Pentagon to coordinate cybersecurity education across federal agencies and colleges
H.R. 6631 — Establishing Cyber Security Educational Programs at Academic Institutions Act · Filed by Sarah Elfreth (D-MD) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Dec 11, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a program collaborating with colleges and universities to develop cybersecurity education curricula and designate institutions that meet standards in cyber defense, operations, and research. The program requires consultation with NSA, CISA, NIST, FBI, and NSF to avoid duplication, and mandates annual reporting to Congress on program benefits versus costs. No new appropriations are authorized.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to coordinate federal and academic efforts in cybersecurity education, designate qualifying institutions, and measure program outcomes. It is a coordination and accountability measure, not a funding or deregulation bill.
What the text implies
- Designation as a DoD-recognized cyber education institution may enhance recruitment of students and federal funding opportunities for those schools, creating competitive advantage for designated vs. non-designated institutions.
- Annual reporting requirement creates ongoing federal oversight of academic cybersecurity programs, potentially influencing curriculum decisions at participating institutions.
- Reliance on NIST Special Publication 800–181 and Defense Cyber Workforce Framework as standards may lock academic institutions into federal workforce definitions, reducing curricular flexibility.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill coordinates federal cybersecurity education efforts across agencies and academic institutions, reducing duplication and improving curriculum quality for students entering a critical national workforce. No new mandatory costs are imposed on citizens, and the program explicitly authorizes no new appropriations—it works within existing budgets.
Who stands to gain
- academic institutions designated under the program (enhanced reputation, recruitment, potential fede
- students in cybersecurity programs (improved curriculum quality, clearer workforce pathways)
Named in the bill
Secretary of Defense, National Security Agency (NSA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, Defense Cyber Workforce Framework, NIST Special Publication 800–181
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Dec 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Dec 11, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce and House Committee on Armed Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (5,991 characters) on Aug 29, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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