The U.S. government’s long-awaited UFO files might not live up to the hype, according to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. In an op-ed published in the New York Times, Tyson predicted the documents will be “anticlimactic,” even if their release is a step in the right direction. His skepticism comes as the White House teases an imminent disclosure of records on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), a move that has reignited public fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
“After a parade of alien insiders and whistle-blowers testified under oath to Congress in 2023, 2024 and 2025, what’s left to learn?” he wrote. “Personally, I’d be delighted if the files were accompanied by an actual alien. Alive or dead or undead. Preferably alive. Is that too much to ask for?”
His point is simple: if the government really had proof of alien life, the debate would be over. “If an authentic alien walked out of the halls of Congress, nobody would ever again have to ask if you ‘believe’ in aliens, just as nobody questions the existence of elephants,” he added. “An alien of the alien files could become the literal elephant in the room.”
The push for transparency regarding findings about UFOs and aliens has been building for years, but the recent momentum is hard to ignore
Last month, at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, President Trump announced he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to begin releasing government files on UFOs and UAPs. “I recently directed the secretary of War … to begin releasing government files relating to UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena,” Trump said. “And I figured this was a good crowd because I know you people — you’re really into that, I don’t know if I am.” He added that the process was already underway, with “many interesting documents” discovered, and promised the first releases would happen “very, very soon.”
In February, Trump took to Truth Social to declare he was ordering the Department of Defense (DOD) to release 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.” His post followed criticism of former President Obama for allegedly revealing classified details about the existence of alien life.
But not everyone is convinced the files will deliver the bombshell revelations some are hoping for. Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican who has led multiple UAP hearings since 2023, has been vocal about the need for transparency. He urged Trump to “peel back the layers of that onion, let America decide if we can handle it. I think we can handle it.”
Burchett’s perspective is pragmatic. “It’s not about little green men, it’s not about dadgum flying saucers,” he said on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show.” “It’s about what are we spending tens of millions of your dollars on when some alphabet agency tells me they don’t exist and then again, another department within that department tells me they do exist.”
Burchett’s frustration highlights a broader issue: the government’s inconsistent messaging on UAPs. In 2023, former intelligence official David Grusch testified before Congress that the U.S. had operated a “multidecade” program to collect and reverse-engineer alien spacecraft. The Pentagon has denied those claims, but the conflicting narratives have only fueled public suspicion. If the upcoming files are as underwhelming as Tyson predicts, it could deepen the skepticism around the government’s handling of the issue.
For now, the public is left waiting, with only teasers and speculation to go on. Tyson’s prediction that the files will be anticlimactic might turn out to be accurate, but that doesn’t mean the release won’t be significant. Even if the documents don’t confirm the existence of aliens, they could shed light on how the government has handled UAP reports over the years. That alone might be worth the wait, even if it’s not the alien encounter some are hoping for.
Published: May 7, 2026 05:45 pm