Addressing the Hack of U.S. Treasury Payment Systems

Floor Speech

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Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, first, I thank my colleagues, Representative Casten and Representative Stevens, for their leadership and courage of conviction in taking on this important legislative effort.

Over the past 3 weeks, America has watched with alarm as President Trump and his administration continued to throw the Federal Government into chaos, slashing funding for a variety of different programs, unlawfully attempting to freeze Federal programs, and ultimately, in my view, taking steps that are unconstitutional and inconsistent with the values of the American public.

My office has been inundated in particular with calls from constituents who are deeply troubled and concerned, Mr. Speaker, about what is happening at the Treasury Department.

The Trump administration has placed an unelected billionaire and his associates in extreme areas of power, giving them access to Americans' most sensitive information. Americans are outraged. They are right to be outraged.

The good news, Mr. Speaker, is that we have a legislative response that would ameliorate this particular challenge, and that is the bill that Representative Casten and Representative Stevens have introduced, the Taxpayer Data Protection Act.

It is a simple bill, a straightforward proposition that your data, Mr. Speaker, your Social Security number and identifying information, just as every American's, should be protected.

One would think that that would be something that every Member of this body could agree upon, yet we have been unable to convince a Republican colleague, a colleague from the other side of the aisle, to join this effort.

We only need three, Mr. Speaker, three Republicans who decide to do the right thing, to stand up for the American taxpayer, to protect their data. If three join Mr. Casten and Ms. Stevens, we can get this bill across the finish line.

House Democrats will certainly continue to do everything in our power to achieve that outcome. I thank the Representative from Illinois for his leadership and for continuing to make the clarion call to the American people about this particular issue.

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