WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — As lawmakers on Capitol Hill investigate intelligence related to UFOs and possible alien life, one congressman is making waves by sharing details about what he describes as a yearslong “government cover-up” of top-secret alien programs.

During a podcast appearance last week, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., claimed the government has known about UFOs since 1897, adding that “they can fly underwater and don’t show a heat trail.”

Burchett explained that the alien technology he believes the government is aware of appears to “defy physics as we know it.”

As a member of the House Oversight Committee, he is a part of the investigation overseeing the UFO hearings.

But when it comes to visual proof, the American public has remained in the dark.

Burchett said the visual proof is out there, on YouTube, Google and TikTok — even “60 Minutes” had a whole special on it. But, Burchett said the greatest source of proof is from the U.S. military and all the pilots that have seen it firsthand.

He based his claims on those pilots and the videos he’s seen.

“There are multiple occasions that I’ve talked to multiple pilots — the best pilots in the world,” Burchett said. “If you talk to some of the best pilots in the world, and they tell you that they’ve seen these objects, and then when they do report it, they get interrogated for like up to eight hours, and they get a blemish on the record.”

These pilots told Burchett that to avoid the process of being interrogated, they’d destroyed any evidence of the videos.

Burchett said it’s pretty common knowledge amongst military pilots, claiming that there have actually been about 13 near-miss encounters with UFOs.

“We’ve got a $50 million aircraft and some of the best pilots in the world who are risking their lives. Why would they lie about it? Honestly, all they’re going to do is catch hell from their superiors,” Burchett said.

He continued, “Just release the files. Release the unredacted files.”

Americans are already questioning what the U.S. knows about alien life. A new poll from Redfield and Wilton Strategies found 57% of respondents believe the government has more information than publicly shared.

Burchett said it’s all about power and maintaining control.

“It’s about the almighty dollar that they are trying to control. And that’s all this is about. That’s all this is about. Just release it,” Burchett said.

But even though the idea of UFOs and aliens might be scary, Burchett said he wasn’t afraid. In fact, he said if they have this kind of technology, they could have done something to us a long time ago.