A bill introduced in the House this week would task the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) with “formally” identifying foreign agencies, people, and other groups that are responsible for recent attacks against the United States and directs a separate effort to improve the current distribution of attack attribution data.
The Cyber Deterrence and Response Act of 2025, introduced on Dec. 1 by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, directs that ONCD’s efforts cover “disruptions to critical infrastructure, large-scale data theft, financial manipulation, and election interference, as well as individuals and organizations that knowingly assist or enable these operations,” according to a press release.
The bill also would wrap in several other federal agencies – or at least some of their cybersecurity policies for attributing attacks – by creating a new “national distribution framework” to create a more closely aligned attack attribution network across government and allow for sharing with private sector entities and allied nations, the congressman’s office said.
The measure, his office said, would align the ONCD, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, and Justice under a “unified framework while permitting vetted private-sector intelligence companies to contribute” to the network.
It also mandates close coordination with U.S. allies to share information to strengthen attribution statements, the congressman’s office said.
Finally, the bill would authorize the creation of “robust sanctions against designated actors, including asset blocking, financial restrictions, export controls, procurement prohibitions, visa bans, and suspension of assistance,” the congressman’s office said.
Also subject to newly increased sanctions could be “foreign governments that direct or support state-sponsored cyber operations,” his office said.
“As cyberattacks in the United States grow more sophisticated and widespread, we must ensure the Trump administration and all future administrations have a strong framework to hold bad actors accountable and safeguard our national security,” Rep. Pfluger said.
“Protecting America’s critical infrastructure from malicious cyberattacks is essential, and this bill does exactly that,” the congressman emphasized.
Rep. Pfluger’s bill has been referred for further consideration to the House Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Affairs committees.
It does not appear that an identical version of the bill has been filed in the Senate.