentions.
Most of the reported drone sightings have occurred in northern New Jersey, but there have also been reports of drones over New York, Pennsylvania and U.S. military sites up and down the East Coast.
On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump also skewered the outgoing Democrat administration over its response to the drones and said it was not revealing information to "keep people in suspense."
"The government knows what is happening," Trump told reporters. "Look, our military knows where they took off from; if it's a garage they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went."
There have been reported sightings of drones over Trump's golf club and residence in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Sherrill's plan would have the federal government deploy a fleet of MQ-9 Reaper drones with advanced tracking capabilities to determine where they are coming from. Customs and Border Protection currently operates the Reaper drones.
Congressional leadership should also hold a classified hearing with appropriate House and Senate committees, she said, and testimony from leaders from relevant federal agencies should be included to coordinate information sharing.
Sherrill called for President Joe Biden to set up an interagency task force to "formulate a whole-of-government approach" and said that the North American Aerospace Defense Command is uniquely qualified to lead the task force.
Additionally, the congresswoman said that the federal government must immediately streamline communication with the public, as the lack of a "unified, cohesive message from the federal government is only adding to the fear and concern that the public is feeling."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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