The House Select Committee on China is calling two former Trump Administration national security advisers to testify in its first hearing next week.
The move comes as tensions grow between the U.S. and China.
Former national security advisers Matthew Pottinger and H.R. McMaster are expected to be questioned about China's spy balloon program, after Pentagon officials said the agency discovered at least three Chinese spy balloons during the Trump Administration, but did not inform the White House.
Earlier this month, the government accused Beijing of operating a fleet of surveillance balloons around the world after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had crossed from Alaska to South Carolina. China continues to deny that the purpose of the balloon was espionage.
John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, said that the balloon program operated during former President Donald Trump's time in office, but his administration failed to disclose it.
According to Fox News, three Chinese surveillance balloons were found to have flown over Texas, Florida and Guam during the Trump administration.
Pottinger and McMaster will likely take questions on Tuesday about what the administration knew regarding the transiting of the suspected Chinese spy balloons over the continental U.S. during Trump’s time in office, CNN reported.
The House Select Committee on China was formed in January. Its goal is to address the various threats China poses to U.S. national security and economic interests, according to Forbes. Ultimately, the committee hopes to implement policy and legislative recommendations that can net bipartisan support. The committee is chaired by Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, and includes 12 other Republicans and 11 Democrats.
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