Tennessee U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Introduces Bill to Protect U.S. Critical Infrastructure from Chinese Cybersecurity Threats

by | Apr 8, 2025

Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) introduced a bill on Monday that seeks to strengthen the resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure against cyber threats, particularly from China.

Ogles’s bill, the Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act, filed as H.R.2659, would require the federal government to assess and mitigate growing cyber threats to U.S. critical infrastructure originating in China with either the active or tacit support of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The 13-page bill would specifically require the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with other agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to create a task force to focus on identifying, analyzing, and responding to the cybersecurity threats posed by state-sponsored actors from China.

Under the bill, the task force would also be mandated to provide Congress with a report annually for five years on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations regarding “malicious CCP cyber activity.”

“The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest foreign adversary we face, and Beijing continues to use cyberspace as a battlefield on which to undermine American sovereignty and interests,” Ogles said upon introducing the bill.

“In the wake of attacks by CCP-backed actors against our critical infrastructure and even their intrusions into the campaign communications of President Trump and Vice President Vance, we must ensure the government is coordinating effectively to make sure this never happens again,” Ogles added.

As a member of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, Ogles’ bill has earned the support of Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN-07), Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02), and Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI-02).

The committee will set the bill for a markup during its full meeting on Wednesday.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Andy Ogles” by Andy Ogles. 

 

 

 

   
This article may be republished only in its entirety and only with proper attribution to State News Foundation.

Written By Kaitlin Housler

Journalist

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