Senate Aide Says Trump’s UFO Order Does Nothing New
- Cristina Gomez
- 6 minutes ago
- 3 min read
A senior aide to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told journalist Matt Laslo of Ask a Pol UAP on camera that President Trump’s February 2026 directive to release government UAP files was legally redundant, stating that the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, had already required public disclosure of UAP records. Gillibrand herself told Laslo she did not know what Trump meant by the announcement and had received no response to her public offer to collaborate.
The claim that the NDAA makes Trump’s directive unnecessary is only partially accurate. According to legislative records, the original UAP Disclosure Act introduced by Senators Schumer and Rounds in 2023 would have established an independent Review Board with subpoena power and a legal presumption of public access. That version was gutted before it became law. Per insights from former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Christopher Mellon, a presidential directive carries broader cross-agency authority than a reporting requirement and could compel participation from departments that the NDAA does not directly reach, if followed through.
The position Gillibrand now occupies is notable. She built AARO, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, through the 2022 NDAA and publicly defended the office and its director. On April 6th, 2026, Rep. Tim Burchett introduced H.R. 8197 to terminate AARO entirely, giving the Pentagon 60 days to shut the office down and blocking any rebranded replacement. This followed a March recommendation from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to the congressional DOGE (different from Elon Musk’s DOGE) subcommittee that AARO be defunded, the same week AARO stated it was actively coordinating UAP declassification under Trump’s directive. Gillibrand has not publicly responded to the shutdown bill.
Separately, as reported by Matt Laslo on the Psicoactivo Podcast podcast, the most confirmed deliverable from this administration connected to UAP disclosure is a commemorative coin, likely to be sold by the White House. Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart independently confirmed the coin story, stating that while a limited disclosure appears to be planned, he doubted the full legacy UAP program would be acknowledged. Multiple sources have referenced Jaime Walden, who reportedly received a briefing indicating the coin has already been produced and that a disclosure speech may come as early as May 2026. That timeline has not been officially confirmed.
Per insights from Laslo, the UAP conversation inside Congress has grown smaller since the current session began, with Republican leadership sidelining UAP Caucus members. The most recent NDAA replaced the term UAP with UAS, or Uncrewed Aerial Systems, and drone language throughout, which Laslo described as a deliberate move to undercut the UAP Caucus institutionally. The Caucus can hold hearings but cannot write binding defense legislation without the Armed Services or Intelligence Committees behind it, and those committees have shown no appetite for the full UAP Disclosure Act.
Sources
Burchett, T. (n.d.). H.R.8197 — To terminate the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office of the Department of Defense, and for other purposes. In Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8197/text
Laslo, M. (2026a, April 8). “NDAA already did it,” Gillibrand aide says of Trump’s promise to release UFO files. Ask a Pol UAP. https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/ndaa-already-did-it-gillibrand-aide
Laslo, M. (2026b, April 9). Rep. Ogles: Trump wants to be “the guy that revealed the truth” on UFO. Ask a Pol UAP. https://www.askapoluaps.com/p/trump-wants-to-be-the-ufo-guy
Psicoactivo Podcast. (2026, April 7). Matt Laslo answers all your questions & discusses hounding Congress over UFOs — Psicoactivo Live #15 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77eBp9WcefM
