# 119-s-5000: Cyber Letters of Marque and Reprisal Act

119-s-5000, Cyber Letters of Marque and Reprisal Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-08).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5000
- As of: 2026-08-08
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5000
- Congress: 119
- Title: Cyber Letters of Marque and Reprisal Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-15
- Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-08

## Summary

**Authorizes the President to commission private cyber operators to disrupt foreign cyber threats and recover stolen digital assets.** The Cyber Letters of Marque and Reprisal Act would let the President issue "cyber letters" that permit private individuals or companies to carry out limited offensive cyber operations abroad, seize digital assets, and return funds to American victims while funding future bounty programs. - Private operators: Would be allowed to run offensive cyber actions outside U.S. territory, including malware and asset seizures, after meeting qualifications and posting security bonds set by the President. Bond forfeiture can occur if holders violate the letter's terms. - Victims and rewards: Recovered assets may be returned to U.S. victims and up to 15% of each holder's recovered assets can be forfeited to a federal bounty program. Non-holding informants may receive up to 5% of recovered assets for information that leads to recovery. - Oversight and limits: Letters cannot authorize operations against U.S. citizens or entities and require holders to keep records of activities and seizures for at least five years. The bill shields holders from civil suits for acts the letter expressly authorizes.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Authority to hire private cyber teams: mixed, high. If enacted, the President would be able to issue cyber letters that hire private teams to run offensive cyber operations outside U.S. borders. Holders would be allowed to use tools like malware to disrupt or seize foreign digital assets against designated cyberthreats. The bill would forbid knowing…
- New rules for cyber-letter holders: mixed, medium. If enacted, the President would issue guidance on who may get a cyber letter and where holders may operate. The President would require recipients to post a security bond the President sets before issuing a letter. The bill would permit forfeiture of some or all of the bond if the holder violates t…
- Recovered cyber assets fund bounties: mixed, medium. If enacted, recovered assets from authorized cyber operations would help fund a federal bounty program. The President could require up to 15% of assets recovered by a letter-holder be forfeited to the United States to fund bounties. A person without a letter who provides information leading to reco…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5653: Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026
- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-1801: International Nuclear Energy Act of 2025
- 119-s-1249: Drone Integration and Zoning Act
- 119-s-62: America First Act
- 119-s-4280: SAFE Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5000 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5000)

## Related
- [119-s-5653: Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5653)
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-1801: International Nuclear Energy Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1801)
- [119-s-1249: Drone Integration and Zoning Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1249)
- [119-s-62: America First Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-62)
- [119-s-4280: SAFE Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4280)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5000 (as of 2026-08-08).