President Joe Biden on Tuesday sought to reassure the public about drones in East Coast states, saying there was nothing alarming about the increased reports of unmanned aircraft sightings.
“Apparently nothing nefarious,” Biden told reporters at the White House. ‘We are following it closely. No sense of danger so far.”
Biden’s comments — his first public remarks on the issue — add to a growing body of reassurances from his administration.
Still, the numerous sightings have led to demands for more information from across the political spectrum, including President-elect Donald Trump, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and members of Congress, amid conspiracy theories and growing public concern that takes into account the observations.
Biden said Tuesday evening that “a lot of drones are authorized up there.”
More than a million drones are legally registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, according to a joint statement Monday from the Department of Homeland Security, the FAA, the Department of Defense and the FBI, all of which said the sightings are not unusual and not a “risk for national security or public safety’.
The agencies said Monday that authorities had received more than 5,000 tips in recent weeks and that among the objects identified were commercial, hobbyist and law enforcement drones, as well as some manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars.
An apparent drone flies over Randolph, NJ on December 3.
Intelligence officials briefed members of the House Intelligence Committee on the drone sightings behind closed doors on Tuesday afternoon.
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the panel’s top Democrat, said officials had repeatedly assured them that the drones were not being used “unlawfully” or by people “with malicious intent.”
In an interview Tuesday on NBC’s TODAY show, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged Congress to pass legislation that would give government agencies at the federal, state and local levels “better authorities” to implement a to tackle the growing number of drones flying into US airspace. .
A provision in the short-term funding bill released Tuesday evening would reauthorize a program led by the Department of Homeland Security, allowing coordination and empowering federal agencies to counter drone threats.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
