May 23, 2006
Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202) 224-9093

(Washington, DC) U.S. Senator Larry Craig announced today that the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs will hold an emergency hearing Thursday, May 25, in room 418 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

The committee will review the recent theft of computer material that contained the names and Social Security numbers of 26.5 million veterans. The hearing, titled, "VA Data Privacy Breach: Twenty-Six Million People Deserve Answers" will begin at 10 a.m.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson will testify.  Other witnesses will be announced later.

The hearing will be webcast live, and archived for viewing later, at http://veterans.senate.gov. The hearing may also be audiocast ? during the hearing only ? on C-SPAN's hearings website, located at http://www.capitolhearings.org.

Watch and listen to Sen. Craig discussing the issue by clicking on:

Video: Senator Craig on the floor of the U.S. Senate 

Audio: Senator Craig -- in the hall -- about VA data loss