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Hoyer Floor Remarks on OPM Data Breach Incidents

July 14, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC –Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) spoke on the House Floor today regarding the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breach incidents that compromised the personal data of millions of Americans. Below is a transcript of his remarks and a link to the video.

Click here to watch the video.

"Madam Speaker, last week I was profoundly disappointed to learn just how large the recent data breach was, in which personal information was accessed in the files of the Office of Personnel Management.

"That breach – and the one before it – was unacceptable, and it is a problem that requires an all-hands-on-deck approach to prevent future cyber attacks and protect those whose information has been accessed.

"I am proud to represent 62,000 federal employees in Maryland's Fifth District, and they deserve to know – as all our hardworking federal employees do – that the personal information they submit when they serve our country is safe and secure and that they will be protected against identity theft if their information was accessed.

"The resignation of Director Katherine Archuleta does not solve the underlying problems that made OPM vulnerable to these kinds of attacks.

"I intend to work closely with Interim Director Beth Cobert to ensure that OPM has the resources it needs to upgrade its systems and prevent a recurrence of this event.

"But this breach, and the one that preceded it, underscores the larger issue of cybersecurity and how we must do more to invest in making America's networks the safest in the world."