New UFO Political Action Group to Support Pro-UAP Candidates in 2024 Elections
Written by Christopher Sharp - 9 June 2024
The Executive Director of a new non-profit Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) political action group, known as the UAP Disclosure Fund, has informed Liberation Times that he would support pro-UAP candidates in upcoming party primaries and the U.S. elections in November 2024 if their positions are threatened.
Yuan Fung of the UAP Disclosure Fund told Liberation Times:
“For members of Congress who are part of the UAP caucus and working on UAP legislation, we will closely monitor their primary and general election races.
“We’ll identify situations where providing political support could benefit their campaigns. When we determine that our involvement could make a difference, we will inform our supporters about where their actions could be most helpful.”
Fung’s comments come six months after former senior intelligence officer and UAP whistleblower David Grusch told journalist Tucker Carlson that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Representative Mike Turner, who last year allegedly blocked UAP language within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, was attempting to undermine the re-election campaign of UAP advocate and fellow Republican Representative Tim Burchett.
Speaking to Liberation Times, Fung, emphasised that the Fund is nonpartisan and would counter any opposition to new UAP legislation:
“We plan to support every lawmaker who takes the UAP issue seriously, regardless of party affiliation. As a nonpartisan group, we aim to collaborate with all members of Congress working on this issue.
“To counter any opposition to new UAP legislation, we believe that demonstrating even stronger support this year than last year will make a significant difference. It will provide lawmakers with the political capital they need to further support the legislation.”
Fung is keen to prevent a repeat of last year’s situation whereby lawmakers were able to block UAP language and face no political repercussions:
“Currently, lawmakers face no political repercussions for opposing UAP-related measures, and this is precisely what we need to change moving forward. In addition to supporting lawmakers who are serious about the issue, we must also make our voices heard to those who oppose the legislation.”
Fung is a political strategist and creative director who has worked as an independent consultant on campaigns for the late Senator Harry Reid and both Presidential campaigns for Barack Obama. He became interested in the UAP topic following the breaking of the New York Times 2017 story featuring Lue Elizondo, who ran the Pentagon’s UAP program, and the release of military videos showing UAP.
He told Liberation Times that testimony regarding alleged illegal government-affiliated UAP programs provided by David Grusch in 2023 spurred him to become involved in advocacy efforts, leading to the creation of the UAP Disclosure Fund.
The Fund, which launched on June 2, 2024, includes on its team many heavyweight UAP advocates with access to classified information, enabling them to help guide lawmakers on legislation and other efforts to accelerate the disclosure of UAP information.
Fung told Liberation Times:
“One of the things that makes our organization unique in working with members of Congress and their staff is that our board members have been building relationships with Congress for several years. Additionally, some of our board members hold security clearances, allowing them to discuss UAP issues in proper settings.
“This enables us to help Congress understand what needs to be addressed in a way that others without clearances cannot. This capability is a significant differentiator for us.”
The core team includes:
Yuan Fung, Executive Director, Political Strategist & Creative Director
Matthew Ford, Director Of Strategy, Political Strategist & Creator of The Good Trouble Show with Matt Ford
Lesley Duckworth, Chief Financial Officer
The Board of Directors includes:
Luis Elizondo, Former Head of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program
Garry Nolan, Professor in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine
Karl Nell, Aerospace Executive, Retired Senior Military Officer, Corporate Strategist
On its Advisory Board sits:
Christopher Mellon, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Staff Director of the Senate Intelligence Committee
Kirk McConnell, Former Senior Staffer for the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services
Kirk McConnell's inclusion has raised some eyebrows among those who follow the UAP issue, given his key position within the Senate’s Committee on Armed Services, whose members have pushed through significant UAP legislation within previous NDAAs.
Such legislation has led to developments such as the creation of a UAP Task Force and the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, overseen by the Deputy Secretary of Defense and Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.
The current focus of the UAP Disclosure Fund is to lead efforts encouraging key senators to resurrect language from the UAP Disclosure Act (UAPDA) of 2023, which was hollowed out in late 2023 during the NDAA conference process between the Senate and House of Representatives.
A petition has been launched by the UAP Disclosure Fund, calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Senators Mike Rounds, Kirsten Gillibrand, Marco Rubio, Todd Young, and Martin Heinrich, to continue working on future UAP legislation following the dilution of the UAPDA.
Speaking about the importance of new UAPDA-inspired language within the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2025 emerging from the Senate this year, Fung told Liberation Times:
“We are aware that the Senate will soon begin work on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. At this critical juncture, public support for adding new UAP legislation to the 2025 NDAA is crucial. Our kickoff campaign aims to rally support for co-sponsors of last year’s UAP Disclosure Act.
“We want to make our voices heard and let them know that we support their continued efforts on UAP legislation, including parts of the amendment that were stripped last year at the last moment, such as the Review Board to declassify records over time.”
In addition to resurrecting provisions, such as an Independent Review Board stripped from last year’s NDAA, dedicated to the disclosure of UAP information and materials, Fung hopes for new UAP whistleblower protections, supporting those who wish to speak out about potential illegal government-affiliated programs involving craft and bodies of unknown or non-human origin:
“We are also advocating for new whistleblower protections, as the current protections are inadequate. We need increased protections so that potential whistleblowers feel comfortable coming forward to Congress and the public without fearing reprisals.
“One of the issues, as I've been told, is that the current protections are too retroactive—something has to happen to the whistleblower for the Intelligence Community’s Inspector General to initiate an investigation, which is often too late.
“Examples of reprisals include having security clearances removed or suspended without cause and other threats. We are advocating for these enhanced whistleblower protections to be included in the new NDAA.
“Additionally, many people know that Senators Schumer and Rounds took the Senate floor last year to discuss UAP transparency legislation after the 2024 NDAA passed without the provisions they wanted. We want to voice our support again and let them know that we are holding them to their pledge to continue this important work.”
Matthew Ford, a political strategist who serves as Director Of Strategy for the UAP Disclosure Fund, told Liberation Times:
“Now is the time to have a laser focus on this issue and ensure that Senators Schumer and Rounds understand the high level of support behind it. This issue cannot be allowed to fall by the wayside. Right now is when they need to hear from all of us. This is the moment when every single person can play a part in moving forward.”
Notably, under the plan of last year’s UAPDA, any materials or biological evidence of unknown origin or non-human origin would be subject to the power of eminent domain exercised by the U.S. Federal Government, meaning Lockheed Martin or any other aerospace company that might be in possession would be required to surrender them to the Government.
However, the language faced alleged hostility from aerospace contractors and other private interests relating to UAP. As such, Fung told Liberation Times that such language will not specifically be advocated for by the Fund:
“The specifics of any new legislation are yet to be determined. We understand that eminent domain has become a contentious issue for various parties and stakeholders.
“While we are not specifically advocating for or against eminent domain reform, we recognize that it is a complex issue that needs to be addressed appropriately. Stakeholders will need to reach a consensus on whether to include or exclude eminent domain provisions in the legislation.”
Fung also suggested additional ways the Fund can support progress, especially if efforts to incorporate new UAP language into the newly formed NDAA language fail. These alternatives include holding new hearings and possibly establishing a joint Senate and House UAP Committee.
“The legislation we hope to add to the 2025 NDAA would be pivotal in advancing UAP transparency. This is why it is crucial to invest all our efforts in supporting it for the remainder of the year.
“However, if it were to fail again, it would not mean all is lost. There are numerous other pressure points on Congress that we can act upon to continue advancing the cause. These include forming a joint UAP Committee between the Senate and the House, holding additional hearings, and pushing forward other pieces of legislation.”
The stakes remain high in the battle for transparency, and it isn’t just about revealing the potential existence of non-human intelligence—it’s a battle for Congress to perform its Constitutional duties, as Fung says:
“The United States Constitution provides that the congressional legislative branch should have oversight over the executive branch. We believe the UAP issue exemplifies how Congress has been denied this right to oversight. In addition to its significant implications for our country, the world, and humanity, it also has profound implications for our democracy.
“If Congress does not have full oversight, our democracy is not being realized to its fullest extent. Therefore, we intend to approach this as a congressional oversight issue. This is one of the key reasons lawmakers are taking this issue seriously. Whether further transparency around UAPs leads to discoveries of non-human intelligence or other advanced technologies, it is crucial that Congress is allowed to fully perform its oversight role.”
With its extensive expertise, the Fund is expected to play a significant role in the coming months, supporting the potential inclusion of emergent UAP language from the Senate into the final version of the NDAA.
The key point in time will come when negotiations between the Senate and the House of Representatives commence to reconcile their respective drafts of the NDAA.
It should be noted that the House can adopt the UAPDA language recently proposed by Representative Robert Garcia for its version of the NDAA. This move could serve as a valuable test of the House’s Intelligence and Armed Services committees' willingness to embrace such language, potentially bypassing the need for tense negotiations with the Senate.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the Senate’s Intelligence Committee has published details of its Intelligence Authorization Act - which is expected to merge with the NDAA later in the year. The language includes "a review" of the government’s much-criticized All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office by the Comptroller General.
Although noteworthy, the language does not reflect the extensive UAPDA provisions the UAP Disclosure Fund wishes to resurrect.
The Fund’s advocacy efforts will work alongside existing efforts, from organisations, including Pentagon Papers lawyer Danny Sheehan’s New Paradigm Institute and the UAP Caucus, run by Lester Nare and Ronak Patel.
In addition to its Congressional activities, the Fund will support scientific efforts which explore the topic of UAP, such as those conducted by the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies think tank. Furthermore, the Fund will support UAP whistleblowers by coordinating legal representation.