"It's becoming clear that the terrorists who acted on Sept. 11 used Social Security numbers to blend into American society. We're still learning about the extent of their activities, but it shouldn't surprise anyone that Social Security numbers were useful for terrorists. Long before Sept. 11, Social Security numbers were easy to get, and misuse was rampant.
"The longstanding problems make the latest revelation about Social Security numbers all the more disturbing. The revelation is that the Social Security Administration never saw as its mission the responsibility to track criminal misuse of Social Security numbers. Consequently, the agency never developed or implemented systems and processes explicitly designed to prevent, detect and aid in prosecuting criminal SSN misuse. It's time for this tunnel vision to change. SSA needs to expand its existing programs and operations focus toward identifying false SSNs and SSN cards and include within these parameters the ability to enhance criminal prosecution and the detection of terrorist activity.
"The report I requested clearly points out the need for more to be done. I intend to call on Jo Anne Barnhart, the new commissioner of the Social Security Administration, to immediately initiate a program to detect and investigate criminal Social Security number misuse and identity theft."
"This isn't the time for bureaucratic turf battles. This is the time for agencies to come together to fight terrorism. The Social Security Administration and its Inspector General need to work out their differences. I hope the new Social Security commissioner will make this happen. I'm confident we can fight terrorism and preserve reasonable expectations of privacy at the same time."