The U.S. Congress will convene a hearing on September 9, 2025, focusing on transparency regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), commonly referred to as UFOs. The session, titled “Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection,” is organized by the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets. This task force was established in January 2025 by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The hearing is set to begin at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) and will feature testimonies from three U.S. military veterans who will recount their experiences with UAP. These phenomena encompass strange objects or events not only in the sky but also in water or space, or those that appear to travel between these domains. The session will be available for live viewing through the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s channels.
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), the chair of the Task Force, has voiced concerns about the government’s transparency regarding various issues, including UAP. “It is time to give Americans the answers they deserve,” Luna stated in a press release. “This bipartisan task force seeks truth and transparency.” The scope of the task force also includes investigations into other significant topics, such as the origins of COVID-19 and the 9/11 files.
Luna emphasized that the upcoming hearing aims to encourage Congress to reconsider the classification of information related to UAP. “The American people deserve maximum transparency from the federal government on sightings, acquisitions, and examinations of UAPs,” she said. “They need to understand whether these phenomena pose a potential threat to their safety.”
In addition to military witnesses, the hearing will include long-time investigative journalist George Knapp. Knapp has been a prominent figure in the discussion surrounding government secrecy related to UFOs. In the late 1980s, he gained widespread attention while working for KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, where he helped popularize claims made by UFO advocates like Bob Lazar and John Lear. Lazar claims to have worked at the notorious Area 51 facility, where he allegedly reverse-engineered recovered UFO technology, although his assertions remain unverified. Lear, a former CIA pilot, has promoted theories suggesting government collusion with extraterrestrial beings.
The hearing aims to reinforce protections for whistleblowers who disclose information regarding UAP classification and declassification processes. Luna articulated the need for a secure environment where these individuals can share insights without fear of retribution. “Whistleblowers who provide details on spending information and policies regarding UAPs should be able to do so without fear,” she stated.
Previous congressional hearings have echoed similar calls for transparency. In November 2024, former U.S. counterintelligence officer Luis Elizondo, who claims to have worked on a secret Pentagon program investigating UAP, testified about a “multi-decade, secretive arms race” funded by misallocated taxpayer dollars. Elizondo has indicated that the government should offer protections for those who come forward with information about UAP.
For years, numerous purported whistleblowers have claimed that classified military and intelligence sensors often capture evidence of unexplained phenomena and advanced craft, which some speculate could be piloted by extraterrestrial beings. They argue that the U.S. government’s classification of such records prevents the public from accessing critical information about these phenomena and the capabilities of government surveillance systems.
As the hearing approaches, it reflects a growing public interest in the topic of UAP and the importance of transparency in government dealings. The outcomes may shape future discussions around governmental accountability and the extent to which the public deserves access to information regarding UAP.
