Provided with permission.
I am now a MUFON Field Investigator.
MUFON Goes to Washington
DAVID MACDONALD | DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
4 APRIL 2022
On the heels of Senator Gillibrand proposing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to create an Anomaly Surveillance, Tracking, and Resolution Office with authority to pursue “any resource, capability, asset, or process of the Department and the intelligence community” to get to the bottom of sightings of UAPs, we requested meetings to discuss this unique issue in more detail and speak about how MUFON may be able to work with agencies to help meet the goals of this amendment. The dates, times, attendees, and brief biographies of the sponsors of our meetings follow:
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
11 a.m. meeting with the military legislative assistant of Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-07) and the staff director of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations.
BIO: Representative Gallego is a Marine Corps combat veteran, and the son of immigrants. He was the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Harvard University. Representative Gallego has largely focused on U.S. national security , serving on three committees pertinent to his veteran and American Indian tribal community constituencies—House Armed Services, Veterans’ Affairs and Natural Resources. Currently, Gallego leads the Intelligence and Special Operations panel on the Armed Services Committee. And was the lead sponsor on legislation that requires a permanent office at the DOD to oversee the reporting of UAPs.
3 p.m. meeting with Representative Greg Pence (R-IN-06), his chief of staff, and a legislative staffer
BIO: Congressman Greg Pence grew up in Columbus, Indiana, and earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and philosophy from Loyola University of Chicago followed by a master’s in business affairs. He spent four years in the Marine Corps, and now serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He is affiliated with the House Republican American Security Task Force aimed at protecting the homeland, and worked to codify the Trump administration’s Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) initiative, which recognizes the infrastructure needs of rural communities across America.
4 p.m. meeting in the Longworth House Office Building with Representative Darin LaHood (R-IL-18) and selected staffers
BIO: Congressman Darin LaHood grew up in Peoria, IL. He earned a BA from Loras College and holds a JD from the John Marshall Law School. He was a prosecutor in Chicago and Las Vegas before opening a private practice. LaHood’s record advocates a strong, conservative record, promoting economic development and fiscal responsibility. He currently serves on the House Ways and Means Committee with jurisdiction over all taxation, trade and tariffs. In March of 2021, LaHood was appointed to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees components of the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State, Treasury and Energy. LaHood serves on the Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation (C3) and the Intelligence Modernization and Readiness (INMAR) Subcommittees.
Wednesday, March 9
10:15 a.m. meeting in the Russell Senate Office Building with the legislative aide, the deputy legislative assistant, military, and a staff member of Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC)
BIO: Senator Lindsey Graham has earned a reputation as a conservative problem-solver and one of the strongest proponents of a robust national defense, and getting government out of the way so businesses can create jobs. Graham currently serves as the ranking member on the Senate Committee on the Budget. Graham also serves as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. He is on the Senate National Security Working Group, a forum for bipartisan cross-jurisdictional national security matters. Before his Congressional service, Graham compiled a distinguished record in the United States Air Force on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. Graham retired from the Air Force Reserves in June 2015 having served his country in uniform for 33 years, retiring at the rank of colonel. The first member of his family to go to college, Graham earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina. Senator Graham co-sponsored Senator Gillibrand’s legislation regarding UAPs.
1 p.m. meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building with a professional staff member, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
BIO: Senator Marco Rubio was born in Miami, Florida, one of the four children of Cuban immigrants who came to America in 1956. Senator Rubio is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues. Senator Rubio is also vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where he provides oversight over the U.S. government’s intelligence community and national security apparatus. He, along with other members, pushed to have the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Pentagon release its first-ever public report on unexplained aerial sightings.
Thursday, March 10
8:35 a.m. meeting with Representative Mike Turner (R-OH-10) and his chief of staff
BIO: Congressman Mike Turner received a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Northern University, an MBA from the University of Dayton, and a Juris Doctorate from Case Western University School of Law. Congressman Turner currently serves as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, where he has jurisdiction over the nation’s nuclear arsenal, the Department of Defense’s intelligence programs, and missile defense systems. In January 2022, he was appointed to the top Republican slot on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, he received briefings on UAPs from Navy and FBI officials. He is a member of the Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Caucus and directly contributes to the security of the nation through 24/7 operations across the globe.
Summary
This trip was more than we could have asked for. We were well received and delivered our message. We started a fire! All of the offices we visited have requested that we return for further talks. They want to try to bring us in. Before we left for the last scheduled meeting, the telephones were going crazy with more senators and representatives requesting that we come to talk with them as well.
Strap in, this is going to be a wild ride!
