House lawmakers call for a select committee to investigate unidentified flying objects (UFOs).
A Bipartisan Effort to Investigate Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena
A group of House lawmakers is demanding Congress take more action to investigate whistleblower testimony from those who say they have witnessed unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs. This marks a rare bipartisan effort to zero in on government transparency and national security.
“This issue is much bigger than the news cycle: It represents a confluence of concerning governmental actions that indicates a lack of forthrightness on the part of the Pentagon and intelligence community,” the lawmakers wrote. “No governmental program, no matter how sensitive, can be outside the view of Congress. And yet, the Executive Branch routinely redacts and entirely withholds information in other domains that we are entitled to, and is doing so here.”
A Call for a Select Committee
In a letter sent to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Friday, the group demanded the House leader establish a select committee tasked with investigating those sightings, as well as whether the Pentagon is intentionally withholding information related to UAP. The request comes after three former military officials testified before lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee, claiming the government knows more about UAPs than previously reported.
The request specifically presses McCarthy to establish a committee with subpoena authority that will allow lawmakers to collect information from the Pentagon that has previously been blocked by military officials. The select committee should also be exempt from the jurisdiction of other House committees to ensure its work is unimpeded, they wrote.
Investigating Government Oversight
Lawmakers assigned to the committee would be tasked with not only determining whether UAP sightings pose a security risk to the United States but would also investigate “more significant issues of government oversight,” the letter states. Those areas include a lack of budget transparency, overclassification, and lack of cooperation with congressional inquiries.
The letter is being led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and is also signed by Oversight members Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Tim Burchett (R-TN), and Jared Moskowitz (R-FL). The request builds on previous efforts from lawmakers to investigate UAPs, which members say have been stonewalled by the U.S. government to withhold the information.
Concerns about Government Transparency and Accountability
The witness testimony and lack of information from U.S. officials have raised concerns among lawmakers not just about national security but about government transparency and accountability — which became a focal point of question during this week’s hearing. Lawmakers are also expected to introduce legislation that would require the federal government to provide information about UAPs, pressing the Pentagon to release any investigative findings to the public.
The Defense Department was directed by Congress to create the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office in 2022 to investigate reported UAP sightings. Since then, the government has not made its findings public, prompting outcry from lawmakers who say it poses national security risks.
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