UAP Disclosure Act 2.0: Representatives Rounds and Schumer Return to Push for UFO Transparency

A new amendment aimed at bringing transparency to the U.S. Government’s involvement with unidentified anomalous phenomena has been introduced into the National Defense Authorization Act 2025, titled the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2024 (UAPDA), by Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY). This follows the failure of similar legislation introduced into last year’s NDAA, derailed by a group of key Representatives led by Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH).

The original version of the “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2023″ (UAPDA) was intended to be an amendment in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA); while mandating the creation of an executive-level review board similar to the Assassination Records Review Board that deals with the declassification of material regarding the JFK assassination, the measure also called for the reappropriation of recovered UAP material distributed to contractors and agencies in the past.

However, much of the amendment’s text, including provisions that would have proven to be powerful tools in the disclosure process, was excised by a cadre of key members of Congress, led by Ohio representative and Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Turner. The sole remaining provision called for the establishment of a collection of UAP-related government documents at the National Archives, with the “Records Related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs)” officially opening in March 2023.

UAPDA 2024 revives most, if not all, of the provisions from its predecessor: the Act calls for the establishment of a Presidentially-appointed nine-member UAP Records Review Board tasked with collecting, reviewing and disseminating UAP records to the public, similar to the aforementioned Assassination Records Review Board; the examination of UAP-related artifacts and materials; and for Congress to solicit testimony from UAP witnesses and whistleblowers.

The Act’s provisions would also prevent agencies and individuals that have been acting as gatekeepers to illegal UAP programs from investigating their own activities, intended to avoid a situation that could result in self-exoneration by the proverbial foxes that run the henhouse; the Act would also eliminate any direct influence these agencies might have on the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO).

And like the findings of the Assassination Records Review Board, the President would have final say in the declassification or postponement of the release of individual UAP-related documents; the reasons for any delays or holds on the release of these documents; and also to order the periodic review of the files that remain undisclosed.

“We are extremely pleased that Senators Schumer and Rounds have kept their pledge to continue working towards greater UAP transparency and disclosure,” Yuan Fung, Executive Director of the UAP Disclosure Fund, stated to the Liberation Times. “We are also very thankful to the over 10,000 people who signed our petition supporting the inclusion of UAP legislation in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.

“Senator Schumer’s office informed us that he has reviewed the petition and is very appreciative of the support. However, this is just the first of several steps required to successfully pass the UAP Disclosure Act into law,” Fung continued. “In the coming months, it will be crucial to build even more support from the public and within Congress. We look forward to continuing our efforts on both fronts.”