U.S. senators have been offered satellite phones in a move some say correlates with the communications blackout often warned about on alternative news platforms.
Security officials made the phones available to “allow Senators to communicate in the case of a ‘man-made’ or natural disaster,” according to The Western Journal.
Taxpayers will foot the bill for the phones and service.
The Journal reported that more than fifty senators accepted the phones.
Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson, who comes to her post with 30 years of experience in the U.S. military, reported last month the satellite phones were “to ensure a redundant and secure means of communication during a disruptive event.”
Reportedly senators were urged to “keep the phones close by during travel.”
CBS News reported that making the high-tech phones available was part of a broad effort to bolster security for congressional members.
Startling some, Gibson noted the phones would be useful “in the event regular communications were down.”
CBS reported that Gibson said, “the phones are a security backstop in the case of an emergency that ‘takes out communications.'”
Quoting an advisory issued by the Department of Homeland Security, Gibson said, “Satellite phones are a tool for responding to and coordinating government services in the case of a ‘man-made’ or natural disaster that wipes out communication.”
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced Gibson’s appointment to her post in March 2021.
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