[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2155-S2156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEE MATTHEW O'NEILL
Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I do not know if I am going to be able to
have time to get into this. For the last several months this year, I
have been taking time 1 day a month to talk a bit about an employee in
the Department of Homeland Security. Of all the Departments in the
Federal Government--the largest Department--it has the lowest morale.
We have been working hard with them to do something about that.
We are doing small things that nonetheless is to remind everybody
that folks in the Department of Homeland Security, in some cases, risk
their lives, invest their lives in trying to make sure we have a life
and a good life and a safe life. They are worthy of our praise. What I
am going to do tonight--unless I get run off the floor because of other
business--I want to talk about one of them.
As the Presiding Officer knows, the Department was recently the
center of a budget battle on Capitol Hill. For weeks, it was unclear if
the Department was going to face a shutdown, another short-term
continuing resolution or receive the full-year funding they needed.
Fortunately, Congress did its job and sent a clean funding bill for the
rest of the fiscal year to the President's desk.
The employees are grateful for that and certainly I am as well. While
the Department's employees and leadership can now return to their focus
on keeping America safe from threats our country faces, we should not
ignore the harm the latest debate inflicted on the already low morale
of employees at the Department.
More than 200,000 men and women work for the Department of Homeland
Security, really just to do one mission; that is, to create a safe,
secure, and resilient place where the American way of life can thrive.
Many of those employees, again as I said earlier, put their lives on
the line every single day.
Whether these employees are securing our borders, securing our skies,
responding to natural disasters or bolstering our defenses in the cyber
world, few other Federal agencies and employees touch the lives of so
many Americans on a daily basis more than do the employees of the
Department of Homeland Security. There is no question that they deserve
to be treated better than the way Congress has been treating them
lately.
That is one of the reasons why over the past few months I have been
coming to the floor to recognize the work of at least a few of the many
exemplary Department of Homeland Security employees.
In February, I spoke about Ramiro Garza, Jr., a Border Patrol agent
at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I had the opportunity to meet
Mr. Garza early in February in McAllen, TX, while on a visit to the
Mexican border in South Texas with Senators Ron Johnson and Ben Sasse.
In the past summer, Mr. Garza played an instrumental role in quickly
setting up an emergency operations center and processing facility,
which he now runs, to help Customs and Border Protection better manage
unaccompanied minors and families apprehended along the southern
border.
Today, I rise to speak about another dedicated and outstanding
employee of the Department of Homeland Security. His name is Matthew
O'Neill. Matthew is employed as a special agent within the U.S. Secret
Service.
Over the past several months, there have been incidents, including
some as recently as this month, that have again raised serious
questions about the Agency and its ability to fulfill its
responsibilities. The Agency's leadership is still addressing these
incidents and taking steps to implement reforms to improve the Agency
from the inside out.
So while it is important for us to usher in a new chapter for the
U.S. Secret Service, it is important also that we shine some light on
some brave men and women at the Agency who continue to serve our
country and carry out their missions with distinction. Special Agent
Matthew O'Neill is one of the many hard-working public servants whose
day-to-day work deserves special recognition.
We live in a world that has become increasingly digitized. Nearly all
Americans, including Members of this Chamber and me, are spending more
and more of our time online, whether it is to do our banking, our
shopping, communicating with loved ones or simply getting our work done
on a day-to-day basis.
Americans' ability to go online in a safe and secure environment is
at the core of Special Agent O'Neill's work. You see, agents in the
U.S. Secret Service are not only responsible for protecting the
President, the First Family, and other dignitaries as well, some
agents, such as Special Agent O'Neill, do their work in cyber space--
not outer space but cyber space. And there in that cyber space are
criminals who are elusive, and the threats they pose to us are
sophisticated and many.
Put simply, Agent O'Neill's job is to target cyber criminals taking
aim at the American consumer, businesses, and our national community
online.
Financial crime has evolved dramatically in the nearly 20 years since
Special Agent O'Neill began his career with the Secret Service. Not
that long ago, criminals would go to a bank, perhaps maybe a jewelry
store or a convenience store, to steal money and maybe some other
valuables.
Today, they don't even need to go outside to steal items of great
value from businesses, from the Federal Government or from the rest of
us consumers and regular citizens. Criminals just need access to the
Internet. These data breaches are disruptive to our economy. They cause
worry and confusion for millions of American consumers and for
businesses. But thanks to his dedication and expertise, Special Agent
O'Neill has helped the Federal Government to try to stay ahead of the
curve and keep our most sensitive information and our property secure.
Special Agent O'Neill is originally from Dumfries, VA. He graduated
from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA--that makes him a
Duke--before joining his career with the Secret Service in 1998 in the
New Haven, CT, office. From 2003 to 2007, he served in the Vice
Presidential and Special Services Division in Washington, DC.
However, it is while serving in his current role, one primarily
performed in cyber space, that Special Agent O'Neill has become one of
the top cyber warriors defending our security online. In this position,
he has helped to lead a number of complex transnational cyber crime
investigations. These investigations have focused on crimes ranging
from hacks into check-out lanes at brick-and-mortar stores to the
online sale of stolen, personally identifiable information, such as
Social Security numbers.
In one investigation, Special Agent O'Neill identified Web site
portals that sold the personal information of approximately 30 million
Americans to other cyber criminals, potentially putting victims at risk
for identity theft or credit card fraud or worse.
To uncover the criminals running and participating in this scheme,
Special Agent O'Neill sought and executed
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over a dozen Federal search warrants, made numerous undercover
purchases, and painstakingly examined nearly 40,000 emails.
As a result of an extensive investigation, Special Agent O'Neill was
able to trace the source of the stolen data to an individual in South
Vietnam. In 2013, the culprit was arrested for his crimes. Since the
investigation, Special Agent O'Neill has been able to identify and
arrest over 20 other criminals who worked in conjunction with the
culprit by illicitly purchasing the stolen data.
In addition to breaking up that complex network, Special Agent
O'Neill's work has also thwarted attacks involving everyday
transactions, saving businesses and saving consumers from financial
harm. For example, he played a critical role in identifying, tracking,
and identifying three Romanian nationals who were planning to hack into
the computer system of a major fast food franchise with more than
25,000 restaurants in the United States.
Time and again, Special Agent O'Neill's supervisors and colleagues
have noted his commitment and dedication to duty, including his
willingness to work at all hours of the day and night to track
criminals who use the Internet with malicious intent.
In 2012, he was recognized as the Investigator of the Year by the
International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators. In 2013,
he was honored by the Secret Service as its Special Agent of the Year
for his efforts, and in 2014, he received the Department of Homeland
Security Secretary's Meritorious Service Award.
But Special Agent O'Neill's service doesn't end with his work at the
Department of Homeland Security. When he is not combatting cyber crime,
he is serving his neighbors and community by volunteering for a local
charity that provides financial assistance to families dealing with
cancer. The charity also provides scholarship money for the continuing
education of oncology nurses.
I thank Special Agent O'Neill's family for sharing him with his
community and his Nation. We are a safer country because of him.
In closing, the actions taken by Special Agent Matthew O'Neill attest
to this critically important work done by thousands of individuals
across the Department of Homeland Security every single day. These men
and women are courageous, dedicated, and exemplary Federal employees
who selflessly serve our country year in and year out.
Like Special Agent Matthew O'Neill, these unsung heroes and heroines
walk among us every day, protecting us from the unknown or from the
unexpected. And more often than not, the good work they do goes
unnoticed--but not today.
Special Agent O'Neill, thank you. Thank you for your dedication to
this country. Thank you for your tireless service to all of us.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Daines). The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that at 7:10 p.m., the Senate
proceed to the consideration of H.R. 2, which was received from the
House, and that the only amendments in order be the following: Cornyn
amendment No. 1114, repeal individual mandate; Democratic amendment No.
1115, extend SCHIP; Lee amendment No. 1116, motion to strike;
Democratic amendment No. 1117, women's health; Cotton amendment No.
1118, fee schedule; Democratic amendment No. 1119, therapy; that
following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote in relation
to the amendments in the order listed, that all amendments except the
Cotton and Lee amendments be subject to a 60-vote affirmative threshold
for adoption, the bill then be read a third time and the Senate vote on
passage of the bill, as amended, if amended; further, that there be 2
minutes equally divided between the votes and that the votes after the
first be 10 minutes in length.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Mr. REID. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, the reason we
are not moving forward more quickly is we first had to get some of the
holds lifted, and we were able to do that on both sides, and we wanted
to make sure there would be no cuts in the physicians payments.
We thought if we finished this by early sometime tomorrow, noon or
thereabouts, that the payments would not be cut but we don't have that
assurance yet. So we are going to have to go ahead. If something comes
from the Office of Management and Budget or the White House that that
would not happen, we can allow people to go to the events they have
around town.
In the meantime, I agree with the Republican leader, we should go
forward. If something happens during some of these votes so we can
finish them tomorrow, fine. But in the meantime, to protect not only
the physicians but their patients, we should move forward on this
legislation now.
I have no objection.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, just briefly, the point to remember
here is that at midnight, roughly 5 hours from now, CMS will begin to
cut payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients. If we do not act
tonight, these cuts of 21 percent will be real.
I yield the floor.
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