(NewsNation) — At a House of Representatives committee hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena Wednesday, lawmakers are hearing from a number of witnesses about what they have seen and heard about UFOs. The hearing, titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth,” opened with Rep. Nancy Mace, R- S.C., laying out the goals including finding out the extent of Pentagon programs investigating UAPs and any information that may have been recovered, including any information or lack thereof on alien life or technology of non-human origin. Mace noted a lack of trust in agencies including the Defense Department due to a reluctance by those entities to declassify information. “As we continue to investigate these phenomena, we must do so with the mind of protecting our country, advancing scientific discovery and upholding the trust of the American people, who right now I don’t think have trust, which is obvious. I don’t have trust,” said Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., also addressed the stigma around the subject, pointing to a lack of official information that pushed UFOs and UAPs to the fringes. “A void of information has allowed conspiracy theories to fester,” Moskowitz said. Witnesses decry culture of secrecy around UFOs Retired Navy Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet said in his opening statement that he first became aware of UAPs during his career as a meteorologist with the Navy and pushed back against secrecy about UAPs. “We should boldly face this new reality and learn from it,” Gallaudet said. He also said he felt a moral obligation to come forward and vouch for the credibility of whistleblowers who have come forward with their UAP experiences, many of whom have faced ridicule for their claims. NewsNation digital producer Steph Whiteside contributed to this article.