Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said the American people would be “up at night worrying” if they knew what he’s been briefed on about extraterrestrial life.

“I’ve been briefed by just about every alphabet agency there is. And, I’ll just say this, if they were to release the things that I’ve seen, you’d be up at night, worrying about, thinking about this stuff,” Burchett told Newsmax host Rob Finnerty on Wednesday.

Burchett — a member of the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets — recalled that he was briefed two weeks ago “on an issue” about extraterrestrial life that “would have set the Earth” on fire and “unglued” the country if released.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said the American people would be “up at night” if they knew what he’s been briefed on about extraterrestrial life.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) revealed that the American people would be “up at night” if they knew what he’s been briefed on about extraterrestrial life. Anadolu via Getty Images

“They would demand answers,” Burchett said without going into further detail.

When Finnerty played a clip of former Rep. Matt Gaetz alleging knowledge of alien-human hybrid breeding programs, Burchett stopped short of directly addressing the explosive claims.

“I’m still a member of Congress, so I can’t really comment too much on what Matt said,” Burchett told Finnerty.

“Wait, seriously?” Finnerty slightly pushed back.

“I’m being 100% serious,” Burchett replied.

A video screenshot shows an unexplained aerial object observed by U.S. military personnel.

A video screenshot shows an unexplained aerial object observed by US military personnel. AP

Burchett said that he has advocated for “full disclosure” despite the potential impact the truth could have on the public.

“The public has a right to know, dadgummit, it’s your tax dollars. Let’s get it out there,” he said.

Burchett also said that the people handling these sensitive matters are at the heart of the issue.

“When I’m in a meeting, in a closed-door meeting, and I ask about the president’s points on these. And then I’m told by some arrogant, unelected bureaucrat that the president is on a need-to-know basis. I think that says everything it needs to be said about what’s going on,” he told Finnerty.

The Pentagon released a video of a UFO flying over an active conflict zone in the Middle East in 2022,

The Pentagon released a video of a UFO flying over an active conflict zone in the Middle East in 2022. FOX News

A formation of

A formation of “flying objects” photographed by a US Coast Guard cameraman at Salem, Massachusetts, in July 1952. Bettmann Archive

The congressman said he’s described the handling of sensitive information to President Trump as “layers of the onion,” with each peeled away revealing “another one underneath.”

“When I sit in a meeting, and some little punk with a man bun is sort of running the show, and you have decorated officer military officers in the meeting there that are basically unallowed to say anything, and you can read their faces,” he shared.

Burchett also weighed in on the alarming string of disappearances and deaths among the country’s top researchers in the field — including the mysterious disappearance of retired Air Force Gen. William McCasland in February and his former colleague, rocket scientist Monica Reza, eight months earlier.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 26: Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) speaks at an Organization of Iranian American Communities meeting on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Burchett speaks at an Organization of Iranian American Communities meeting on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2026, in Washington, DC. Getty Images

“There are no coincidences in this town. These folks have disappeared or died mysteriously,” he said. “I think overall, I think there is a connection there. People just do not disappear … not in this day and age.”

“For the record, I’m not suicidal, and I don’t take risks,” he added.

Burchett’s remarks follow President Trump’s vow in February to direct the Pentagon and other agencies to release files on UFOs and “alien and extraterrestrial life” to the public.

“Based on the tremendous interest shown,” the president wrote, “I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.”

Since the president’s statement, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has registered the domains aliens.gov and alien.gov, according to People.