Critical Undersea Infrastructure Resilience Initiative Act
Sponsored By: Representative Lawler
Introduced
Summary
Protect undersea infrastructure near Taiwan. This bill would create a U.S. initiative to detect, deter, and respond to sabotage of subsea cables and pipelines, fund rapid-response activities, promote cable hardening, and authorize sanctions against foreign saboteurs.
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- Would help Taiwan and regional partners by boosting real-time monitoring, sharing warnings, and coordinating repairs and joint drills to keep communications and energy links running.
- Would direct the State Department, working with Defense, Homeland Security, and the Coast Guard, to stand up the Initiative and a Cross-Strait Contingency Planning Group for scenario-based planning and coordinated responses. It would require semiannual Presidential reporting through 2032 and annual classified contingency reports for 10 years.
- Would push private operators toward physical hardening measures like deeper burial, tougher materials, and reinforcement and support multinational surveillance and intelligence sharing to reduce vulnerability.
- Would create a sanctions regime that can block property under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and restrict visas for foreign persons and vessels involved in sabotage, while allowing narrow Presidential waivers for national security reasons.
*This bill would authorize $20.0 million per year from 2027 through 2032 for rapid-response activities, increasing federal spending over that period.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Cross-Strait contingency planning group
If enacted, the President would create a Cross‑Strait Contingency Planning Group within 90 days. The Group would plan for crises involving Taiwan, like blockades, cyberattacks, and economic coercion, and find supply chain and infrastructure weak spots. It would coordinate diplomatic, military, economic, cyber, and homeland security responses and regularly test plans. The Group would deliver a classified report to Congress within 180 days of establishment and then annually for 10 years.
Sanctions for undersea sabotage
If enacted, the bill would allow the President to sanction foreign persons and vessels that commit or help sabotage undersea energy or communications infrastructure tied to Taiwan. Sanctions could block property under IEEPA, bar visas, and impose penalties. The bill would define "critical undersea infrastructure" to include subsea energy cables, pipelines, fiber-optic cables, and landing stations, and would define "sabotage" as intentional acts to damage that infrastructure or the data it carries. The President could waive sanctions for national security reasons but must give Congress a written justification within 15 days. Narrow exceptions would cover certain U.N., law enforcement, and authorized intelligence activities.
Taiwan undersea protection program
If enacted, the bill would require the Secretary of State to set up a Taiwan Critical Undersea Infrastructure Initiative within 360 days. The Initiative would fund sensors and real-time monitoring, share early warnings with Taiwan and partners, and coordinate Navy and Coast Guard surveillance. The bill would authorize $20 million per year for each fiscal year 2027 through 2032 for rapid response and repair activities. The President would also report to Congress within 180 days and then every 180 days through 2032 about incidents and responses.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Lawler
NY • R
Cosponsors
Min
CA • D
Sponsored 4/2/2026
Stanton
AZ • D
Sponsored 4/2/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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