# 119-s-3249: Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026

119-s-3249, Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3249
- As of: 2026-06-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3249
- Congress: 119
- Title: Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-11-20
- Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-05

## Summary

**Protecting U.S. subsea fiber-optic cables** from sabotage and strategic rivals is the bill's core aim. It uses diplomacy, new staffing, interagency coordination, information sharing, and sanctions to boost resilience and response capabilities. - Cable owners and operators gain formalized real-time threat-sharing procedures for classified and unclassified information and a mandate to streamline permitting and response planning with Federal agencies. - The Department of State must meet minimum staffing totals for subsea work — a combined minimum of 12 full-time staff with at least 5 in the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy — and the President must stand up an interagency committee to coordinate resilience, permitting, and attribution. - The President gets an IEEPA-based sanctions tool and visa penalties for foreign actors who damage subsea infrastructure, and the State Department must deliver detailed annual reports on People’s Republic of China and Russian subsea activities for 5 years.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (R-WY), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-05-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-05-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster threat sharing with private partners: benefit, high. If enacted, the Director of National Intelligence would give Congress procedures within 60 days for sharing classified and unclassified subsea cable threat indicators with cleared private partners. The procedures would require security controls, protect classified information, and support timely de…
- New federal subsea cable committee: benefit, high. If enacted, the President would create an interagency committee within one year to lead U.S. efforts to protect subsea fiber‑optic cables. The committee would include heads of relevant federal agencies and review Federal authorities. The committee would make a plan to work with private partners, sp…
- More State staff for subsea cables: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Secretary of State would assign at least 10 full‑time staff to subsea cable issues, with at least 5 in the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy. The Bureau could not meet the minimum by double‑assigning current staff. The Secretary would notify Congress within 15 days after meet…
- Sanctions and visa bans for cable sabotage: cost, high. If enacted, the President would be able to block property and prohibit transactions of foreign persons the President determines are responsible for or help sabotage critical undersea infrastructure, using authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The President would also be…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1289: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
- 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California.

## Sources
- [119-s-3249 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3249)

## Related
- [119-s-1289: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1289)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3249 (as of 2026-06-05).