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HR8548Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA)
introduced
HR8069119th CongressWALLET
Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Wilson (SC)
Introduced
Summary
Securing critical undersea telecommunications and energy cables is the bill's core goal. It would create a coordinated U.S. government framework to boost diplomacy, share information with industry, staff the State Department, and authorize sanctions and reporting to deter and respond to sabotage.
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- Private industry: Would require real-time information sharing with cleared operators, timely declassified and unclassified reporting of sabotage indicators, and faster release of funds to support response and mitigation.
- Diplomats and State capacity: Would require at least 10 full-time State Department staff focused on subsea infrastructure with at least 5 in the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, and a 90-day report on diplomatic engagement with international bodies.
- Federal coordination: Would establish an interagency committee within one year to streamline licensing and permitting, create standardized risk and resilience assessments, and plan secure installation, maintenance, repair, and attribution efforts.
- Enforcement and intelligence: Would authorize the President to impose IEEPA-based sanctions and visa restrictions for sabotage and would require a comprehensive report on People’s Republic of China and Russian Federation subsea activities within 180 days and annually for five years.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Annual China and Russia cable reports
If enacted, the Secretary of State must report to Congress within 180 days and then yearly for five years on China and Russia subsea cable manufacturing, installation, and maintenance capabilities. Reports must analyze specific military and commercial actors and include assessments such as suspected vessels (with identifiers) and any PRC–Russian cooperation on surveillance or sabotage.
Sanctions for undersea sabotage
If enacted, the President could sanction foreign persons found to have committed or helped sabotage critical undersea infrastructure. Sanctions could block property and bar visas, and the President must report to Congress within 15 days after imposing them. The President may waive sanctions for national security reasons but must submit a written certification and report. The provision also lists narrow exceptions, including certain U.N. obligations and specified intelligence or law enforcement activities, and excludes sanctioning ordinary importation of goods as defined.
Faster intelligence sharing and attribution
If enacted, Federal agencies would issue procedures to share classified, declassified, and unclassified information about suspected subsea cable sabotage with cleared non‑Federal companies. The Director of National Intelligence must send those procedures to Congress within 60 days and report on implementation one year later and annually for five years. The DNI would also deliver an intelligence assessment within 180 days on specific listed sabotage incidents to help attribute likely causes and share agency disagreements with Congress.
U.S. cable coordination and diplomacy
If enacted, the President would create an interagency committee within one year to lead protection, resilience, and faster permitting for undersea telecom cables. The President must send Congress a staffing and resource plan within 30 days after creating the committee. The Secretary of State would assign at least 10 full‑time staff for subsea work, with at least 5 in the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, and must notify Congress within 15 days after meeting that hiring. The Secretary must also step up diplomacy, work with allies to support a multinational cable repair fleet, and provide several short annual reports to Congress about progress.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Wilson (SC)
SC • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5]
NY • D
Sponsored 3/24/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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