Kathy Hochul presses Biden Administration to send federal agents to New York over mysterious drone sightings

Kathy Hochul pressed the Biden administration for clarification on the mysterious drones that have been flying over New York. The Empire State governor spoke out through a statement in which she called for Congress to act to pass the Anti-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act, introduced in May of this year by a bipartisan group of congressmen.

The New York governor released the statement Saturday afternoon, asserting that the drone situation has gone "too far." To solve the problem, Hochul called for Congress to pass legislation introduced by House Homeland Security Committee C hairman Mark Green (R-TN).

"In mid-November, I directed the New York State Intelligence Center to actively investigate drone sightings and coordinate with federal law enforcement to address this issue, and those efforts are ongoing. But in order to allow state law enforcement to work on this issue, I am now calling on Congress to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act. This bill would reform legal authorities to counter-UAS and strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones, and would extend counter-UAS activities to select state and local law enforcement agencies," Hochul wrote.

As for UAS, the governor refers to Unmanned Aircraft Systems, defined by the Federal Aviation Administration as "an aircraft that is operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft."

Hochul also pressed the Biden Administration to intervene by sending federal forces to New York.

"Extending these powers to New York State and our peers is essential. Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people," she added.

What does the Anti-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act do?

The bipartisan legislation was introduced in June and aims to enable federal agencies and other entities to respond to threats presented by UAS.

"This legislation will renew and reform current legal authorities, set to expire in October, that provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) with critical tools to mitigate credible threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. The legislation also modifies and improves counter-UAS authorities of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), enhances important protections for the civil liberties of Americans using drones in a legal and responsible manner, and strengthens public safety in communities throughout the nation," explained the House Homeland Security Committee.

New York and New Jersey lawmakers sound the alarm about drones

Recently, a group of Democratic senators wrote a letter demanding that federal authorities hold a briefing on the origin of the drones.

"Since late November, communities in the New York City area and northern New Jersey have reported several incidents of unattributable drone sightings at night, alarming both residents and local law enforcement," read the missive signed by Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ).

"In addition to potential privacy concerns raised by these aerial systems, we are also especially concerned about how these drones may harm public safety," they continued, also adding that drones have been spotted near "critical infrastructure and sensitive locations."