A federal science council tasked with examining government records on unidentified aerial phenomena has yet to receive the underlying data its members say they need, months after President Donald Trump ordered agencies to identify and release files on UFOs and possible extraterrestrial life. Avi Loeb, the Harvard astrophysicist appointed to chair the council, said he has received no new data since the group was formed in June. The council is seeking information such as measurements of objects’ speed and distance—not only the videos, images and documents included in public releases. Loeb met Aug. 31 with officials at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in McLean, Virginia, in an effort to advance access. A member of his team who attended said the discussion gave them reason to believe the process may move forward. ODNI did not respond to a request for comment. The review is part of a broader disclosure initiative Trump announced in a Feb. 19 social media post. Since May, the government has released six batches of material collected by agencies including the military, NASA and the FBI. The most recent release cited by the council was Sept. 18. Council members say those records do not include the raw information needed to assess what the sightings represent. The administration says it is pursuing disclosure. A White House spokesperson said agencies are identifying responsive records, while a Pentagon spokesperson said the military services are working to declassify UAP files. The CIA also said it is participating in the effort and providing access to relevant intelligence. The White House rejected claims that the CIA is resisting disclosure. The Pentagon issued a legal waiver Sept. 14 intended to protect personnel and contractors from legal liability or loss of security clearances for sharing UAP information through an authorized review process. The FBI has also established a working group to locate unclassified UAP records across government and deliver them to ODNI. The council’s work sits at the intersection of scientific inquiry, national security and government transparency. U.S. intelligence agencies reported in 2021 that they had identified 143 incidents as UAPs; hundreds of unresolved cases have since been added annually, according to the reporting. Unidentified does not mean extraterrestrial, and researchers say reliable data is essential to distinguish unusual aircraft, sensor errors and other explanations from genuinely unexplained events. The council includes scientists and specialists from several fields. Some argue that government-held records deserve rigorous examination, while critics caution that Loeb and other researchers may be too quick to interpret unusual observations as signs of alien technology. Loeb has said the council intends to test evidence scientifically and submit its work to peer review. Members also face a lengthy chain of approvals: records pass through the council, an interagency governance board, ODNI and the agency that holds them. The board’s membership and procedures have not been disclosed, and it is unclear whether it can compel agencies to turn over records. Council member Richard Cloete said agencies may have little incentive to share information without stronger direction. Loeb has given the council until the end of the year to receive meaningful data. He supports a proposed congressional measure that would establish another UAP review body with access to classified information and subpoena authority. Until the council gets records it can analyze, the government’s disclosure effort remains difficult to assess—and claims about what UAPs are remain unproven.