Obama’s OPM Director Doesn’t Know How Many Records the Agency Maintains
CHAFFETZ: “You have personally identifiable information for how many federal employees and retirees?”
ARCHULETA: “We have –“
CHAFFETZ: “Move your microphone closer, please.”
ARCHULETA: “We have 2.7 individuals who are full-time employees and 2.4 –“
CHAFFETZ: “No, I asked you, how many -- you have personal identifiable information for how many employees and retirees?”
ARCHULETA: “The number I just gave you includes the number of employees and retirees, and personally identifiable information within those files depends on whether they’ve had a background investigation or whether there are personnel file.“
CHAFFETZ: “How many records do you have? This is what I am trying to get out?”
ARCHULETA: “I will ask Mrs. Seymour –“
CHAFFETZ: “No, come on, you are the head of the agency I am asking you how many records are at play here.”
ARCHULETA: “I will get back to you with that numbers.“
CHAFFETZ: “No, no. Let me read to you what you wrote on February 2, of this year. This is to the appropriations chairman both in the House and Senate. You wrote: ‘As a proprietor of sensitive data --including personally identifiable information for 32 million federal employees and retirees, OPM has an obligation to maintain contemporary and robust cyber security controls.’ You wrote that in February. Are you here to tell me that that information is all safe or is it potentially 32 million records that are at play here?”
ARCHULETA: “As I mentioned to you earlier in my testimony, Mr. Chairman, we are reviewing the number and the scope of the breach and the impact to all of the records.”
CHAFFETZ: “So it could be as high as 32 million? Is that right?”
ARCHULETA: “I mentioned to you, I will not give a number that is not completely accurate and as I mentioned in my testimony today, I will get back to you as soon as –“ [Crosstalk]
CHAFFETZ: “I am asking you for a range. I don’t need a specific number. We know it's a minimum of 4.2 million, but it could be as high as 32 million?”
ARCHULETA: “I am not going to give you a number that I am not sure of.”
CHAFFETZ: “When they fill out the SF-86, that would include other people that are identified within those forms, correct?”
ARCHULETA: “That’s correct, sir.”
CHAFFETZ: “Do we know on average how many people are identified, if you fill out an SF-86, what’s the average number of people that are identified within those records?
ARCHULETA: “I don't believe anyone has calculated an average.”
CHAFFETZ: “Are you working on that?”
ARCHULETA: “—take a look. As I am mentioned in my testimony, each – my team –“
CHAFFETZ: “I am asking if you will take a sampling of records and understand how many other people are identified in those records. If you have 32 million employees and former employees in your database, and they are also identifying other individuals, I would like to know on average how many people that is. Is that fair?”
ARCHULETA: “We are not calculating on average, we are calculating on a very distinct and accurate number. We are not going to --” [Crosstalk]
CHAFFETZ: “And that distinct and accurate number. When you ask for $32 million more in your budget request, it was because you had 32 million federal employees identified and former employees, correct?”
ARCHULETA: “That -- the number of employees that we have, yes.”
CHAFFETZ: “I your database?”
ARCHULETA: “We are asking for support for our cyber security –“
