On Sunday, U.S. military forces shot down an unidentified flying object over Lake Huron, according to members of Congress. This marks the fourth takedown of an aerial vessel over North America since last Saturday, when fighter jets destroyed a suspected Chinese spy balloon first spotted over U.S. territory on January 28. Representatives Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) both confirmed the incident, with Bergman noting he has been in contact with the Department of Defense.
The Federal Aviation Administration closed the national defense airspace over Lake Michigan to allow the U.S. military to probe the "potential contact." This follows the U.S. shooting down a flying object over Canada on Saturday, and a vessel above Alaska on Friday. It is unclear what the object destroyed over Lake Huron was, but intelligence officials believe the two others shot down last week are balloons, according to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Bergman and other lawmakers have pressed the Biden Administration for more information about the suspected balloons, as the American people "deserve far more answers than we have." Recovery efforts are underway at all three sites, and both chambers of Congress were briefed on the Chinese spy balloon last week. However, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Jim Himes (D-CT) has accused the Biden Administration of not being "forthcoming" about the balloon programs.
The takedowns have raised tensions with the Chinese government and prompted bipartisan calls from lawmakers in Congress for more information about the balloon program from the Biden Administration. It is unclear how much more information will be revealed about the incidents.