--- title: "Congressman Claims the US Government Has “Reverse-Engineered” Alien Tech from UFOs" description: "According to one conspiracy-minded Congressional Republican, there's a chance that his employer is reverse-engineering alien technology salvaged from UFOs. " date: "2023-03-09" modified: "2023-03-09" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/congressman-us-government-aliens" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "conspiracy theories" - "misinformation" - "the digest" - "ufos" --- # Congressman Claims the US Government Has “Reverse-Engineered” Alien Tech from UFOs ![According to one conspiracy-minded Congressional Republican, there's a chance that his employer is reverse-engineering alien technology salvaged from UFOs. ]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Out There According to one conspiracy-minded Congressional Republican, there's a chance that his employer is, at this very moment, "reverse-engineering" alien technology salvaged from UFOs. In an eyebrow-raising [interview with]() *Newsweek* — a magazine, which has been [printing misinformation]() for years now — Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett said that he thinks the US government has "recovered a craft at some point, and possible beings," alluding to a [number of high-altitude balloons]() that were shut down last month. "I think that a lot of that's being reverse-engineered right now," Burchett said, "but we just don't understand it." The twice-reelected member of the House of Representatives also predicted an uptick in UFO sightings going forward, though he didn't expound on that statement. In fact, Burchett didn't offer up much in terms of evidence to back up his claims. Meanwhile, in light of the recent sightings and subsequent takedowns, the White House's messaging has been clear. "I don't think the American people need to worry about aliens," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby [told reporters]() during a briefing last month. ## Deny Everything It's far from the first time Burchett has made statements suggesting that the US government has knowledge of extraterrestrial life. After the House Intelligence Subcommittee hosted its first hearings on UFOs in more than half a century last May, the [Tennessee politician claimed]() that the government's "cover-up continues." "The people that are out there concerned about it, that have contacted me from all over the world, are very interested," he said during the hearing. Last month, Burchett told [infamous ex-congressman Matt Gaetz]() that the source of his belief is anecdotal and intuitive. "Too many people in the know have told me that, and that we had to do something with these multiple craft that have crashed and we do not have the technology," he said [during an appearance on Gaetz's podcast](). "I just believe it in my heart." ## Party Matters Known for his outlandish remarks about everything from [American senators working for TikTok]() to the [origins of the COVID-19 pandemic](), Burchett also commented last month about one of the [still-unidentified objects shot down]() off the coast of Alaska earlier in the year, though in that case, he believes the [conspiracy points to China]() — and not aliens. While the concept of the US government recovering alien tech and subsequently covering it up [arguably isn't inherently a partisan issue](), the theory, paired with Burchett's other public statements, makes it seem more like he's looking to score political points rather than get to the truth. It's either that or belief in UFOs and extraterrestrial technologies is becoming more mainstream than any of us have realized. **More on UFOs:** [*The Military Spent $1.5 Million Shooting Down Those Three UFOs*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()