House is “where the issues are” with UAPDA, Schumer's co-sponsor says

Sens. Mike Rounds and Chris Coons chat with reporters in the Senate Subway underneath the US Capitol. Photo: Matt Laslo

Who?

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — Sponsor, UAPDA (UAP Disclosure Act)

LISTEN: Laslo & Rounds

Ask a Pol asks:

Has your UAP Disclosure Act with [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer come up in NDAA — National Defense Authorization Act — talks?

Key Rounds:

“I don’t know that it’s going to get through the House,” Sen. Mike Rounds tells Ask a Pol UAP. “I think that’s where the issues are.”

We heard maybe [SASC — Senate Armed Services Committee — Chair] Roger Wicker had problems with it over here in the Senate?

“I hadn’t heard that,” Rounds says. “The only thing I know is that I heard that the House may not be willing to go along with it.”

Fate of NDAA during shutdown?

Is the NDAA even moving or is that just kind of a placeholder on the floor during the government shutdown?

“It’s all ready to go,” Rounds says. “I think, our Democrat colleagues have one or two issues they had to resolve on their own, and then once that’s been resolved, then we can move right to the — we can get ‘er done.”

Optic-wise, can Congress tackle the NDAA while the government’s shut down?

“Yeah,” Rounds says.

That’s fine. Yeah?

“Yeah,” Rounds tells Ask a Pol. “And we can do Approps (ie, spending) as well.”

Doubt the internet.

Ask a Pol’s free.

Caught our ear:

“There’s a significant number that we don’t have any differences of opinion on,” Rounds tells us.

Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), slightly edited for clarity.

TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Mike Rounds (10-1-2025)

SCENE: First morning of the government shutdown, walking through an eerily quiet Senate basement of the US Capitol alone, the first lawmaker Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo runs into is Sen. Mike Rounds — accompanied by a mini entourage of three or so of his aides.

Laslo proceeds to hop the underground tram with the Senator (and his very polite and quiet staff!). They discuss the government shutdown the first bit, but the transcript picks up where the NDAA comes into the tail of their shutdown chat…

Mike Rounds: “…until they’ve [Democrats] decided they want to move forward we’re kind of at a standstill.”

Matt Laslo: “Yeah?”

MR: “But in the meantime, I think a lot of us are talking about what the steps are in the Approps [appropriations] process and in the NDAA to get that moving as quickly as we can once this nonsense is over with.”

Door to underground Senate tram closes.

ML: “Is the NDAA even moving? Or is that just kind of a placeholder on the floor right now?”

MR: “It’s all ready to go. It’s just a matter of, I think, our Democrat colleagues have one or two issues they had to resolve on their own.”

ML: “Yeah?”

MR: “And then once that’s been resolved, then we can move right to the — we can get er done.”

ML: “Can you pass that — like, optic-wise, can you guys do that while the government’s shut down?”

MR: “Yeah.”

ML: “That’s fine. Yeah?”

MR: “Yeah. And we can do Approps as well.”

ML: “Yeah?”

MR: “Because — and if we do the Approps and get those through, a number of those would limit the amount of um, you know, areas that are shut down.”

ML: “Yeah?”

MR: “Because there’s a significant number that we don’t have any differences of opinion on.”

ML: “Yeah.”

MR: “Um, and Republican and Democrat alike, where we’re, we just basically got to just pass the bills.”

ML: “Yeah? Well, on the NDAA, has your — since we talked last…”

Tram doors open.

ML: “…has your amendment with [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer — the UAP Disclosure Act — has that come up?”

ICYMI — last we spoke with Schumer…

"Gotta let people know the truth," Schumer reintroduces UAPDA. "Whatever it is." (unpaywalled)

MR: “I don’t know that it’s going to get through the House.”

ML: “Through the House now?”

MR: “Right. I think that’s where the issues are.”

ML: “I heard maybe [Senate Armed Services Committee — or SASC — Chair] Roger Wicker had problems with it over here?”

MR: “I hadn’t heard that.”

ML: “Yeah?”

MR: “But I — the only thing I know is that I heard that the House may not be willing to go along with it.”

Elevator arrives for Senator and staff.

MR: “Which might be — if you’re hearing Roger, it might be him telling people that the House has problems and we’ll have to drop it.”

Tram door alert sounds in distance.

MR: “I can’t tell you that, because he’s not talked to me about it.”

ML: “Because now, HASC Chair [Mike] Rogers from Alabama and then HASC Ranking Member Adam Smith, they’re fine with it.”

ICYMI — HASC Chair Rogers last month…*

So far, no pushback on Schumer’s UAPDA in NDAA negotiations, HASC Chair tells us

*we still haven’t posted our exclusive with HASC Ranking Member Adam Smith cause it’s so boring. Stay tuned…

MR: “Yeah.”

ML: “Like, they don’t even know what your amendment is.”

HASC ranking member in december…

HASC Ranking Member Adam Smith: "I don't know what [UAP] means"

MR: “The last time I heard it was the House that was of concern.”

ML: “House Intel or...?”

MR: “I don’t — I don’t know.”

ML: “Yeah?”

MR: “I just heard that the House had a problem. So I said, ‘well, okay…’”

ML: “Alright, let me go hound them and then I’ll hound you.”

Rounds’ aides smile.

MR: “Yeah. See you later.”

The senator enters elevator.

ML: “Good to see you, sir.”

Laslo heads back to tram.