Joe Spielberger

Joe Spielberger serves as Senior Policy Counsel at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), a nonpartisan government watchdog organization dedicated to investigating waste, corruption, and abuse of power within federal agencies. In September 2025, Spielberger became a prominent voice in the emerging UAP transparency movement by testifying before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.

Congressional Testimony on UAP Whistleblower Protections

On September 9, 2025, Spielberger delivered written and oral testimony at the hearing titled "Restoring Public Trust Through UAP Transparency and Whistleblower Protection." His testimony centered on the critical gap between government secrecy and public accountability, arguing that whistleblowers are essential to democracy but face systematic retaliation that destroys careers and discourages future truth-telling. Spielberger's argument extended beyond UAP cases to frame the issue as a government-wide institutional failure.

Policy Framework and Advocacy

Spielberger called for Congress to "restart serious bipartisan conversations" to strengthen legal and institutional protections for all national security whistleblowers. He emphasized that current legal channels—such as the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act and departmental inspector general offices—remain inadequate and prone to retaliation. His testimony positioned whistleblower protection reform as foundational infrastructure for the broader UAP disclosure movement, not merely as a specialized concern.

Witness Panel Context

Spielberger shared the witness panel with journalist George Knapp, military veterans Dylan Borland, Alexandro Wiggins, and Jeffrey Nuccetelli. His policy expertise complemented their firsthand testimonies of UAP encounters and subsequent institutional retaliation, lending credibility and institutional gravitas to the disclosure advocacy effort.