August 20, 2024
Mr. Jake Sullivan
National Security Advisor
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. Sullivan:
The Committee on Homeland Security (Committee) is continuing to conduct oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation’s actions and inactions concerning the growing number of anomalous health incidents (AHIs) taking place here in the United States. We are deeply alarmed that these incidents continue to take place here and abroad, and that there has been little to no explanation from the Administration as to who or what has caused these phenomena.
The Committee has heard testimony from a variety of stakeholders, including victims who have suffered from the debilitating ailments caused by AHIs, and attorneys who represent dozens of AHI victims. For instance, just this past May, the Committee’s Subcommittee on
Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence held a hearing with a nongovernmental panel of witnesses on the topic of AHIs that have taken place here in the homeland.1 The testimony from the witnesses painted a chilling picture of the threats our nation faces from these
perceived acts of foreign aggression. We have also held numerous classified briefings related to AHIs, one with AHI victims and two with government agencies working to combat and treat AHI incidents. That being said, it still remains unclear how the Biden-Harris administration is working to address AHIs.
These incidents are an assault on our nation’s sovereignty. We implore the Administration to take decisive action to investigate the causation and attribution of AHIs, disrupt and deter the operations of any foreign entities conducting these attacks, and send a clear message to the world that these actions will not be tolerated. We also ask that the administration be fully transparent with the American people on the gravity these threats pose. 1
Silent Weapons: Examining Foreign Anomalous Health Incidents Targeting Americans in the Homeland: Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence of the H. Comm. on Homeland Sec.,
118th Cong. (May 8, 2024).
Mr. Sullivan
August 20, 2024
Page 2
Additionally, it has come to our attention that the Department of Defense and the Defense Health Agency has not expended the total amount of funds allocated to provide much-needed care for the victims of AHIs. We ask that the administration prioritize these efforts to ensure that
victims and their families are properly compensated for the injuries these Americans have sustained while serving our nation. We also encourage the Administration to fully implement all aspects of the HAVANA Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-46) to ensure that all resources are available to those struggling to find care for their injuries related to AHIs.
After signing the HAVANA Act of 2021 into law, President Biden stated in a press release that “addressing these incidents are top priority for my administration” and that the Administration plans to bring “to bear the full resources of the U.S. Government to make available first-class medical care to those affected and to get to the bottom of these incidents, including to determine the cause and who is responsible.”2 We ask that the Administration uphold this commitment and work to prioritize getting to the bottom of who and what are behind these attacks.
To assist the Committee with its ongoing oversight, and to better understand the administration’s efforts to address the pervasive threats posed by AHIs, we request that you arrange for the National Security Council to provide the Committee with a briefing. Please
contact the Committee on Homeland Security Majority staff at (202) 226-8417 with any questions about this request.
Per House Rule X, the Committee on Homeland Security is the principal Committee of jurisdiction for overall homeland security policy and has special oversight functions of “all Government activities relating to homeland security, including the interaction of all departments
and agencies with the Department of Homeland Security.”
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
MARK E. GREEN, M.D.
Chairman
Committee on Homeland Security
AUGUST PFLUGER
Chairman
Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence
2 Press Release, The White House, Statement of President Joe Biden on Signing HAVANA Act Into Law (Oct 8,
2021) (on file with author), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/08/statementof-president-joe-biden-on-signing-havana-act-into-law/.
Encl.
cc: The Honorable Alejandro N. Mayorkas
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
The Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III
Secretary of the Department of Defense
The Honorable Avril Haines
Director of National Intelligence
The Honorable Christopher Wray
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Honorable Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member
Committee on Homeland Security
The Honorable Seth Magaziner, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence