UFO top secret research grips Washington: Here’s what they’re saying

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are taking up a lot of space in the political arena, with a group of senators recently alleging the existence of a long-running program that recovers and reverse-engineers “non-human” technology.

NewsNation’s extensive reporting on UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) spurred congressional action, starting with an exclusive interview with retired Maj. David Grusch — a U.S. Air Force veteran and UFO whistleblower — in June 2023, where he claimed that the US possesses “a large number” of “non-human” vehicles.

Since then, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., lawmakers have introduced provisions to investigate this clandestine program and establish a government-wide collection of UFO records. The latter was finally signed into law by President Joe Biden last December as part of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.

“Some of the most high-profile names in recent Senate history were involved in this effort,” Marik Von Rennenkampff, a former analyst at the Departments of State and Defense, told NewsNation. “They are cautious politicians. They wouldn’t just publish 64 pages of legislation that mentions non-human intelligence. There it is, in black and white.”

O National Archives and Records Administration presented precise instructions to federal agencies: reveal everything they know about UFOs by October 20th. The National Archives will have a legal mandate to release these records to the public if deemed appropriate.

So why are lawmakers convinced that the US government is hiding a top-secret UFO program?

What Lawmakers Are Saying

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) – December 13, 2023
The top Democrat in the Senate has been a staunch advocate for more UFO transparency, noting that “multiple credible sources” have told him the information is being “withheld from Congress.”

“The United States government has gathered much information about UFOs over many decades, but has refused to share it with the American people. This is wrong and it also breeds distrust,” Schumer said.

The late Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.), former Senate Majority Leader – April 27, 2020
Reid, whose home state of Nevada is home to the famous Area 51, has pushed to increase funding for any and all UFO-related activities.

In 2020, when the Pentagon released footage of an unidentified aerial phenomenon, Reid responded that while he was happy the footage had been released, “it only scratches the surface of the research and materials available,” Reid wrote in the previously known like Twitter.

“The US needs to take a serious and scientific look at this and any potential implications for national security. The American people deserve to be informed.”

Senator Mike Rounds (RS.D.) – December 13, 2023
Rounds — who spearheaded the amendment with Schumer — said the proposed legislation is modeled after the JFK Assassination Records Act.

Rounds said this “successfully guided the release of records to the American public on another very sensitive matter of great interest to the American people.”

“And it does one more thing that we really need to recognize, and that is that we believe that there is information and data that has been collected not only by the Department of Defense, but also by other agencies of the federal government. , and by enabling external, independent collection of these records, we can make progress in terms of dispelling myths and providing accurate information to the American people.”

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) – July 27, 2023
In an interview with NewsNation, Rubio said the latest series of reports from UFO whistleblowers should be taken seriously.

“I will say that I have found that most of these people – at some point, or maybe even currently – have held very high positions and senior positions within our government, so you ask yourself, ‘What incentive would you give to so many people with these types of qualifications?’ … do you have to come forward and come up with something?’” Rubio said.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.) – December 9, 2021
Gillibrand has argued over the years that understanding UFOs is critical to national security in the United States.

“Our national security efforts depend on air supremacy and these phenomena represent a challenge to our air dominance. Staying ahead of UFO sightings is critical to maintaining our strategic advantage and keeping our nation safe,” Gillibrand said in a statement.

What is the government saying?

The Pentagon has repeatedly denied the existence of a top-secret UFO program. In March, it issued a report to Congress shutting down all theories, claiming that any evidence of UFOs was the result of “misidentification.”

“There is no verifiable evidence that any UAP configuration represents extraterrestrial activity, that the U.S. government or private industry has had access to extraterrestrial technology, or that any information has been illegally or inappropriately withheld from Congress,” said the US press secretary. Pentagon. Pat Ryder told reporters at a press conference. “The alleged covert UAP reverse engineering programs either do not exist or have been misidentified as authentic National Security Programs unrelated to extraterrestrial activity or technology exploration.”

Ryder added: “What we found is that allegations of hidden programs are largely the result of circular reports made by a small group, repeating what they heard from others, and that many people sincerely misinterpreted real events or confused sensitive programs from USA as UAP or being extraterrestrial exploration.”

NASA too released its own investigation – which involved 16 scientists and other experts, including retired astronaut Scott Kelly – who stated: “At this point, there is no reason to conclude that existing UFO reports have an extraterrestrial source.”

More legislation has been introduced in recent weeks

Despite the Pentagon and NASA findings, Schumer is expected to once again introduce sweeping legislation to take a closer look at UFO programs in the coming months, a source familiar said.

At the House level, the Republican representative. Tim Burchett — one of the leading advocates on Capitol Hill advocating for UFO transparency — recently released a new bill requiring Biden to instruct the heads of each federal agency to declassify all UFO-related documents.

“This bill isn’t just about finding little green men or flying saucers,” said Rep. Burchett. “This is about forcing the Pentagon and federal agencies to be transparent with the American people. I’m tired of bureaucrats telling me these things don’t exist while we spend millions of taxpayer dollars studying them for decades.”