Congressman August Pfluger, who represents Texas’ 11th district in the U.S. Congress, has introduced new legislation aimed at strengthening the protection of America’s critical infrastructure from cyber threats. The proposed Cyber Deterrence and Response Act of 2025 seeks to deter foreign nation-states from launching cyberattacks by establishing a unified federal process for identifying, attributing, and sanctioning state-sponsored cyber actors.
“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. Protecting America’s critical infrastructure from malicious cyberattacks is essential, and this bill does exactly that,” said Rep. Pfluger.
The legislation directs the President, through the National Cyber Director, to formally identify individuals or entities responsible for significant cyberattacks against the United States. This includes attacks on critical infrastructure, large-scale data theft, financial manipulation, election interference, as well as those who knowingly assist such operations.
It also establishes a government-wide attribution framework requiring clear evidentiary standards and technical verification for determining responsibility for attacks. Agencies including DHS, Department of State, ODNI, DOJ, and ONCD would be aligned under this process while allowing vetted private-sector intelligence companies to contribute information. The bill calls for close coordination with allies to strengthen attribution statements.
The act authorizes sanctions against designated actors—such as asset blocking, financial restrictions, export controls, procurement prohibitions, visa bans—and allows further measures against foreign governments directing or supporting these operations.
According to recent reports from federal authorities like the FBI in 2024, U.S. economic losses from cyberattacks exceeded $16 billion due largely to increasingly sophisticated state-sponsored threats targeting sectors such as energy systems and health networks.
August Pfluger began serving in Congress in 2021 after replacing Mike Conaway. He won his seat after defeating Jon Mark Hogg in the 2020 general election with nearly 80% of the vote (https://ballotpedia.org/August_Pfluger).
Pfluger has stated that this legislation is intended to provide a credible deterrent against state-sponsored cyber threats targeting U.S. infrastructure and citizens.
