Official hearing transcript PDF (mirror)

7
Now, we have incidents when sensors, sometimes even multiple
types of sensors, detect things that we cannot explain. UAPs, what-
ever they may be, may pose a serious threat to our military or civil-
ian aircraft and that must be understood.
Now, my career and training as a longtime and career educator
and teacher and researcher tell me that we should never rule any-
thing out. We know that our space, of course, is vast and undis-
covered.
I also want to note that Mr. Sean Kirkpatrick, Director of the
All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, the component of the DoD
office that investigates UAP data, has testified before the Senate
this year that his unit has found no evidence of extraterrestrial ac-
tivity.
NASA has also stated they do not have evidence of extra-
terrestrial life either and we have heard this, of course, from some
of our government agencies. And we should remind viewers and
witnesses, which I think is really important, that we also cannot
share classified information in public settings.
But questions, of course, remain that people want to see data
and information for themselves. The enormous interest in the hear-
ing today underscores the importance of a fair and open look at the
evidence from witnesses who can share their unique perspectives.
Now, I know I certainly have a lot of questions. I know that all
the Members of our Committee do as well. We should come to this
hearing with an open mind, and we should not let our existing
ideas restrict us on either side.
I hear over and over from many agencies the stigma around re-
porting and investigating UAPs prevents us from getting real an-
swers. We know that whistleblowers have reported harassment, in-
timidation, or stigma as well and this is not acceptable.
If people cannot report incidents which would have national secu-
rity or safety implications, then that also has serious consequences
for us.
As Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, I know my job would
be completely impossible if whistleblowers or others feel intimi-
dated to come before this Committee. We cannot be afraid of asking
questions and we cannot be afraid of the truth.
I am proud to say that this hearing builds upon bipartisan work
by Members of the House and Senate dating many years back
which is sought to increase awareness within the Department of
Defense and more—and to mandate more of Congress of UAPs.
We know the Senate is taking up an amendment to their defense
authorization bill which will create a commission with broad de-
classification authority, and we should all agree that that is an im-
portant step.
Members of both parties and senior officials in multiple adminis-
trations have taken an interest in this issue and we are proud to
carry and build that confidence in the American people.
This hearing will also not be the end of the discussion but a new
chapter and start to years and years of work that many folks both
in the public and within government have been working on. We
should encourage more reporting, not less, on UAPs. The more that
we understand, the safer we will be.