Congress Moves to Expose Evidence of UFOs in Rare Bipartisan Effort: ‘We’re Done with the Cover-Up’

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“We’ve had a heck of a lot of pushback,” Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett said about an upcoming House hearing on UFOs and UAPs. “There are a lot of people who don’t want this to come to light”

HANDOUT/DoD/AFP via Getty A screenshot from an unclassified video taken by Navy pilots that
HANDOUT/DoD/AFP via Getty A screenshot from an unclassified video taken by Navy pilots that's circulated for years showing interactions with "unidentified aerial phenomena"

With a renewed, bipartisan interest in understanding UFOs, Congress is taking action to more formally consider the possibility of alien activity.

For decades, discussion of the extraterrestrial was considered a career-killer for any American politician — but the tides have changed in recent years, paving a path for the House to hold a hearing regarding the possibility of UFOs on Wednesday.

The move to uncover evidence of extraterrestrial activity was primarily sparked by whistleblower David Grusch back in June. A former combat officer, Grusch co-led the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) analysis from late 2021 to July 2022.

Grusch filed a complaint to Congress, alleging that he faced illegal retaliation for his confidential disclosures. Within those disclosures was information demonstrating “intact and partially intact vehicles” related to UAPs.

Related: NASA Launches Independent UFO Study with a 'Full' Report Expected by Mid-2023

<p>Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock </p> Rep. Tim Burchett

Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

Rep. Tim Burchett

Since Grusch raised his voice, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett has led the charge to bring the UFO discourse into public view. In a briefing on Thursday, the Republican congressman claimed that he and his co-investigator, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, have been intentionally boxed out of discussion.

“We’ve had a heck of a lot of pushback about this hearing,” Burchett, 58, said in a briefing on Thursday. “There are a lot of people who don’t want this to come to light.”

Burchett went on to detail why the topic of alien activity feels so pressing: “I’m traveling all over the country, people will stop me and tell me about an experience. Decorated veterans. These people, why would they risk their reputations and careers over something that they’re lying about?”

While Republicans, who control the House, made the first move on scheduling a hearing, Democrats have also expressed interest in exploring unidentified aerial phenomena.

“I think the overarching question that we’re really asking is, why are they over-classifying this and why aren’t they being transparent?” Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz asked at Thursday's briefing about the hearing. “It’s about reasserting Congress’ role in all of this.”

Related: &#39;Unexplained&#39; UFO Sightings Haven&#39;t &#39;Been Made Public,&#39; Former Official Says Before U.S. Report

<p>Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock</p> Rep. Anna Paulina Luna

Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna

Appearing two days later on Fox News, Burchett further pushed for greater transparency on the question of alien activity. “We’ve requested documents, we’ve gone to interview pilots and been stonewalled by our Pentagon. It’s ridiculous, it’s been going on since the ‘40s,” Burchett said. “We are taking the gloves off.”

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The White House has also weighed in on UFOs with recent comments at a press briefing from John Kirby, the National Security Council's coordinator for strategic communications under President Biden.

“When pilots are out trying to do training in the air and they see these things, they're not sure what they are,” Kirby told reporters. “it can have an impact on their ability to perfect their skills.”

Burchett announced on Twitter that the House will hold its hearing concerning UAPs on Wednesday.

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