Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta has resigned in the wake of a data breach affecting 25 million present, former, and would-be government employees and their significant others.
The National Journal was reporting that Archuletta had turned in her resignation Friday.
There were actually two OPM breaches. The first, revealed last month, involved over 4 million people. The second, involving the personal information — Social Security numbers, names addresses and more — of over 20 million people, was only revealed this week and began a drumbeat for action.
Bipartisan Hill pressure had been mounting for her departure, including from Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), a former wireless exec, who, along with Sen. Marc Rubio (R-Fla.) had publicly called for her exit late Thursday.
“This is the right move for the agency and all those affected by the breach," said Warner Friday on the news of her departure. "The focus now needs to be on fixing the problem and protecting those impacted.”
Cybersecurity and data protection are hot topics both on the Hill and at the FCC, which under new Title II-based net neutrality rules will have a new role in enforcing consumer broadband privacy.
"The buck stops with the OPM Director," said House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Tex.). The new leadership now has the hard task of not only fixing the failures that allowed this to happen, but also earning back the trust of federal government employees and the American public. This massive data theft of very sensitive information underscores again the need for cybersecurity laws to be strengthened. I hope the Senate will act quickly on cybersecurity legislation that passed the House with a strong bipartisan vote two months ago."
“I appreciate Director Archuleta making the right choice and stepping down," said Senate Homeland Security Commmittee chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). I wish her well in her future endeavors. I look forward to working with Deputy Director Cobert, until a permanent replacement can be found, to begin addressing weaknesses in the OPM’s cybersecurity management.
“I urge President Obama to find a permanent replacement with appropriate management and information technology experience. The OPM is entrusted with some of Americans’ most sensitive information," he added. "Their safety and our nation’s security requires that this pattern of data breaches at the agency end. We need the OPM to succeed. My committee will work with its new director to bring about that success.”
