I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6309 
To impose sanctions with respect to designated critical cyber threat actors, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 25, 2025 
Mr. PFLUGER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Finan-
cial Services, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Judiciary, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To impose sanctions with respect to designated critical cyber 
threat actors, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cyber Deterrence and 
Response Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. ACTIONS TO ADDRESS STATE-SPONSORED CYBER 
ACTIVITIES AGAINST THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) DESIGNATION AS A CRITICAL CYBER THREAT 
ACTOR.— 
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
President, 
acting 
through the National Cyber Director, and in coordi-
nation with the heads of other relevant Federal de-
partments and agencies, shall designate pursuant to 
the National Attribution Framework under para-
graph (2) as a critical cyber threat actor— 
(A) each foreign person and each agency 
or instrumentality of a foreign state that the 
President determines to be knowingly respon-
sible for or complicit in, or have engaged in, di-
rectly or indirectly, state-sponsored cyber activi-
ties originating from, or directed by persons lo-
cated, in whole or in substantial part, outside 
the United States that are reasonably likely to 
result in, or have contributed to, a significant 
threat to the national security, foreign policy, or 
economic health or financial stability of the 
United States and that have the purpose or ef-
fect of— 
(i) causing a significant disruption to 
the availability of a computer or network 
of computers; 
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(ii) harming, or otherwise significantly 
compromising the provision of service by, a 
computer or network of computers that 
support one or more entities in a critical 
infrastructure sector; 
(iii) significantly compromising the 
provision of services by one or more enti-
ties in a critical infrastructure sector; 
(iv) causing a significant misappro-
priation of funds or economic resources, 
trade secrets, personal identifiers, health 
or financial information for commercial or 
competitive advantage or private financial 
gain; 
(v) destabilizing the financial sector of 
the United States by tampering with, alter-
ing, or causing a misappropriation of data; 
(vi) causing a significant disruption to 
the energy sector of the United States by 
tampering with or altering data or equip-
ment necessary for the operation of the en-
ergy sector in the United States; or 
(vii) interfering with or undermining 
election processes or government institu-
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tions by tampering with, altering, or caus-
ing misappropriation of data; 
(B) each foreign person that the President 
has determined to have knowingly, significantly, 
and materially assisted, sponsored, or provided 
financial, material, or technological support for, 
or goods or services to or in support of, any ac-
tivities described in subparagraph (A) by a for-
eign person or agency or instrumentality of a 
foreign state designated as a critical cyber 
threat actor under subparagraph (A); 
(C) each agency or instrumentality of a 
foreign state that the President has determined 
to have significantly and materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or 
technological support for, or goods or services 
to or in support of, any activities described in 
subparagraph (A) by a foreign person or agency 
or instrumentality of a foreign state designated 
as a critical cyber threat actor under subpara-
graph (A); and 
(D) any person determined by the Presi-
dent to be responsible for or complicit in, or to 
have engaged in, the receipt or use for commer-
cial or competitive advantage or private finan-
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cial gain, or by a commercial entity, outside the 
United States of data or information, including 
trade secrets, misappropriated through cyber- 
enabled means, knowing they have been mis-
appropriated, where the misappropriation of 
such trade secrets is reasonably likely to result 
in, or has materially contributed to, a signifi-
cant threat to the national security, foreign pol-
icy, or economic health or financial stability of 
the United States or personal safety of Amer-
ican citizens. 
(2) NATIONAL
ATTRIBUTION
FRAMEWORK.— 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Director, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary 
of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the 
Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the 
head of any other Federal agency the Director deter-
mines appropriate, shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a framework, to be known 
as the ‘‘National Attribution Framework’’ to carry 
out the following: 
(A) Establish a uniform, criteria-based 
process for evaluating and determining attribu-
tion of state-sponsored cyber activities. 
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Cyber Incident Response Plan under section 
2210 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 660) and other relevant policies gov-
erning cyber attribution and response processes 
of the following: 
(i) The Department of Homeland Se-
curity. 
(ii) The Office of the National Cyber 
Director. 
(iii) The Department of Defense. 
(iv) The Department of State. 
(v) Any other appropriate Federal de-
partment or agency. 
(H) Ensure attribution determinations ac-
count for exemptions, waivers, and removals de-
scribed in subsection (g), including mandatory 
exemptions for United States intelligence activi-
ties and case-by-case waivers granted in the na-
tional interest of the United States, for law en-
forcement purposes, or for humanitarian rea-
sons. 
(I) Establish procedures for the designa-
tion of a foreign person and each agency or in-
strumentality of a foreign state as a critical 
cyber threat actor under paragraph (1) to pro-
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vide for a reassignment of such designation if 
the original designee is subject to an exception 
described in subsection (g)(4) to the next oper-
ationally responsible foreign person and each 
agency or instrumentality of a foreign state ma-
terially involved in the state-sponsored cyber ac-
tivity at issue. 
(3) TRANSMISSION
TO
CONGRESS.—Not later 
than seven calendar days after designating a foreign 
person or agency or instrumentality of a foreign 
state as a critical cyber threat actor under para-
graph (1), the President shall transmit to the appro-
priate congressional committees in classified or un-
classified form a report identifying the designee. 
(b) NON-TRAVEL-RELATED SANCTIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose 
one or more of the applicable sanctions described in 
paragraph (2) with respect to each foreign person 
and each agency or instrumentality of a foreign 
state designated as a critical cyber threat actor 
under subsection (a). 
(2) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de-
scribed in this paragraph are the following: 
(A) The President may provide for the 
withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of non-hu-
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manitarian United States development assist-
ance under chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et 
seq.). 
(B) The President may provide for the 
withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of United 
States security assistance under part II of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2301 et seq.). 
(C) The President may direct the United 
States executive director to each international 
financial institution to use the voice and vote of 
the United States to oppose any loan from the 
international financial institution that would 
benefit the designated foreign person or the 
designated agency or instrumentality of a for-
eign state. 
(D) The President may direct the United 
States International Development Finance Cor-
poration, or any other United States Govern-
ment agency not to approve the issuance of any 
(or a specified number of) guarantees, insur-
ance, extensions of credit, or participation in 
the extension of credit. 
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(E) The President may, pursuant to such 
regulations or guidelines as the President may 
prescribe, prohibit any United States person 
from purchasing or selling any publicly traded 
securities, or any publicly traded securities that 
are derivative of such securities or are designed 
to provide investment exposure to such securi-
ties or investing in or purchasing significant 
amounts of equity or debt instruments of the 
designated foreign person. 
(F) The President may, pursuant to proce-
dures the President shall prescribe, which shall 
include the opportunity to appeal actions under 
this subparagraph, prohibit any United States 
agency or instrumentality from procuring, or 
entering into any contract for the procurement 
of, any goods, technology, or services, or classes 
of goods, technology, or services, from the des-
ignated foreign person or the designated agency 
or instrumentality of a foreign state. 
(G) The President may terminate— 
(i) sales to that country under the 
Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 
et seq.) of any defense articles, defense 
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services, or design and construction serv-
ices; and 
(ii) sales to that country of any item 
on the United States Munitions List main-
tained pursuant to part 121 of title 22, 
Code of Federal Regulations. 
(H) The President may prohibit the entity 
and, when acting for or on the entity’s behalf, 
its successors, assigns, directors, officers, em-
ployees, representatives, or agents, from directly 
or indirectly participating in transactions in-
volving any commodity, software, or technology 
subject to United States jurisdiction under the 
Export Administration Regulations (‘‘EAR’’) or 
any other activity subject to the EAR, includ-
ing— 
(i) applying for, obtaining, or using 
any license, license exception, or export 
control document; 
(ii) carrying out negotiations con-
cerning, ordering, buying, receiving, using, 
selling, delivering, storing, disposing of, 
forwarding, transporting, financing, or 
servicing in any way any item exported or 
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to be exported from the United States that 
is subject to the EAR; and 
(iii) benefitting in any way from any 
transaction involving any item exported or 
to be exported from the United States that 
is subject to the EAR. 
(I) The President may prohibit any person, 
whether a United States or non-United States 
person, from engaging in the following activi-
ties, either directly or indirectly, with the entity: 
(i) Exporting or reexporting to or on 
behalf of the entity any item subject to the 
EAR. 
(ii) Facilitating the acquisition or at-
tempted acquisition by the entity of the 
ownership, possession, or control of any 
item subject to the EAR that has been or 
will be exported from the United States, 
including financing or other support activi-
ties related to a transaction whereby the 
entity acquires or attempts to acquire such 
ownership, possession or control. 
(iii) Acquiring from or facilitating the 
acquisition or attempted acquisition from 
the entity or any item subject to the EAR 
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