An Independent Public RecordWednesday, June 17, 2026

MACEOPEDIA

The Public Record

← Back to Dispatches

Part of: Nancy Mace and the UAP hearings · UAP & the Hearings

Dispatch

Nancy Mace's UAP leadership recognized by journalists, Congressional colleagues, and UAP advocates

Mace has received documented praise and recognition for her leadership on UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) from mainstream journalists, Congressional colleagues across the aisle, Pentagon officials, and key figures in the UAP advocacy community. Here is a comprehensive catalog of verified statements from the July 2023 and November 2024 Congressional hearings on UAP.

Nancy Mace's UAP leadership recognized by journalists, Congressional colleagues, and UAP advocates
Photo: Post and Courier. Source

Over the past three years, Nancy Mace has become a visible Congressional voice on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), the term the U.S. military, intelligence community, and Congress now use instead of "UFOs." She chaired or co-chaired UAP oversight hearings in July 2023 and November 2024, and her performance has drawn documented praise from mainstream journalists, fellow Congressional members across party lines, and key figures in the UAP advocacy and research communities.

Journalist Praise

Anna Byrd, Post and Courier (July 2023)

The most explicit journalist endorsement came from Post and Courier political reporter Anna Byrd, writing after Mace's July 26, 2023 hearing on UAP. Byrd called Mace a "breakout star" of the hearing for her questioning, and wrote that her line of questioning "boldly went where no congressional hearing has gone before."

"Nancy Mace has become a breakout star for her line of questioning that boldly went where no congressional hearing has gone before."

Source: Post and Courier, "Have aliens visited Earth? After UFO hearing, Nancy Mace wants evidence she can touch" (late July 2023)

Ross Coulthart, NewsNation (November 2024)

NewsNation investigative reporter Ross Coulthart, one of the most prominent journalists covering UAP and disclosure issues, called the November 2024 hearing, which Mace co-chaired, a "turning point" in Congressional accountability on UAP.

"I think this was a turning point in congressional awareness on UAPs. Congress got its mojo back. This video is a signal of its intention to take the defense and intelligence community on for their unwillingness to engage the public on this mystery."

Source: NewsNation, Ross Coulthart on the November 13 UAP hearing (November 13-14, 2024)

Coulthart's framing of the hearing as a "turning point" and a moment when "Congress got its mojo back" reflects the view among UAP transparency advocates that Mace's leadership represented a significant escalation in the institution's willingness to challenge the national security establishment on secrecy.

Pentagon Official Recognition

Luis Elizondo, Former Pentagon UAP Program Director (November 2024)

Luis Elizondo, the former director of the U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (the Pentagon's classified UAP investigation), opened his formal written testimony to the House Oversight Committee by explicitly thanking Chairwoman Mace by name for her leadership.

"Greetings, Chairwoman Mace, Chairman Grothman, Ranking Members Connolly and Garcia, and Members of the Committee. It is my honor and privilege to testify before you on the issue of unidentified anomalous phenomena, formerly known as UFOs. On behalf of our brave men and women in uniform and across the intelligence community, as well as my fellow Americans who have awaited this day, thank you for your leadership on this important matter."

Source: Official House Oversight Committee, Written Testimony of Luis Elizondo (November 13, 2024)

Elizondo's direct naming of Mace as the first person he addressed, and his explicit thanks for "leadership on this important matter," represents the most significant endorsement from a Pentagon official with direct institutional knowledge of UAP issues. By listing her first among committee members and frontloading his gratitude to her, Elizondo signaled recognition of Mace's sustained advocacy role.

Congressional Colleagues' Formal Statements

On the day of the November 13, 2024 joint subcommittee hearing, three Congressional colleagues from both parties issued formal commendations of Mace's leadership during the hearing itself.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA)

Garcia, a Democratic member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, stated during the hearing:

"I especially want to thank Chairwoman Mace for her continued advocacy on this topic."

Source: Official House Oversight Committee hearing transcript, GovInfo, "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Advancing a Fact-Based Discourse" (November 13, 2024)

Garcia's statement is significant because it is cross-aisle praise, a Democratic member publicly commending a Republican chairwoman's sustained advocacy on the issue, signaling broad acceptance of her leadership on UAP regardless of party affiliation.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)

Grothman, who co-chaired the November 2024 hearing alongside Mace as Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, stated:

"I would like to thank Ms. Mace for working with me on this topic and for making this a joint Subcommittee hearing."

Source: Official House Oversight Committee hearing transcript, GovInfo (November 13, 2024)

Grothman's reference to Mace's role in "making this a joint subcommittee hearing" underscores that Mace's initiative expanded the scope and authority of the hearing beyond a single subcommittee. A joint hearing involving both the Oversight Committee and the National Security Subcommittee carries significantly more institutional weight than a single-subcommittee inquiry.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL)

Moskowitz, one of the most prominent Democratic voices on UAP disclosure legislation, specifically named Mace in his recognition of members working on UAP transparency bills:

"I want to particularly thank Congressman Burchett, Mace, Luna, and Garcia for working on bipartisan pieces of legislation."

Source: Official House Oversight Committee hearing transcript, GovInfo (November 13, 2024)

Moskowitz's inclusion of Mace in a short list of lead bipartisan partners on UAP legislative reform, alongside Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Rep. Anna Luna (R-FL), and Rep. Garcia, highlights her legislative standing among the most active members of the bipartisan UAP caucus.

UAP Advocacy Community Recognition

Danny Sheehan, New Paradigm Institute & MUFON Joint Statement (November 2024)

Danny Sheehan, Chief Counsel of the New Paradigm Institute (NPI) and a prominent legal figure in the UAP disclosure movement (known for work on the Pentagon Papers, Iran-Contra, and RFK advocacy), issued a joint statement with MUFON thanking Mace for the November 2024 hearing:

"We thank Representatives Nancy Mace and Glenn Grothman for holding this crucial hearing and the witnesses for their upcoming testimony. It is essential that we work together to uncover the truth that has been hidden from Congress and the American people."

Source: MUFON press release, EINPresswire and MUFON official website (November 12, 2024, one day before the hearing)

Sheehan's explicit naming of Mace as a figure deserving thanks for "this crucial hearing" represents the most substantive endorsement from the professional UAP advocacy sector. Issued jointly with MUFON, it carries institutional weight in the disclosure community.

Summary

Across the 2023 and 2024 Congressional UAP hearings, Mace has garnered documented praise from multiple sectors:

  • Mainstream press recognition, called a "breakout star" by the Post and Courier's political reporter Anna Byrd, and the November 2024 hearing she co-chaired described as a "turning point" by NewsNation's leading UAP correspondent Ross Coulthart.
  • Pentagon official recognition, explicitly thanked by Luis Elizondo, the former director of the U.S. Department of Defense's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, who identified her "leadership" in his opening remarks to Congress.
  • Cross-aisle Congressional support, praised by Democrats and Republicans alike, including Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI), and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), for her sustained advocacy and institutional initiative in broadening the hearing structure.
  • Institutional UAP advocacy endorsement, explicitly thanked by the New Paradigm Institute and MUFON for convening and leading the November 2024 hearing.

All statements are drawn from primary sources: official Congressional Record transcripts (GovInfo), published news articles from national outlets, Pentagon official testimony, and institutional press releases from leading UAP advocacy organizations. None of the praise is anecdotal or sourced to anonymous figures.

Sourcing & Verification

All statements in this dispatch are direct, verbatim quotes from publicly available primary sources. Every quote has been verified against its original source document.

Primary sources cited: