Eleventh Hour Opposition to Disclosure Legislation Emerges in Congress

Analysis and Opinion by Maureen Richmond, Ph.D., F.I.

As followers of the UFO topic know, 2023 has been a landmark year. Unlike previous years where Congress and the media rarely discussed UFOs, 2023 saw significant strides towards disclosing long-hidden information. This shift thrilled the UFO community, eager to share decades of meticulously gathered sightings and encounters. As the year progressed, the prospect of disclosure seemed not only possible but imminent.

In May, NASA held a public meeting on UAPs, marking a departure from ridicule and acknowledging UAPs as a legitimate scientific inquiry. NASA pledged to report its findings openly, capturing widespread attention.

In June, journalists Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal exposed former intelligence officer David Grusch’s allegations of secretive UFO crash retrieval and reverse engineering programs.

In July, the UAP Disclosure Act of 2023, also known as the Schumer-Rounds Amendment, was proposed, calling for strict controls over government UAP programs. This included the government’s right to claim UAP materials held by private industries and the power to issue subpoenas. Analysts suggested that, if passed, this amendment could lead to historic hearings on the topic. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer passionately advocated for UAP disclosure.

Later that month, Congressional hearings shattered precedents as three former military officers revealed startling facts about UAPs under oath. The UFO community responded with cautious optimism, discussing government UAP policy in various forums and conferences.

Much of this progress hinged on the passage of the Schumer-Rounds Amendment, part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024. The amendment had strong bipartisan support, with both Democrats and Republicans emphasizing the importance of Congressional oversight.

Optimism was high until Thanksgiving when key Republicans withdrew their support for the amendment, specifically opposing the subpoena and eminent domain provisions. The Liberation Times was among the first to report this setback.

While partisan politics appeared to be the issue, the real culprit seemed to be the defense and aerospace lobby. Leading UFO figures and scientists, including Gary Nolan and journalist Ross Coulthart, highlighted this on the November 27 episode of Jack Connor’s podcast, Cosmic Road. Contributions from defense and aerospace companies significantly influenced the politicians resisting UAP disclosure, as detailed by Micah Hanks in a November 27 article at The Debrief.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer himself has deep ties to Lockheed Martin, arranging a lucrative business deal with the company in June 2023, which further complicates the issue.

The resistance from defense and aerospace industries to the UAP Disclosure Act of 2023 reveals their vested interests in keeping certain information hidden. Their objections to the amendment’s provisions inadvertently confirm long-held suspicions within the UFO community.

The eleventh-hour opposition to the Schumer-Rounds Amendment underscores the influence of corporate interests over politicians. Moving beyond these interests requires a level of altruism and humanitarian idealism not typical of career politicians. It is up to the UFO community and the pro-disclosure movement to advocate for the values necessary to achieve disclosure.

Danny Sheehan’s November 27 press release laid the foundation for this advocacy. While the last-minute opposition to the UAP disclosure legislation is troubling, it does not negate the progress made earlier in the year. It merely exposes the underlying dynamics that have influenced the UFO issue for decades. The UFO community will not be deterred by such obstacles.