The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to conduct an exercise focusing on the response to a terrorist attack during extreme cold weather and its cascading effects on critical infrastructure. The exercise will assess the management of critical services during an extreme cold event and how emergency managers and stakeholders can mitigate the impacts of a terrorist attack on infrastructure. A report on the exercise's findings and proposed legislative changes will be submitted to the relevant congressional committees. This bill aims to enhance domestic preparedness for terrorism and test the homeland security posture of the United States.
Weatherizing Infrastructure in the North and Terrorism Emergency Readiness Act of 2025
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and conduct an exercise to enhance collective domestic preparedness for and response to a terrorist attack during an extreme cold weather event (e.g., an event caused by a polar vortex when Arctic air expands southward). The scenario in the exercise must involve a terrorist attack causing cascading effects on critical infrastructure (i.e., systems and assets of vital importance to national security, public health, or safety) and must address how public and private entities can coordinate to mitigate such effects and bolster community resilience.
Within 60 days after completion of the exercise, DHS must submit to Congress an after-action report including the initial findings of the exercise, plans for incorporating lessons learned into future operations, and any proposed legislative changes.
