Burchett Publishes 'Here's What the Government Knows About UFOs' Op-Ed

Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) published a 3 May 2026 op-ed under the headline 'Here's What the Government Knows About UFOs', distributed via 4cm Newswire on Substack. Burchett restated his position, repeated in classified briefings since 2023, that the UAP information held by the executive branch is materially different from what has been publicly disclosed and would, in his words, shake public faith if released in full. He specifically argued the case for two pieces of pending legislation: HR 1187, the UAP Transparency Act, which would direct federal agencies to make UAP-related documents public within 270 days of enactment, and HR 5060, the UAP Whistleblower Protection Act co-introduced with Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), which would extend explicit retaliation protections to current and former personnel disclosing UAP information to Congress. Both bills remain in committee. The op-ed coincides with President Trump's 30 April and 3 May statements that the Pentagon will release 'very interesting' UAP files 'very soon', and with the Pentagon's continuing non-delivery of the 46 UAP videos requested by Luna's 14 April 2026 deadline.