Richard Blumenthal

There is no telling whether the U.S. Supreme Court will resolve those critical issues and when it will do so.

Wouldn't you agree with me that the U.S. Government has misled the courts, whether purposefully or inadvertently, in justifying this program on the basis that all telephone records are collected?

Thank you. I am happy to give other members of the panel an opportunity to speak separately by way of introduction, but if not, why don't I just begin with some questions.

I am very pleased to begin this hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the report of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on Reforms to Section 215 Telephone Records Program and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

In other words, in effect, scrap 215 and rely on alternative authority?

We need to appreciate the successful work that you did, that you do.

It is absolutely critical from my perspective that payment card systems be secure and protect consumer information.

There is an arms race. There always has been, not only in this area but in so many others.

I have just introduced a bill that would provide for rulemaking authority, but also stiff penalties...

My bill would provide for mandatory notification

Network segmentation, two-factor authentication--and you also recommend the chip and PIN or something like it--would have at least helped to prevent this kind of massive breach.

I have introduced a bill that I think builds on the very good measures that Senator Leahy and Senator Rockefeller have introduced to establish standards.

I think that the industry--or maybe I should say industries--have some real soul searching to do about whether they have been sufficiently protective of consumer information.

Am I right in thinking that the United States is behind a lot of the rest of the world in its data security safeguards?

Thank you, Senator Franken. Thank you all for your great work in this area, and thank you, Chairman Ramirez, for your focus and your interest in additional authority, which I agree is important.

That kind of basic principle is the bedrock of this legislation, a standard of care applied industrywide, and enforcement.

There is a legal basis for action in Title IX and other Federal statutes for the Federal Government to be involved in protecting women against the ongoing assaults and other kinds of harm that they suffer on our campuses.

I would urge that he take whatever action is possible, as he has done in a number of steps already.

I applaud the President's initiative, and you were part of the task force that he has appointed.

The use of Executive orders in the past has been very sparing and cautious.

I am going to close the hearing.

I would like to get some sort of notification in writing saying what I can do.

All of those factors make it very, very difficult and different to receive health care under those terms.

You begin at the bottom of the list in terms of eligibility for the transplant.

These network changes have real-life practical consequences for your treatment--where it is done, by whom and so forth.