--- title: "Former Senator Wants Congress to Listen to UFO Reports" description: "In a public radio interview, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called on Congress to spend more time listening to reports of unidentified aircraft." date: "2019-01-11" modified: "2019-01-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/former-us-senator-harry-reid-congress-listen-ufo-reports" categories: - "Space" tags: - "alien contact" - "alien spacecraft" - "aliens" - "ufos" --- # Former Senator Wants Congress to Listen to UFO Reports ![In a public radio interview, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called on Congress to spend more time listening to reports of unidentified aircraft.]() *\Image: Cool Cat/Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Black Money It's been just over a year since the U.S. Defense Department [officially declassified]() two videos that showed an encounter between two Navy F/A-18F fighter jets and an unidentified flying object (UFO). Now, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) — a [longtime proponent]() of UFO research — is calling on Congress to review reports like the Navy encounter, which the Defense Department has collected for years as part of a program dubbed "Black Money." "I personally don't know if there exist little green men," Reid [told KNPR](). "I kind of doubt that, but I do believe the information we have indicates we should do a lot more study." ## Alien Stigma The interview took place, Reid said, just before a scheduled call with a Senator to discuss ways for Congress to listen to the Black Money reports. But also to take them seriously. "What we found in the past is that these pilots, when they see something strange like this, they’re prone not to report it for fear that the bosses will think something’s wrong with them, and they don’t get the promotion,” Reid told KNPR. “So, many, many times they don’t say a word to anybody about these strange things." After all, one of the biggest reasons these sightings never actually surfaced or reported by service members is the [stigma surrounding the subject of aliens]() and UFOs. Reid may have retired back in 2017, but he still has powerful connections inside Congress. Service members deserve, he believes, to have their voices heard. "Frankly, I think the federal government has done almost nothing to help us with this," Reid said. **READ MORE:** [Harry Reid pushing for more UFO research]() \[*Roll Call*\] ***More on UFOs: [You’re Not Crazy if You Believe in UFOs. Let’s Discuss in Scientific Terms.]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()