Congressman Meadows Calls for OPM Director's Resignation

Washington, DC— Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Katherine Archuleta testified Tuesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the historic cybersecurity breach at the agency. In the hearing, it came to light that Director Archuleta failed to implement cybersecurity recommendations made by the agency inspector general. Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC) released the following statement:

“How is it possible that the Office of Personnel Management—the agency tasked with keeping databases of personal information on federal employees— was completely unprepared to thwart a cybersecurity attack?

This cyber hack is the largest in our nation’s history and will have implications for years, if not decades, to come.  Consider the likelihood that intelligence and military officials will be blackmailed, bribed, and intimidated with the incredibly personal information they have entrusted to the U.S. government. Individuals with Top Secret (TS/SCI) security clearances are required to provide information on arrest records, lawsuits, drug or alcohol problems, divorces, bankruptcies and more – much of which may have been compromised.

OPM officials were well aware of the vulnerabilities within the agency’s IT security systems, yet failed to address them. Under Director Archuleta’s leadership, OPM disregarded an inspector general’s recommendations to improve its cybersecurity infrastructure, and now millions of federal workers, including military officials, are having to pay the price for the Director’s unwillingness to address the issue.

It is outrageous that after the biggest data breach in our nation’s history, OPM has yet to fire a single individual. It is time that Director Archuleta step down and be replaced with someone prepared to immediately address cybersecurity vulnerabilities at the agency.”

Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC) serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on Government Operations.

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