Eric Burlison

Missouri Republican who hired David Grusch as an adviser and got the UAP Disclosure Act adopted by the House in July 2026.

Current role: U.S. Representative for Missouri's 7th district (R); co-chair of the UAP Caucus; member of the Oversight Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets; House sponsor of the UAP Disclosure Act

Former roles:

Missouri State Senator (2019–2023) and State Representative (2009–2017)

@EricBurlison on X

Background

U.S. Representative for Missouri's 7th district since January 2023 and co-chair of the bipartisan UAP Caucus. He signed the August 2023 letter to the IC Inspector General after the Grusch hearing, led the March 2024 request for an Oversight select subcommittee on UAP, and in March 2025 hired David Grusch as a special adviser. In 2025–2026 he became the most active House member on the subject: document demands to MITRE, the CIA and FBI, a first classified site visit, and the UAP Disclosure Act amendment the House adopted on 22 July 2026, matching the Schumer–Rounds Senate text. He released the administration's NDA-waiver guidance memo in August 2026 and won his August primary with 73.8% (Springfield Daily Citizen).

On the record

2026-10-26 – Rebelliously Curious with Chrissy Newton (podcast) – "If we lose the midterms, this effort will come to a complete halt." … "Unfortunately, and I'm not saying this for political reasons, I truly think that this is true." Also said he is still pursuing the footage Grusch described and that former DNI James Clapper has declined to speak to Congress on UAP (quotes via Soap Central; clips). Episode · Soap Central
2026-10-15 – The Dr. Phil Podcast – described two ODNI briefings in the fall of 2025 on an orb event at a western installation witnessed by ODNI, CIA, FBI and Department of War personnel: "they called me back into the same office and gave me an entirely different briefing because they said, 'Sir, things have changed. We really need to bring you in and update you.'" … personnel "were in a helicopter flying towards them and and getting basically within 10 ft of these orbs". Told the New York Post (Oct 10) the witnesses could be invited to testify. Episode · IBTimes
2026-09-21 – statement on PURSUE release 6, which included the 1952 Ruppelt recording he had sought – "While not conclusive, it shows that as far back as 1952, our military was receiving credible reports of unexplained technologies in our airspace." Release
2026-09-02 – Ask a Pol – on Grusch: "They'll waive it, but what he needs is his clearances all brought back." On where the information sits: "I think that the CIA and I think that the FFRDCs are where that has the most information—and the private contractors." Ask a Pol
2026-07-29 – statement on the President's NDA directive – "we are uncertain whether the abrogation of NDAs will apply to testimony received by Congress before referral to the executive branch. Therefore ... I strongly recommend that, in addition to an attorney, you request that either I or another member of Congress be present with you." On 1 August he released ODNI's implementing memorandum. Statement · Memo PDF
2026-07-23 – KZRG and Ask a Pol – on getting the amendment in: "We had to fight staffers, really staffers, people that are unelected, who kept throwing every excuse in the book." and "I never thought in a million years I'd be agreeing with Chuck Schumer on something. But when it comes to transparency and accountability for the American people, we do agree." To Ask a Pol: "the public has to fight to keep it in." KZRG · Ask a Pol
2026-07-22 – House floor – his UAP Disclosure Act amendment (no. 315) adopted en bloc; H.R. 8800 passed 216–212. Secs. 1761–1772 create a NARA records collection, a Senate-confirmed Review Board with subpoena power, $20 million for FY2027 and federal eminent domain over "recovered technologies of unknown origin and biological evidence of non-human intelligence". "The government belongs to the American people. For too long, UAP records have remained scattered across agencies and outside meaningful oversight." Release · Text
2026-05-26 – legislative interrogatories to The MITRE Corporation on UAP records, "recovered materials, technologies of unknown origin, and alleged crash-retrieval or reverse-engineering programs", with a preservation request. "This inquiry does not require MITRE to accept any particular conclusion about the origin or nature of UAP." MITRE said it would coordinate with the responsible agencies. Release · DefenseScoop
2026-03-27 – Ask a Pol – on abolishing AARO: "it's my personal opinion, we need AARO. We need the FBI. We need everybody that can investigate this to be investigating it." Eight days earlier he described a first classified site visit: "I've had my first trip — that was kind of a pilot trip." Ask a Pol · Ask a Pol
2026-01-20 – National Press Club, Varginha anniversary event – "If there's any government that's holding information about the knowledge of whether or not we are alone or not alone in the universe, that is not for any government, no matter how powerful it is, to withhold from the rest of humanity." The Debrief
2025-12-16 – Ask a Pol – on who blocked the Act from the FY2026 NDAA: "I don't even know if it's the members of the Senate side, but the Senate Approps [Appropriations] staff feel like it's their turf." Ask a Pol
2025-09-09 – Task Force hearing – entered MQ-9 footage into the record showing a spherical object apparently absorbing a Hellfire strike and continuing to fly. X · Hearing
2025-07-20 – Sol Foundation interview – "I firmly believe that there is a crash retrieval program". Video
2025-03-21 – hires David Grusch as special adviser on UAP. Release

Reported claims (secondary / anonymous-sourced)

2026-04-24 – per Liberation Times – Burlison said a deceased Air Force intelligence officer, Matthew Sullivan, had been scheduled for an interview before his death in 2024; Liberation Times, citing unnamed sources, linked Sullivan to an alleged legacy program. No Air Force, FBI or police statement located. Liberation Times

Responses and criticism

2026-08-08 – Sen. Rounds, told the Act was in the House-passed NDAA: "No, I hadn't heard that." 2026-07-31 – HPSCI Ranking Member Himes: "Didn't come up in Intelligence, no." The Senate has not taken up its NDAA since 14 July 2026. Ask a Pol · Ask a Pol

Timeline of involvement

2023-01-03 – takes office in the House
2023-08-22 – ICIG letter
2024-03 – leads letter requesting an Oversight select subcommittee on UAP
2025-03-21 – Grusch joins his office
2025-09-09 – Task Force UAP hearing; MQ-9 video entered
2026-05-08 – welcomes first PURSUE release; asks MIT Lincoln Lab to preserve a 1952 recording
2026-05-26 – MITRE interrogatories
2026-07-08 – CIA and FBI letters on the 1996 Varginha incident
2026-07-22 – House adopts his UAP Disclosure Act amendment
2026-08-01 – releases ODNI NDA-waiver memorandum
2026-08-04 – wins MO-7 Republican primary
2026-10-15 – describes the ODNI orb-event briefing on Dr. Phil
2026-10-26 – "complete halt" warning on the midterms

Relevant links

Part of the Key People in Disclosure series. Verified 2026-11-02. Spotted an error? Reach out.