The Senate seeks to pressure the White House to release more information on unidentified flying objects(UFOs) and unidentified anomalous phenomena(UAP). A bipartisan group proposed amending the National Defense Authorization Act to require the federal government to collect all existing information on the subject and make it public.
Specifically, this amendment would direct the National Archives and Records Administration to create a series of records on UAPs and UFOs, aiming for immediate disclosure. The only possible exception presupposes that a review board provides reasons for the material to remain classified.
Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate majority leader, is one of the senators involved in the proposal. As he stated, he seeks to carry on the legacy of his former colleague Harry Reid (D-NV), who, more than a decade ago, pushed for funding for the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.
I am honored to carry on the legacy of my mentor and dear friend Harry Reid and fight for the transparency that the public has long demanded surrounding these unexplained phenomena.https://t.co/U8pRCDKNty
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 14, 2023
“For decades, many Americans have been fascinated by objects mysterious and unexplained, and it’s long past time they get some answers. The American public has a right to learn about technologies of unknown origins, non-human intelligence, and unexplainable phenomena,” the Democrat said in a statement.
“We are not only working to declassify what the government has previously learned about these phenomena but to create a pipeline for future research to be made public,” he added.
Schumer has Republican support for his crusade. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Todd Young (R-IN) joined Majority Leader and Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
According to the group, the number of stories about UFOs leads them to believe that the federal government may be withholding information about them, so they decided to file this amendment to make the records public.
“There is a lot we still don’t know about these UAPs, and that is a big problem. We’ve taken some important steps over the last few years to increase transparency and reduce stigmas, but more needs to be done. This is yet another step in that direction and one that I hope will spur further cooperation from the executive branch,” Rubio said.
“Our goal is to assure credibility with regard to any investigation or record keeping of materials associated with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. Relevant documents related to this issue should be preserved. Providing a central collection location and reputable review board to maintain the records adds to the credibility of any future investigations,” said Rounds, the number two in the Senate Republican leadership.
