Alien.gov mystery grows after White House says 'Stay tuned'

UNITED STATES, March 20 — Why did the federal government create Alien.gov and Aliens.gov?

As of March 19, the federal government has not provided information on why the two domains were created. In a statement provided to USA TODAY on March 19, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said, "Stay tuned!" including an alien emoji after her message. The Pentagon did not immediately respond for comment about the domains when contacted by USA TODAY on March 19.

As of March 19, neither Alien.gov or Aliens.gov directs online users to a finished website.

Domains come soon after Trump's promise to release files about 'extraterrestrial life'

The creation of the government website domains comes less than a month after President Donald Trump said he would order Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and other agencies to release government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP, and unidentified flying objects, UFOs. Trump's comments were made after former President Barack Obama said on a podcast with Brian Tyler Cohen that he believes extraterrestrial life exists, but has never seen evidence of it. The comments drew much attention and Trump criticized Obama for releasing "classified information."

Some UAP documents have already been released

Some government documents related to UAPs have been made publicly available. In 2023, former President Joe Biden signed a bill that required the National Archives and Records Administration to create a collection of government files about UAPs. Some of these records are available for viewing on the National Archives website . Under the law, the National Archives must also gather information about "technologies of unknown origin and nonhuman intelligence." However, the measure still allows government agencies to keep records classified. If a president determines the public release of certain records would pose a threat to U.S. intelligence operations and military defense, declassification could be postponed under language in the bill. However, the potential harm of releasing the records must outweigh the public interest of disclosure, according to the legislation.

UFO hearings held by Congress since 2023

In recent years, Congress has held several hearings related to UFO and UAP sightings. Most recently, in September 2025, four witnesses testified about their firsthand experiences with what they believed to be a UAP. The individuals also said they have knowledge that the federal government may be unlawfully shielding from lawmakers about the phenomena. The hearing was the third on the topic since 2023.