Who?
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) — Armed Services & Intelligence Committees
LISTEN: Laslo & Rounds
Ask a Pol asks:
What do you make of President Donald Trump calling UFO "extremely interesting and important” as he publicly directed Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon and other federal agencies to release their UAP files?
Key Rounds:
“I haven’t heard anything since then either, so I’m curious to see how they approach it,” Sen. Mike Rounds exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “But it’s a step in the right direction.”
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Caught our ear:
Are you going to be dropping the UAP Disclosure Act you co-sponsor with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as a part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)?
“Good question,” Rounds says. “NDAA’s coming up again. That would be the appropriate place, but I have not talked to Senator Schumer about it.”
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 (3-10-2026)
SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo runs into Sen. Mike Rounds and his team right after exiting the Capitol, so he turns around and heads back through security WHILE interviewing the Senator…
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Mike Rounds: “How you doing?”
Matt Laslo: “I haven’t seen you since the President’s announcement. Were you…?”
MR: “Which?”
ML: “On UFO…”
MR: “Oh.”
ML: “…open everything up.”
MR: “Yeah, I haven’t heard anything since then either, so I’m curious to see how they approach it.”
ML: “Are you guys going to be…?”
MR: “But it’s a step in the right direction.”
ML: “Are you going to be dropping your UAP Disclosure Act?”
ML: “Good question. I mean, NDAA’s coming up again. That would be the appropriate place, so...”
Rounds walks past Capitol Police security checkpoint that stops Laslo.
ML: “Is…?”
MR: “But I have not talked to Senator Schumer about it.”
ML: “No?”
MR: “So…”
Laslo’s mic is running as he steps through metal detector.
ML: “Still early?”
Rounds is facing the elevators as he rushes to vote on the 2nd floor to cast his vote.
MR: “Yeah. We’re getting to that time of the year, though.”
ML: “Yeah?”
Rounds nods in affirmative as he enters elevator.
ML: “Have a good one.”
Laslo turns around and starts exiting Capitol.
Capital Police officer to Laslo: “Soldier.”
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