--- title: "New Law Would Force Government to Declassify Every UFO Document" description: "Show Us Receipts In an age of growing UFO belief, a handful of Congress members are calling on the government to show its cards. Titled the \"UAP Transparency Act,\" a reference to \"unidentified aerial/anomalous phenomenon,\" the government's term for UFOs, the new law introduced by Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett would require that all documents about […]" date: "2024-05-19" modified: "2024-05-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/government-declassify-ufo-documents-bill" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "congress" - "the digest" - "uaps" - "ufos" --- # New Law Would Force Government to Declassify Every UFO Document ![In an age of growing UFO belief, a handful of Congress members are calling on the government to show its cards. ]() *The dome of the United State Capitol against a deep blue sky in Washington, DC. \Image: Getty Images\* ## Show Us Receipts In an age of [widespread public interest in UFOs](), a handful of Congress members are calling on the government to show its cards. Titled the "[UAP Transparency Act,]()" a reference to the government's new preferred term for UFOs of "[unidentified aerial/anomalous phenomenon]()," the new law introduced by Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett would require that all documents about these phenomena be declassified. "It's simple," [Burchett told *Fox News*]() of his bill. "They spend all this time telling us they don't exist, then release the files, dagnabbit." One of the legislative branch's most outspoken believers in extraterrestrials, the [Tennesee congressman once claimed]() that "UFOs were in the Bible," specifically citing the chapter of Ezekiel as evidence. As such, he's long [used his power]() and [podium]() to [urge the government]() to share more information with the public about any knowledge of UFOs. "This bill isn’t all about finding little green men or flying saucers, it’s about forcing the Pentagon and federal agencies to be transparent with the American people," Burchett said in the bill's press release. "I’m sick of hearing bureaucrats telling me these things don’t exist while we’ve spent millions of taxpayer dollars on studying them for decades." ## Checkered Past The GOP congressman — who, we should note, made a transphobic comment so vile that he was [shut down by a *Fox* host]() — is joined by Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), and Eric Burlison (R-MO) in cosponsoring the bill, which would require the Pentagon to declassify all its UAP documents within 270 days of its passage. Behind this declassification push is Burchett's belief that the government has sustained a long term coverup of its knowledge and use of UFO technology. "The devil has been in our way through this thing," the congressman, who sits on the House of Representative's oversight subcommittee, [said during a hearing last year](). "We’ve run into roadblocks from members from the intelligence community, the Pentagon." Inspired by [testimony from whistleblower David Grusch]() last year, [Burchett and his bill cosponsors sent a letter]() to the intelligence community's inspector general requesting more information about claims that the government had retrieved and reverse-engineered alien technology. This year, the [Pentagon's UFO office released a 63-page document]() saying it had no such records, which may or may not have been in response to that letter last summer Given both the strange religiosity and the general [discrediting of Grusch]() and [his testimony](), we're taking this bill with a grain of salt — but it will be interesting to see what happens with it, even if its chances of passing currently seem like a long shot. **More on UFOs:** [*The Head of the SETI Institute Says He's Seen Zero Evidence of Alien Technology*]() ## 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]()