John Kerry: “yesterday we learned that personal information, including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of as many…”

“yesterday we learned that personal information, including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of as many as 26.5 million Americans--overwhelmingly veterans-- may have been compromised. I know we are all shocked and concerned that so many of America's veterans could be in jeopardy of identity theft. The case is unique in many ways. This is not the result of computer hacking or private companies failing to protect data. This data was stolen from the home of a Department of Veterans Affairs employee. We have been told that the FBI, local police, and the VA Inspector General are all investigating. That aspect of this case should be left to them. There are other issues associated with security practices that must be explored by the VA and the appropriate oversight and investigatory bodies of Congress. But we in Congress have another responsibility. We must act now to help veterans secure their own identity and protect their credit. As we read in this morning's papers, experts tell us that this is the largest breach of Social Security numbers in history. A criminal can use this information to do grievous harm and perpetrate fraud on a massive scale. Mr. President, this isn't a private company that is responsible for this breach. It's the Department of Veterans Affairs of the United States Government and we have a moral obligation to make sure that we protect the identity and credit of every American veteran.…”