This Wednesday, Congress will once again address UFOs during a public hearing.

It has been over a year since House representatives last heard testimonies concerning mysterious objects flying across the country’s skies without explanation and allegations about the Pentagon’s unwillingness to share information. Although some progress has been made towards transparency, several lawmakers feel that the Department of Defense has hindered this progress by not declassifying information about UFOs, now termed unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).

The upcoming session is organized by Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) and Glenn Grothman (R-Wisconsin), the latter of whom sponsored a bipartisan initiative that enables commercial airline pilots to report UAP sightings to officials.

A statement from the House Oversight Committee highlights that this hearing aims to “further unveil the hidden UAP research conducted by the U.S. government and the undisclosed results that have emerged.”

“The American public is done with the vague responses and lack of information from the government,” Mace and Grothman asserted in a joint proclamation. “Citizens deserve to know what insights the government has gathered regarding UAP sightings and the potential risks they may present.”

When Will the UFO Hearing Happen?

The hearing is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET this Wednesday.

How to Watch Congress Discuss UFOs

The hearing is open to both the general public and the media, and it will be available for live streaming on the House Oversight Committee’s website.

Who Will Be Speaking?

Four individuals are anticipated to provide testimony on Wednesday. They include:

• Timothy Gallaudet, a retired Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy and oceanographer who currently heads Ocean STL Consulting;
• Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence officer who publicly revealed himself in October 2017 after a decade spent overseeing a Pentagon initiative focused on UFO investigations;
• Michael Gold, a former NASA associate administrator for space policy and partnerships who is currently involved with an independent NASA UAP study group;
• Michael Shellenberger, journalist and leader of the Breakthrough Institute.

What Occurred After the Previous Congressional UFO Hearing?

In July 2023, congressional leaders gathered to hear testimonies regarding unidentified objects navigating through U.S. airspace in manners that military witnesses believed surpassed human capabilities.

During that session, former Pentagon intel official David Grusch made shocking claims about a purported long-running Pentagon program aimed at recovering and studying not just crashed spacecraft but also extraterrestrial beings. While lacking substantial evidence, Grusch testified under oath that the Pentagon has been aware of extraterrestrial activities since the 1930s, maintaining secrecy about the program from Congress and misusing funds to sustain it.

Despite the Pentagon’s denial of his claims, it subsequently launched a new website last September intended to make declassified materials on UAP sightings available to the public.

That same month, NASA published a long-anticipated report stating that there was no evidence to substantiate the extraterrestrial origins of unidentified objects. However, Administrator Bill Nelson noted that as part of the agency’s commitment to transparency, NASA appointed a director focused on UAP research.

Since then, the hearing has inspired numerous docuseries, marketing trends, and speculation about UFOs, rekindling a popular culture fascination that first emerged following the notorious 1947 Roswell incident.

In light of the increased public curiosity, efforts have been made to advance legislation on UAP transparency, including proposals for a civilian reporting platform and directives aimed at enhancing oversight.

The executive branch has the authority to make specific records public.