STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON DATA BREACH AT OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on reports of a massive data breach at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):
“News yesterday of another massive data breach, this time at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with upwards of four million affected individuals, including one million members of the military, is just the latest example of the inadequacy of our current strategy in cyberspace. Multiple reports indicate that this latest attack on OPM originated in China. If true, this breach joins an already lengthy and well-documented record of Chinese intellectual property theft and cyber-espionage against the U.S. government and American companies. We cannot sit idly-by, accepting a situation in which persistent cyber-attacks and data insecurity are the new norm. Our top priority must be finding ways to deter our enemies from attacking in the first place and ending the ability of hackers to infiltrate, steal, and disrupt with impunity. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is currently being considered in the Senate, has provisions to improve deterrence and enhance the capabilities of U.S. Cyber Command to defend the United States against foreign nations and terrorist organizations.
FLOOR REMARKS BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN MCCAIN ON AMENDMENT TO STOP NFL “PATRIOTISM FOR PROFIT” PRACTICES
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today delivered the following statement on the Senate floor on the amendment he co-sponsored with Senators Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), which would stop the practice of the Department of Defense paying professional sports teams and leagues such as the NFL to honor American soldiers at sporting events and call on them to donate profits from these military tributes to charitable organizations that support members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their families. The text of the amendment is attached.
FLOOR STATEMENT BY SENATOR McCAIN ON ENDING DOD PAYMENTS TO PRO SPORTS LEAGUES 6-4-15 Video
STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON MEETING WITH TAIWANESE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DR. TSAI ING-WEN
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today regarding his meeting with Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate, earlier this week:
“I was pleased to meet with Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, earlier this week. I was reassured of her support for a responsible foreign policy for Taiwan, her commitment to the status quo in cross-strait relations, and her desire to strengthen relations with the United States. I look forward to continuing to work with a democratic Taiwan that remains economically vibrant and an active contributor to regional peace and stability. I also look forward to another round of open, democratic elections in Taiwan this coming January, where the future of Taiwan is decided by Taiwanese and free from foreign intervention.”
SENATORS JOHN McCAIN, JEFF FLAKE AND RICHARD BLUMENTHAL FILE AMENDMENT TO STOP NFL “PATRIOTISM FOR PROFIT” PRACTICES
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 that prohibits the Department of Defense from spending taxpayer dollars to honor American soldiers at sporting events. The amendment also encourages professional sports organizations that have accepted taxpayer funds in exchange for military tributes to return those profits as a charitable contribution to organizations that support members of the U.S. armed forces, veterans, and their families.
“Football fans across America learned last month that several NFL teams were honoring U.S. service members not out of a sense of patriotism, but for profit in the form of millions of dollars from the U.S. Department of Defense,” said Senators McCain, Flake and Blumenthal. “Our amendment would put an end to this practice, and ask professional sports leagues like the NFL to donate to charities supporting American troops, veterans and their families. In a time of growing threats to our nation’s security, we can’t afford to give scarce defense dollars to wealthy sports teams, and fans should have confidence that their hometown heroes are being honored on Sundays because of their honorable military service, not as an NFL marketing ploy.”
