Congressman Randy Weber (R-Friendswood) is supporting legislation that would protect the privacy and security of American families from potential security threats via federal agency websites, and questioned experts today in the Science, Space, and Technology Committee regarding the lack of security built into the website. Congressman Weber made the following statement:

“Since the implementation of the President’s healthcare law on October 1, we have seen folly after folly and no action from the Executive Branch to fix this mess. It is unconscionable for this administration to force hard-working American families into this hostile takeover of healthcare and to use a faulty website that may leave their personal private information subject to identity theft.

As a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I had the opportunity to question several expert witnesses in hearings held in November and last week on the functionality and security issues associated with Healthcare.gov. We learned that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) knew prior to the launch of the website that it did “not reasonably meet the CMS security requirements” – that is absolutely unacceptable.

I am taking action against the President and his Administration’s inaction by co-sponsoring the “Safe and Secure Federal Websites Act.” I also voted in strong support of the “Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act,” which passed the House by a bi-partisan vote last week. These bills will require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to notify individuals of any security breach on the Healthcare.gov website, and require the Government Accountability Office to certify as secure any new federal website that collects personal information before it may be launched.

Failure to plan on the Obama Administration’s part should not come at the expense of the American people.”

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