Senate GOP investigating Pritzker administration over Illinois health records breach
This is performative politics again.
EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chairman of the Senate’s health committee, has launched an inquiry into the administration of Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) over its handling of a recent data breach that exposed the private health information of 700,000 state residents.
Cassidy is seeking detailed records from the Illinois Department of Human Services after leaving sensitive health-related information on a publicly accessible website for more than three years and delaying notification to affected individuals, according to a letter sent Tuesday by the senator to the Pritzker administration and obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The congressional scrutiny sets the stage for a high-stakes clash between Cassidy, who’s fighting for reelection against a Trump-backed primary challenger, and Pritzker, a possible 2028 presidential candidate who’s tussled with the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement operations in the Prairie State.
The most recent data breach, revealed by Illinois officials in early January, months after it was initially discovered, “raises questions” about the state’s “commitment to data security,” Cassidy wrote to Illinois health secretary Dulce Quintero and Pritzker. It came on the heels of a 2024 hacking into the Illinois Department of Human Services that exposed the private information of more than 1 million people, including roughly 4,700 whose Social Security numbers were exposed.
“Despite IDHS’ role in helping vulnerable communities, its repeated failures to implement basic security processes highlight IDHS’ disregard of its responsibility to over 4.6 million Illinois residents,” Cassidy wrote.
Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.
Cassidy laid out detailed questions in his letter and requested a response by Feb. 25. Being in the majority, the Senate Republican chairman holds immense subpoena power to compel information and testimony.
Cassidy’s line of questioning included why the department did not notify affected parties until January after discovering the security incident more than three months earlier in September 2025, requesting information about its current cybersecurity protocols and what steps were previously taken to improve data security following the 2024 breach.
From l-r: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., attends a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 9, 2025, and Illinois Gov. JB …
This is performative politics again.
EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chairman of the Senate’s health committee, has launched an inquiry into the administration of Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) over its handling of a recent data breach that exposed the private health information of 700,000 state residents.
Cassidy is seeking detailed records from the Illinois Department of Human Services after leaving sensitive health-related information on a publicly accessible website for more than three years and delaying notification to affected individuals, according to a letter sent Tuesday by the senator to the Pritzker administration and obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The congressional scrutiny sets the stage for a high-stakes clash between Cassidy, who’s fighting for reelection against a Trump-backed primary challenger, and Pritzker, a possible 2028 presidential candidate who’s tussled with the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement operations in the Prairie State.
The most recent data breach, revealed by Illinois officials in early January, months after it was initially discovered, “raises questions” about the state’s “commitment to data security,” Cassidy wrote to Illinois health secretary Dulce Quintero and Pritzker. It came on the heels of a 2024 hacking into the Illinois Department of Human Services that exposed the private information of more than 1 million people, including roughly 4,700 whose Social Security numbers were exposed.
“Despite IDHS’ role in helping vulnerable communities, its repeated failures to implement basic security processes highlight IDHS’ disregard of its responsibility to over 4.6 million Illinois residents,” Cassidy wrote.
Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.
Cassidy laid out detailed questions in his letter and requested a response by Feb. 25. Being in the majority, the Senate Republican chairman holds immense subpoena power to compel information and testimony.
Cassidy’s line of questioning included why the department did not notify affected parties until January after discovering the security incident more than three months earlier in September 2025, requesting information about its current cybersecurity protocols and what steps were previously taken to improve data security following the 2024 breach.
From l-r: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., attends a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 9, 2025, and Illinois Gov. JB …
Senate GOP investigating Pritzker administration over Illinois health records breach
This is performative politics again.
EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chairman of the Senate’s health committee, has launched an inquiry into the administration of Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) over its handling of a recent data breach that exposed the private health information of 700,000 state residents.
Cassidy is seeking detailed records from the Illinois Department of Human Services after leaving sensitive health-related information on a publicly accessible website for more than three years and delaying notification to affected individuals, according to a letter sent Tuesday by the senator to the Pritzker administration and obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The congressional scrutiny sets the stage for a high-stakes clash between Cassidy, who’s fighting for reelection against a Trump-backed primary challenger, and Pritzker, a possible 2028 presidential candidate who’s tussled with the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement operations in the Prairie State.
The most recent data breach, revealed by Illinois officials in early January, months after it was initially discovered, “raises questions” about the state’s “commitment to data security,” Cassidy wrote to Illinois health secretary Dulce Quintero and Pritzker. It came on the heels of a 2024 hacking into the Illinois Department of Human Services that exposed the private information of more than 1 million people, including roughly 4,700 whose Social Security numbers were exposed.
“Despite IDHS’ role in helping vulnerable communities, its repeated failures to implement basic security processes highlight IDHS’ disregard of its responsibility to over 4.6 million Illinois residents,” Cassidy wrote.
Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.
Cassidy laid out detailed questions in his letter and requested a response by Feb. 25. Being in the majority, the Senate Republican chairman holds immense subpoena power to compel information and testimony.
Cassidy’s line of questioning included why the department did not notify affected parties until January after discovering the security incident more than three months earlier in September 2025, requesting information about its current cybersecurity protocols and what steps were previously taken to improve data security following the 2024 breach.
From l-r: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., attends a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 9, 2025, and Illinois Gov. JB …
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