Paul objected to a request from Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) on Wednesday to pass legislation expanding the federal government’s ability to detect and mitigate the threat of drones amid a wave of sightings over New Jersey, New York, and beyond. 

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), joined by Peters on the Senate floor, argued the bill would keep federal agencies from becoming stretched too thin. He noted its provisions extending drone monitoring authorities to state and local police.

But Paul, a libertarian who opposes the government’s surveillance authorities, claimed the legislation amounted to a power grab.

“This is not about security. It is about unchecked government overreach,” Paul said in a floor speech. “It is about capitalizing on fear and media-driven hysteria to jam through sweeping legislation that could violate the civil liberties of the American people.”

He compared the bill to the Patriot Act, a national security law passed after 9/11.

Peters introduced the legislation in 2023, before the unexplained aerial sightings. Congress has increasingly become concerned by the safety risks posed by the proliferation of drones commercially.

But the bill picked up new traction following eyewitness reports of large drones flying over the night skies, with Schumer announcing he would become a co-sponsor Sunday in a letter urging the Department of Homeland Security to deploy more drone-detection equipment.

The Biden administration maintains the drones do not pose a threat but has been sparing details on their origins.

Schumer argued the lack of answers is proof that local help is needed. At the same time, state officials including Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) have urged congressional action, calling federal resources insufficient.

“This is about giving people answers they don’t have now, heard directly from authorities on the ground,” Schumer said before Paul objected to its passage. “If this bill becomes law, we will have better clarity in the future.”

Paul countered that it would be premature to act before the situation is fully understood by the federal government.

“Why don’t we try to get to the truth of the matter of what actually exists and what the threat is before we propose legislation?” Paul said.

DHS issued a joint statement with the FBI and Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday confirming a “limited number of visual sightings of drones over military facilities in New Jersey and elsewhere” but suggested the aircraft were either mistakenly identified by residents or lawfully operating drones.

The Biden administration has previously assessed that the drones are not of foreign origin.