[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 149 (Thursday, September 14, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5730-S5731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Data Breaches in Credit Reporting Agencies
Mr. President, last week, 143 million Americans--in essence, half of
our country--had their personal information exposed through no fault of
their own. We are talking about names, dates of birth, Social Security
numbers, addresses, and probably much more.
Equifax, one of three huge data collection companies in our country,
makes their money off of this information, and they failed to protect
it.
If a student at Bowling Green, in Northwest Ohio, or a homeowner in
Springfield, OH, fails to make that monthly payment for her student
loan debt or for their home mortgage, Equifax dings them on their
credit report. Yet Equifax, even after last year when they allowed the
breach of 400,000 employees of an Ohio company, Kroger--one of our best
companies domiciled in Ohio--they just don't seem accountable when that
happens. This is the worst example, so far, that we have seen.
I spoke yesterday on the phone with Bill of Hamilton, OH, who is one
of those 143 million Americans whose personal data was exposed to
criminals, to somebody who can use this information, use this data, on
literally up to 143 million Americans. Bill and his wife are retired.
They have worked hard to pay their bills. They have excellent credit.
He went to the Equifax website after this happened and discovered his
information may have been breached.
He talked about how worried he was. He talked about, after all his
family's hard work, after years of following the rules, that someone
could get access to his personal information and shred his credit
history.
This is a company whose job it is to gather this data and to protect
this data, and they failed, without being held accountable.
I am worried for folks in Ohio like Bill.
I am really worried for servicemembers around this country whose
private information might be compromised. The servicemember's credit
history isn't just important when they want to buy a home or open up a
new credit card. For a servicemember, a credit history damaged by
hackers could mean losing their security clearance and maybe their job
along with it. These patriotic men and women move around the country,
around the world. They are not especially well paid. Their families
rely on good credit to get housing and jobs wherever our military
chooses to send them.
Life for military families is stressful enough. I know that from Ray
Patterson Air Force Base, one of the most important Air Force Bases in
this country, near Dayton. I know that from meeting with these
families. I know that when I see the kinds of consumer protections the
Federal consumer bureau has provided to these servicemembers. So often
financial companies try to prey on these servicemembers who, as I said,
are not paid well. Maybe a servicemember is deployed overseas and the
family struggles at home without one of their parents being present and
with the generally low income they make. They sacrifice enough without
them also having to worry about credit corporations and this company's
breach putting them at risk.
That is why I filed an amendment to the NDAA that would provide
servicemembers with crucial consumer protections. First, the bill
requires credit reporting agencies such as Equifax, TransUnion and
Experian, the three big companies, to implement a cost-free and
convenient way for all servicemembers to be able to lock down their
credit reports if they think they are at risk.
While credit freezes are currently available in some States, there is
no national standard. There are often charges for starting and stopping
a freeze, and it can be hard to figure out whom they should even
contact. This amendment would create a standard simple and free process
for servicemembers to protect their credit histories.
There is so much more in this bill that will matter to
servicemembers. We have an opportunity right now to move quickly to
make sure this breach does not put our military men and women at risk.
[[Page S5731]]
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Perdue). The question is, Will the Senate
advise and consent to the Patenaude nomination?
Mr. BROWN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Florida (Mr. Rubio).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio)
would have voted ``yea''.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr.
Menendez) and the Senator from Florida (Mr. Nelson) are necessarily
absent.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. (Mr. Cassidy). Are there any other Senators in
the chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 80, nays 17, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 196 Ex.]
YEAS--80
Alexander
Baldwin
Barrasso
Bennet
Blunt
Boozman
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Cochran
Collins
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Donnelly
Durbin
Enzi
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Flake
Franken
Gardner
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Hatch
Heitkamp
Heller
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Kaine
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Leahy
Lee
Manchin
McCain
McCaskill
McConnell
Moran
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Paul
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Risch
Roberts
Rounds
Sasse
Scott
Shaheen
Shelby
Stabenow
Strange
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Van Hollen
Warner
Wicker
Young
NAYS--17
Blumenthal
Booker
Brown
Duckworth
Gillibrand
Harris
Heinrich
Hirono
Markey
Merkley
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Udall
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden
NOT VOTING--3
Menendez
Nelson
Rubio
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the President
will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
____________________