(NewsNation) — Lawmakers pushing for transparency on Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAPs), more commonly referred to as UFOs, say they are facing an “orchestrated effort” to deny them access to information about the subject.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R.-Tenn., one of the loudest voices on the topic, said congressional efforts to provide more transparency on UAPs have been stymied by the defense and intelligence communities.
“At least since 1947, there has been a long history of covering this up,” he said, referencing the 1947 Roswell incident involving an object that crashed into a rancher’s land. Many believe the U.S. government covered up evidence of an alien spacecraft, while the government maintains the object was a high-altitude balloon.
Lawmakers emphasized the fact elected officials were being denied information at the discretion of unelected government employees and that taxpayer money was funding programs investigating UAPs
“How do you expect us to continue to send taxpayer money to fund government projects if you aren’t even telling us what those projects are?” Rep. Anna Luna, R-Fla., asked.
Representatives noted that regardless of whether one believes UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin, are the result of secret U.S. technology or are technology from adversaries like China, American taxpayers should be informed.
The subject of UAPs garnered attention after whistleblower David Grusch said the Pentagon was operating a secret UAP retrieval program. Grusch told NewsNation the program was operated without the oversight of Congress and that he believes the U.S. has recovered spacecraft and possibly even bodies of extraterrestrial origin.
Grusch’s claims sparked a congressional hearing where he and other witnesses spoke on the subject. However, Grusch declined to answer a number of questions in an open setting but has yet to brief lawmakers in a SCIF, a secure area used to discuss matters of national security.
Luna announced Congress has recently received permission to question Grusch in SCIF but said it has become clear there is an “orchestrated effort” to block members of Congress from accessing information.
Lawmakers have also complained that a closed-door hearing with Defense Department officials yielded little information, something Burchett speculated was by design. He suggested leaders were siloing information so that officials could truthfully testify they did not know anything about UAPs and that the government was avoiding Freedom of Information Act requests by storing recovered materials with private contractors.
The Senate and House have been working to reach an agreement on a measure that would mandate government disclosure of UAP records and make any recovered technology or extraterrestrial remains the property of the government. Sources told Newsnation they believe there have been efforts to weaken the language in that bill as well.
At the press conference, several lawmakers objected to the Senate amendment authored by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., calling it overly complicated. Specific objections included the use of a nonelected committee to review documents set for disclosure and the 25-year time frame provided for releasing records.
Leaders also questioned why secrecy was so paramount if government agencies are also telling the public UFOs do not exist.
“If this is all false, why at every turn are there people trying to stop the transparency and the disclosure? It’s that alone that piques the interest,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.
Regardless of origin, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., maintained that both Congress and the public deserve to know about UAPs and the potential threats they pose to national security.
“The truth is out there, and the American people are ready,” he said.
