EARTH, Laniakea Supercluster—This summer marks another attempt by advocates to pass the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act (UAPDA), legislation designed to compel the U.S. government to release its long-held records on UFOs—now more commonly referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). After previous efforts stalled in the last two sessions of Congress, sponsors are hoping that newly introduced versions in June and July of 2025 might finally break through. However, they still face significant political resistance and some pretty fundamental structural challenges.

The UAPDA was initially proposed in 2023 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The idea was to require the National Archives to gather and make public all UAP-related documents within a specific timeframe. It also aimed to grant the federal government the power of eminent domain over any recovered "technologies of unknown origin" and any alleged "non-human biological evidence.” The bill was intentionally modeled after the 1992 Kennedy Records Act, featuring an independent oversight board and a fast-tracked declassification process.

Despite considerable public interest—fueled by high-profile congressional testimony from whistleblowers like former intelligence officer David Grusch—the legislation didn't make it into the final Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA. The most contentious parts, particularly those concerning eminent domain and forced disclosure, were removed during the final negotiations, leaving supporters deeply disappointed.

A second attempt in late 2024 also failed. Subsequent analysis indicated that Congress's hesitation to relinquish control over sensitive or speculative materials tied to national security was the primary obstacle. The eminent domain provision, in particular, became a major sticking point that fractured bipartisan support.

Not giving up, advocates reintroduced versions of the UAPDA in early 2025. In the 119th Congress, the "UAP Transparency Act" was introduced in the House on February 11, 2025, directing the President to order federal agencies to declassify all UAP-related records and post them on their websites. Separately, a Senate draft of the 2026 NDAA, revealed in late July, proposed further reforms to the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), suggesting renewed momentum for accountability and transparency in UAP investigations.

Those in favor of the bill point to growing bipartisan concern about the vulnerability of U.S. airspace. During a policy summit on May 2, 2025, Christopher Mellon, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, warned that "the public is unaware of the extent of our airspace vulnerabilities and failures, and the degree to which they’re already being exploited.” This statement highlights the support within national security circles for increased oversight.

Despite these developments, opponents maintain that the legislation is still too broad and could disrupt established procedures. Critics in Congress have privately questioned whether granting the government the power to seize private aerospace assets or extraterrestrial artifacts is realistic – or even constitutional. Even proponents acknowledge that the 2025 versions of the bill are still being negotiated, and the same two issues that derailed previous attempts – eminent domain and enforceable disclosure timelines – are still on the table.

Policy analysts note that the 2025 measure is more detailed, including an explicit Records Review Board mechanism, whistleblower protection channels, and specific benchmarks for agency compliance within set timeframes.

While many are hopeful the measure will pass later this year, it’s still unclear if it will even actually hit the floor in 2025 and even be considered.