Washington, D.C. (Mar. 18, 2014)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement in response to a report released by the Office of Management and Budget after a 120-day review of the federal government’s security clearance and suitability process ordered by President Obama following the Washington Navy Yard Shooting last September:    

“I commend the Administration for implementing continuous evaluation of federal personnel holding security clearances, and I support the President’s plan to strengthen cooperation from state and local law enforcement agencies by leveraging federal assistance grants so they can share criminal history information.  These recommendations are consistent with the findings and recommendations made by the Oversight Committee based on our investigation, but I believe there are still areas in need of improvement, and the Administration’s recommendations do not go far enough to detect false information submitted by applicants like Aaron Alexis.  I believe that judging the truthfulness of applicants in subject interviews and for top secret clearances is an inherently governmental function with grave national security implications, and it must be federalized.  Rep. Lynch and I co-sponsored legislation to insource these functions.”