February 23,2005

GAO Report on Issuing Social Security Numbers to U.S.-Born Children

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: Reporters and Editors
RE: GAO report on issuing Social Security numbers
DA: Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005

Sen. Chuck Grassley issued the comment below about a new report of the Government Accountability Office.

The report discusses weaknesses in the processes used by the Social Security Administration for issuing Social Security numbers to children born in the United States. Sen. Grassley requested the report to review any problems that may get in the way of the Social Security Administration's ability to ensure the integrity of the Social Security number. Sen. Grassley is chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, which has oversight responsibility for the Social Security Administration.The new report can be accessed at www.gao.gov. The report reference is GAO-05-115.

“This report should serve as a guide for the Social Security Administration to do everything possible as quickly as possible to lessen the ways that bad actors can exploit vulnerabilities in the way that Social Security numbers are assigned to new babies and young children. Theft and misuse of Social Security numbers are major problems, and the Social Security Administration is on the front lines when it comes to protecting Americans from identity theft and other crimes that arefacilitated with false identification.”