U.S.
Senator Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release May 25, 2006 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852 |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – From his seat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, United States Senator Ken Salazar questioned VA officials today who were called to explain to the Committee how they let 26.5 million pieces of veterans’ personal information to be stolen and what is being done about it. In his opening statement Senator Salazar said, “First and foremost, I share the concern of our nation’s veterans about the potential for misuse of their names, birthdates, and Social Security numbers, and the consequences – both personal and financial – that could result. “What is also troubling to me is the nature of the information that has been compromised. This is not like losing your keys or your credit card, where you can change your locks or your account information. These are the fundamental keys to a person’s identity, and they could be used to open a bank account, take out a loan, obtain lines of credit, buy property – and the list goes on. The lives of millions of our nation’s veterans could be turned upside down as a result of this security lapse.” Today’s hearing follows a series of steps Senator Salazar has taken on this issue:
Senator Salazar added, “Our nation owes a debt to our veterans that can never be fully repaid. It is deeply concerning to me that the very agency responsible for providing these veterans with the care and services they have earned failed to protect their most basic personal information. For that reason, I am hopeful that we can get to the bottom of some of these issues today.” Senator Salazar’s complete
opening statement can be accessed by
clicking here. # # #
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