Bipartisan lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee are arguing that a high-profile hearing on UFOs will just be the starting line to get their answers as they threaten to use heavier tactics if the Pentagon and intelligence agencies try to block their attempt. 

Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) are requesting more information on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) or commonly known as UFOs, beginning with new laws, a classified hearing, and the possible creation of a select committee.

They stated their willingness to issue subpoenas if needed to get answers from the federal government. Burchett told The Hill: “If there’s not a cover up, the government and the Pentagon are sure spending a lot of resources to stop us from studying it," adding that they have hope that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) can aid in setting up a select committee to study UAPs.

If no leadership approval is provided, they’ll “just start holding field hearings because the public is demanding that we have transparency,” he said. 

This comes after three former military officials gave testimony under oath on unexplained aerial objects that caused worldwide shock, telling lawmakers that mysterious sightings have been kept under wraps for years. 

Read more: Pentagon says cataloged more than 500 accounts of UFO encounters

Former Air Force intelligence officer, David Grusch, provided the most shocking testimony when he described a “multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program,” as he accused the military of deviating funds to keep operations secret. 

Lawmakers are hoping to get the probe kickstarted with documents Grusch said he submitted to the Pentagon’s inspector general after serving on two Defense Department task forces that were looking into UAPs. 

To get the information from Grusch, the lawmakers are wanting to have a talk with the former official in a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF). However, according to Burchett, officials blocked the group saying Grusch doesn’t have security clearance to discuss the matter in a SCIF.

A US government whistleblower discloses information about the existence of #UFOs and non-human biologics in the #US, with the knowledge of the US government which, according to the whistleblower, deliberately hides it from the public. pic.twitter.com/lyRRdMaJlY

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 27, 2023

“I think we’ll get there eventually, it’s just frustrating. I’m ready to go and the American public are ready to go,” he added.  

Related News

Pentagon spends $10.8bln on 25 classified weapons to counter China

Ukraine faces air defense shortage as Pentagon pauses shipments

Misappropriated money

Rep. Luna argued that convening with Grusch in the SCIF would help them better understand how to formulate legislation regarding UAPs, especially one that would declassify information on the phenomena. 

A need for reporting procedures for UAPs both in the military and commercial airspace is increasing alongside “stronger and stricter punishment for those that try to silence whistleblowers."

A provision in the Senate’s version of the annual defense authorization bill, inserted by Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), is currently underway, which would force federal government agencies to submit UAP records to a review panel to declassify them.

The bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was passed by the Senate last Thursday and needs to be reconciled with the House’s version.

Burchett attempted to amend a Federal Aviation Administration bill to improve air travel, which passed July 20, which would have required UAP sightings to be reported to Congress but it was later blocked, which Luna claimed was an indication that “we clearly have a battle ahead of us.” 

Lawmakers could also involve the Holman rule if they do not receive access to an SCIF, which Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) vowed to do during Wednesday's hearing, saying he would “personally volunteer to initiate the Holman rule against any personnel, or any program, or any agency that denies access to Congress.” 

The Holman refers to a House power through which they can strip the salary of a specific government position, fire civil servants, or stop a particular program. 

Ogles’ pledge came after Grusch also said he believes the government possesses non-human crafts, based on interviews with 40 witnesses. 

Moskowitz told The Hill that even though it's a bit early to use the Holman rule since Congress has to first “figure out where these positions exist and then examine whether or not they should be funded," he hopes that just bringing up the rule will encourage more transparency with the federal government. 

“This is about government transparency. I’m all for protecting national security, but that can’t just be a shield to deny the American people the basics of what we know about UAPs,” he said after Burchett warned that if lawmakers “start getting stonewalled” by the Pentagon and intel agencies, there will be “no hesitation” to invoke the rule. 

Luna said using the rule depends on the response from various agencies, programs, and appointees, which could start as soon as September when lawmakers tackle the Defense Appropriations bill on the House floor.  

“We know that enormous sums of money are being spent on UAP-related activity, whether it’s retrieval/recovery, research and reverse engineering, or just security for whatever the government is hiding,” she told The Hill. “But none of that is on the books, so from a basic governance perspective, Congress needs to know where money is being misappropriated."