HealthCare.Gov Data Breach

Floor Speech

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Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, throughout my life, I have learned that the American people are strong and resilient. Throughout our history, we have shown time and time again our unique ability to overcome every obstacle and every adversary that has blocked our path to freedom. This resilience is what has advanced our Nation from being a ragtag rabble of citizens who took up arms in the American Revolution to being the greatest superpower in the world.

Throughout our advancement as a nation, we have not always been perfect. In fact, we have made some grave mistakes. However, our shared dedication to liberty and justice for all people has put us back on course. And though it sometimes takes years, or even generations, the spirit of American exceptionalism overshadows our mistakes and, with the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, we move forward.

However, when the government and its leaders purposefully mislead the American people, they are much less willing to forgive and forget, especially when such deception puts the people at risk, threatens their God-given rights or the sovereignty of this Nation. Mr. Speaker, I fear the American people and the Members of this Congress have, once again, been deceived, and I intend to get to the bottom of it.

When the 111th Congress ran through this body the Affordable Care Act, the American people were sold a bill of goods with deceiving statements and deceptive promises, statements such as, ``If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it.'' Although this disastrous legislation passed against the will of the people, some Americans trusted that the law would not take away their chosen healthcare plan. Unfortunately, the American people found out the hard way they have been deceived.

Now, Mr. Speaker, new reports give evidence of another deception surrounding ObamaCare. Prior to the launch of the healthcare.gov Web site, officials of this administration assured Congress and the American people that personal information submitted via the ObamaCare Web site would be secure and would not be permanently stored. However, new evidence suggests this may have been just another bait-and-switch tactic.

Contrary to what we have been told, the government is apparently storing American citizens' personal identifiable information obtained through the healthcare.gov Web site. If this is indeed true, then, this is not only another assault on the good faith of the American people, but, more importantly, it puts them at significant personal risk.

This government has recently shown its inability to secure computer systems and protect sensitive information. In the past several months, we have been inundated with reports of security breaches of government computer systems, disclosing personal and official information that potentially harms our national security.

With many Americans being forced into the government healthcare exchange, over 11 million people have registered with healthcare.gov. A breach of this system could be larger and potentially more disastrous than any of the previous breaches, which is a serious concern.

Mr. Speaker, the last time I checked, our Founders gave us a government of the people, not a government of elitists, establishment, or executive privilege. We are a nation of laws, not a nation of feelings or good intentions. We are bound by the Constitution, but that Constitution is only as sound as the integrity of those who have sworn to uphold it.

The American people expect their government to operate within the constraints of the Constitution, the limits of the law, and to be transparent and accountable. Unconstrained activity by government agencies has gone on far too long, and now their deceptions and reckless behavior is threatening the safety and the security of the American people. These actions put the future of our Nation at great risk, and they must stop.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Science, Space, and Technology, I intend to diligently pursue this issue, to find the truth, expose those who have violated the trust of the American people, and ensure the illegal collection of data by our government is stopped and the previously collected data is permanently removed.

I intend to use the power given to this body through our Constitution and the trust invested in us by the American people to right these wrongs. Our citizens deserve better than this, and I am committed to ensuring that the American people have a nation that is once again free, safe, and full of opportunity.

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