How is the USA ever going to know whether its database security is up to scratch or not, if public spirited character like this don't take the trouble to hack in and demonstrate that is in fact total crap.

But of course the priority is that the people in charge don't want to be shown up in this way. If the consequence is that the holes in security don't get identified and corrected, and hackers in the service of Al Qaeda/Iran/China/Israel etc can waltz in and do what they wish, that doesn't matter. Just so long as they keep quiet about it in public.