Those outside the federal government might not understand the gravity of this situation. Think of OPM and the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service as the valet sheds of the federal government. They're not flashy or big, but they hold all the keys. OPM maintains the private information of federal civil servants"bank codes, addresses, insurance information, retirement accounts, employment records. The Treasury's system processes every payment to everyone from grandmothers waiting for their Social Security check to cancer researchers working to crack the cure. Now there's a ham-fisted goon in an ill-fitting valet attendant's coat rummaging in broad daylight through all of the keys"all of that private information, previously given in trust, handled with care, and regulated by law.