Congress spent hours Tuesday digging into a mystery that has long hovered on the edge of public debate — unidentified anomalous phenomena, commonly known as UAPs or UFOs. Lawmakers, whistleblowers and defense officials shared different views, leaving the public with more questions than answers about what might be flying in our skies.
UFOs, or unidentified flying objects, are any airborne objects or lights that cannot be immediately identified. In recent years, the government and military have shifted to the term UAP to capture a wider range of unexplained occurrences in the sky. UAPs are not automatically assumed to be extraterrestrial; they include any aerial phenomena that lack a clear explanation, from unusual aircraft to natural atmospheric events.
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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who chairs the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, said the hearing was not about science fiction or speculation, but about national security, government accountability and the public’s right to the truth.
Voices from the field
Four witnesses testified under oath about their encounters with UFOs, raising concerns that the military has not been fully transparent about the sightings.
They were not alone in voicing those doubts. More than 30 senior figures, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, senators, former defense officials, intelligence leaders and national security experts have also spoken publicly in recent months, according to the House Oversight Committee.
Rubio said in an upcoming documentary that “even presidents have been operating on a need-to-know basis.”
Video evidence raises questions
During the hearing, lawmakers viewed drone footage from Oct. 30, 2024, that showed a drone operator tracking a glowing orb off the coast of Yemen before a missile struck the object. One of the witnesses, journalist George Knapp, whose work has focused on paranormal activity, said the clip is not unique, claiming multiple video servers with similar UAP footage are being kept from Congress.
“That’s a Hellfire missile smacking into that UFO and just bouncing right off,” he said. “What the hell is that?”
Knapp argued the government knows far more about what is happening in U.S. airspace than it lets on. He said skeptics often try to wave it away by dismissing the issue, discrediting witnesses or pushing a cover story.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., who recently brought whistleblower David Grusch on board and introduced the video from Yemen, said congressional staff have previously stood in the way of efforts for transparency.
“Just last night, I tried to get an amendment onto the National Defense Authorization Act that fit in the germaneness of that bill to have UAP disclosure,” he said.
When questioned by lawmakers, each witness spoke about the risks of coming forward. Air Force veteran Dylan Borland said his career suffered because he spoke openly about technologies and aircraft that he believes are not owned or controlled by the U.S. government.
“This craft interfered with my telephone, did not have any sound and the material it was made of appeared fluid or dynamic,” he testified.
American phenomenon into UFOs
In the 1940s and ‘50s, reports of “flying saucers” became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring Hollywood movies and comic books that reflected both wonder and fear. The Library of Congress said posters for films like “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” underscored those anxieties about potential threats from the skies.
These visions mirrored the era’s broader fears, from atomic bombs to Cold War tensions, turning UFOs into symbols of both hope and danger.
