I’ve been in touch with the local and DC offices of my Congressman, Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), on the UAP topic several times this year. In each conversation they’ve been respectful of my interest in the topic and asked me follow-up questions. I’ve specifically asked the Congressman to use his influence on the Armed Services Committee to advocate for public transparency, and I’ve been relatively happy with his response so far. I’ll be watching closely in 2024.
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December 21, 2023
Dear Mr. [TARSknows]
Thank you for contacting me regarding unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). I appreciate your interest in the issues facing our country and welcome the opportunity to respond.
On July 26, 2023, the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security held a hearing on UAP and their implications for national security, public safety, and government transparency. In this hearing, three former Department of Defense (DoD) employees, including former Air Force intelligence officer David Grusch, discussed government research into the subject of UAP and their knowledge of government awareness of their existence in our airspace. In the past, witnesses expressed their concern regarding retaliation and, therefore, were unable to present their testimony. These allegations were brought to the attention of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Intelligence, and inquiries were made to assess the threat of retaliation.
A hearing on UAPs is unprecedented in the House of Representatives and is the first step to ascertaining how much information the DOD and other government agencies possess on UAPs and addressing the best next step in this process.
In response, Congress has taken a few critical steps to locate information on UAP:
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) proposed an amendment to the pending 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directing the National Archives and Record Administration to create a UAP Records Collection. Additionally, it directs every government agency to identify which records would fall into the collection, with a review board in place to provide a reasoning for any documents to remain classified.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA), which was included in the Senate-passed 2024 NDAA. The IAA would require current or former contractors with the federal government to provide a comprehensive list of UAP-related material and make said material available to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), which the DoD established to synchronize efforts across federal agencies to detect and identify objects of interest such as UAPs.
Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) proposed an amendment to the 2024 NDAA that would direct the Secretary of Defense to declassify any DoD documents and records pertaining to publicly known sightings of UAP within 180 days of the bill’s passage. This amendment would allow for record declassification without disclosing any intelligence-gathering methods or sources. After the passage of the 2022 NDAA, the DoD established All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). The DoD also launched a public website for AARO to share currently declassified information on UAPs that you can access at www.aaro.mil.
I will continue to support efforts by Congress to help determine, in conjunction with the DoD, which records would be appropriate to declassify and make publicly available. Please know that I will advocate for government transparency where appropriate and necessary. If given the opportunity to consider specific legislation related to this issue, I will be sure to keep your views in mind.
Thank you, again, for contacting me to share your opinion. If ever I can be of assistance in the future, please contact my office by calling (202) 225-2861. You can also follow my work on Twitter or Facebook or by visiting my website and signing up for my e-newsletter. It is an honor to serve you as the U.S. Representative for our home in California’s 19th Congressional District.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Panetta United States Representative 19th Congressional District, California
submitted by /u/TARSknows
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