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UFOs and aliens are trending on social media after a retired military veteran testified on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) in a House hearing in Washington on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. He alleged that the executive branch agencies have run a covert program researching unidentified sightings for years that was hidden from Congress.
The whistleblower, David Grusch, along with two former fighter pilots, David Fravor and Ryan Graves, who have first-hand experience with UAPs, appeared before the House Oversight Committee's national security subcommittee for the bipartisan hearing.
The lawmakers called for the government to be "more forthcoming" about such phenomena.
Grusch served as an intelligence officer in the Air Force and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and was a representative on two Pentagon task forces that investigated UAPs. During his work, he was informed of a "multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program," but was denied access to them when requested.
Additionally, Grusch stated that while he had not seen any, "multiple colleagues" of his have been injured due to UAP activity. When questioned whether any pilots were recovered at the alleged "crash sites," he stated:
"As I’ve stated publicly already in my NewsNation [interview] biologics came with some of these recoveries."
He further added that these were "non-human."
As the news about the hearing spread, social media was filled with posts about UFOs and aliens.
"They wasn't joking about Area 51": Internet users react to the "UFO hearing"
Netizens were quick to share their thoughts about the UFO sitings and cover-ups. They dubbed the bipartisan hearing as the "UFO hearing" and shared some humorous memes and sarcastic quips. Soon the hashtags #UFO and #Aliens began trending on Twitter.
The hearing was an effort by both the Democratic and Republican parties who stressed on the need for clarity on UAPs. Many added that they pose a threat to the national security.
"Today we are not just debating the existence of UAPs, we are deliberating on the principles that define our republic, which is a commitment to transparency and accountability," added Glenn Grothman, who chaired the hearing.
Grusch did not give the specific date the program began and who authorized it, as it was classified. Lawmakers then added that they would like to learn more behind closed doors.
This was the second congressional "UFO hearing." Last year, Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, told congress that they were tracking 650 potential cases of UAPs, half of which had been prioritized for further investigations.
