Overview
- Ranking Democrats Adam Smith, Rick Larsen, and Bennie Thompson asked the Pentagon, DOT, and DHS for a joint classified briefing on the El Paso closure.
- Lawmakers cited conflicting explanations for the Feb. 11 disruption, from alleged cartel drones to reports of a party balloon being targeted.
- The FAA imposed a 10‑day flight restriction over El Paso International Airport that was rescinded roughly seven hours later.
- The letter says committees received little or no substantive information despite repeated outreach and warns that uncoordinated C‑UAS use risks airspace safety.
- The Pentagon declined public comment, DOT and DHS did not respond, and interest in a classified accounting spans both parties, including Sens. Jack Reed, Ted Cruz, and John Cornyn.