Senator Gillibrand (D) adds language to the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 indicating she believes UFO whistleblower David Grush’s (and others’) claims are true.
This is the third of three related posts regarding secret government UFO programs. The three are:
David Grush, career intelligence officer, claims there are secret government UFO programs
Senator Rubio (R) confirms others have come forward about secret government UFO programs
Senator Gillibrand (D) adds language to intelligence bill to force secret government UFO programs to come forward
Here are a few quotes from the bill and my comments:
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, due to the increasing potential for technology surprise from foreign adversaries and to ensure sufficient integration across the United States industrial base and avoid technology and security stovepipes--
Grush claims adversarial countries have crash retrieval programs as well, and they are racing to master the technologies to establish a technological dominance over the US. Senator Rubio has expressed concerns that someone may have established a technological leap over the US.
The language in this bill is, to a great extent, to make sure the US can get the best minds working on purported advanced technologies, but that cannot happen if these technologies remain hidden from Congress and others.
No amount authorized to be appropriated or appropriated by this Act or any other Act may be obligated or expended, directly or indirectly, in part or in whole, for, on, in relation to, or in support of activities involving unidentified anomalous phenomena protected under any form of special access or restricted access limitations that have not been formally, officially, explicitly, and specifically described, explained, and justified to the appropriate committees of Congress, congressional leadership, and the Director
No money can be spent on any of these super secret UFO programs until they have been briefed to Congress. This is the stick to get programs to come forward to Congress.
Any person currently or formerly under contract with the Federal Government that has in their possession material or information provided by or derived from the Federal Government relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena that formerly or currently is protected by any form of special access or restricted access shall …
The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) established a whistleblower program that said people can come forward to Congress or AARO and provide information. This 2024 bill says people must come forward and provide information. This is the stick to get individuals to come forward to Congress.
No criminal or civil action may lie or be maintained in any Federal or State court against any person for receiving material or information described in subsection (d) if that person complies with the notification and reporting provisions described in such subsection.
This sounds like a one-time amnesty program for people involved in these secret UFO programs. People involved in these programs must come forward, and if they do, they will be protected from any legal liability (presumably of past crimes associated with these secret UFO programs).
There have been claims that some individuals (e.g., Bob Lazar) may have information or material they took from their work on these secret UFO programs. This language, if it becomes law, is their “get out of jail” card. This is the carrot to get individuals to come forward to Congress.
Full text dealing of the section with UFO crash retrievals
SEC. 1104. FUNDING LIMITATIONS RELATING TO UNIDENTIFIED ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA. (a) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means-- (A) the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and (B) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. (2) Congressional leadership.--The term ``congressional leadership'' means-- (A) the majority leader of the Senate; (B) the minority leader of the Senate; (C) the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and (D) the minority leader of the House of Representatives. (3) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. (4) Unidentified anomalous phenomena.--The term ``unidentified anomalous phenomena'' has the meaning given such term in section 1683(n) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 U.S.C. 3373(n)), as amended by section 6802(a) of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263). (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, due to the increasing potential for technology surprise from foreign adversaries and to ensure sufficient integration across the United States industrial base and avoid technology and security stovepipes-- (1) the United States industrial base must retain its global lead in critical advanced technologies; and (2) the Federal Government must expand awareness about any historical exotic technology antecedents previously provided by the Federal Government for research and development purposes. (c) Limitations.-- (1) In general.--No amount authorized to be appropriated or appropriated by this Act or any other Act may be obligated or expended, directly or indirectly, in part or in whole, for, on, in relation to, or in support of activities involving unidentified anomalous phenomena protected under any form of special access or restricted access limitations that have not been formally, officially, explicitly, and specifically described, explained, and justified to the appropriate committees of Congress, congressional leadership, and the Director, including for any activities relating to the following: (A) Recruiting, employing, training, equipping, and operations of, and providing security for, government or contractor personnel with a primary, secondary, or contingency mission of capturing, recovering, and securing unidentified anomalous phenomena craft or pieces and components of such craft. (B) Analyzing such craft or pieces or components thereof, including for the purpose of determining properties, material composition, method of manufacture, origin, characteristics, usage and application, performance, operational modalities, or reverse engineering of such craft or component technology. (C) Managing and providing security for protecting activities and information relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena from disclosure or compromise. (D) Actions relating to reverse engineering or replicating unidentified anomalous phenomena technology or performance based on analysis of materials or sensor and observational information associated with unidentified anomalous phenomena. (E) The development of propulsion technology, or aerospace craft that uses propulsion technology, systems, or subsystems, that is based on or derived from or inspired by inspection, analysis, or reverse engineering of recovered unidentified anomalous phenomena craft or materials. (F) Any aerospace craft that uses propulsion technology other than chemical propellants, solar power, or electric ion thrust. (2) Future appropriations.--Paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to an amount appropriated after the date of the enactment of this Act, unless such paragraph is specifically waived for such amount, or such amount is specifically exempted from such paragraph, by an Act enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act. (d) Notification and Reporting.--Any person currently or formerly under contract with the Federal Government that has in their possession material or information provided by or derived from the Federal Government relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena that formerly or currently is protected by any form of special access or restricted access shall-- (1) not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, notify the Director of such possession; and (2) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, make available to the Director for assessment, analysis, and inspection-- (A) all such material and information; and (B) a comprehensive list of all non-earth origin or exotic unidentified anomalous phenomena material. (e) Liability.--No criminal or civil action may lie or be maintained in any Federal or State court against any person for receiving material or information described in subsection (d) if that person complies with the notification and reporting provisions described in such subsection. (f) Limitation Regarding Independent Research and Development.-- (1) In general.--Consistent with Department of Defense Instruction Number 3204.01 (dated August 20, 2014, incorporating change 2, dated July 9, 2020; relating to Department policy for oversight of independent research and development), independent research and development funding relating to material or information described in subsection (c) shall not be allowable as indirect expenses for purposes of contracts covered by such instruction, unless such material and information is made available to the Director in accordance with subsection (d). (2) Effective date and applicability.--Paragraph (1) shall take effect on the date that is 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to funding from amounts appropriated before, on, or after such date. (g) Notice to Congress.--Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Director has received a notification under paragraph (1) of subsection (d) or information or material under paragraph (2) of such subsection, the Director shall provide written notification of such receipt to the appropriate committees of Congress and congressional leadership.