Passage of a UAP Disclosure Act Is Being Threatened by a Mike Turner-Led Group in Congress

A cadre of four key Congressional Representatives led by Member of Congress Mike Turner are opposing the passage of the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2023—more commonly referred to as the Schumer Amendment—that would see the formation of a Presidentially-appointed UAP review board and order the repossession of any recovered materials that are not currently in the possession of the US government.

Included as part of next year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the amendment, titled the “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2023” (UAPDA), calls for the formation of a review board consisting of nine members, nominated by the President, dedicated to facilitating the disclosure of UAP information and materials to the public, similar to the Assassination Records Review Board that deals with the declassification of material regarding the JFK assassination; additionally, the amendment states that the US government will take possession of any recovered UAP material—biological or otherwise—regardless of what agency or department it is in possession of.

The Representatives that are opposing the passage of the Schumer Amendment—Mike Turner (R-OH), Mike Rogers (R-AL), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA)—reportedly argue that the measures being sought by the Act could result in both a potential leak of classified information, and the possibility that the new review board would wind up duplicating the efforts already being undertaken by other government-based UFO investigations, such as the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).

However, “neither objection holds water,” according to former US Department of Defense administrator Marik von Rennenkampff.

“First, the proposed records review board would be composed of “distinguished persons of high national professional reputation,” von Rennenkampff explains in an op-ed published on The Hill. “Each, along with board staff, would be required to hold top security clearances.”

“Second, the president would retain ultimate authority to release any record or information deemed too sensitive to release immediately. These safeguards make an inadvertent leak of classified information extremely unlikely.”

In addressing the issue of a potential duplication of investigative efforts, von Rennenkampff notes that AARO “analyzes video and other data of UFO incidents reported by US servicemembers. Such work is categorically different from the transparency-focused mission of the UAPDA-proposed review board.” Additionally, he notes that AARO does not have the authority to investigate allegations of illegal activity brought against the executive branch, saying that it would be “akin to tasking intelligence agencies with investigating the Iran-Contra scandal.”

Aside from preventing the enactment of potentially historic UAP legislation, preventing the passage of the UAPDA and its structured framework for disclosure could result in a situation that “may inadvertently spur the leak of sensitive information that they ostensibly fear,” von Rennenkampff warns.

“Without the UAPDA’s formal, controlled disclosure framework, frustrated whistleblowers may feel compelled to leak sensitive UFO-related information, potentially resulting in a “catastrophic” or “uncontrolled” disclosure.”

If the reasoning behind the opposing Representatives’ stated motives for blocking the UAPDA is as flimsy as von Rennenkampff points out, then what is the real reason for Johnson, McConnell, Rogers and Turner’s opposition to the UAPDA? Listed as one of the “most corrupt members of Congress” by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the group’s leader, Mike Turner, represents the state of Ohio, home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the location of Hangar 18, where the debris from the Roswell crash was reportedly stored after being recovered from the New Mexico desert in 1947.

Additionally, Turner’s list of campaign donors also includes numerous defense contractors such as BAE Systems, Boeing, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and RTX Corp. (formerly Raytheon), amongst others—a veritable who’s who of companies that would be considered excellent candidates to exploit recovered exotic technologies—companies that might be expected to take measures to block the UAPDA in order to prevent losing whatever recovered material, craft and artifacts they might be in possession of.

And having contributed a total of $183,250 since 2001, Lockheed Martin sits at the top of the list of defense-based donors contributing to Turner’s campaign efforts. The company was previously singled out by the late Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) who was “told for decades that Lockheed [Martin] had some of these retrieved materials.” Additionally, the top two industries contributing to Turner’s campaign are listed as “Misc Defense” and “Defense Aerospace”, with contributions between the two groups totaling nearly $109,000 for 2023-2024 alone.

The very fact that Johnson, McConnell, Rogers and Turner are offering resistance to the idea of disclosure also appears to be providing smoke for the UAP issue’s proverbial fire: if there’s nothing to hide, why block the UAPDA? As von Rennenkampff put it, “if there is nothing to hide and nothing to the UFO phenomenon, why would any member of Congress object to greater transparency and oversight of an executive branch prone to excessive and dangerous over-classification?”