Agency officials say the Department of Homeland Security is expected to open the National Risk Management Center, which will help government agencies identify and prioritize cyberattacks. The center will be based out of a DHS base in Arlington, Va.

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking funding in the 2017 budget that would allow the agency to employ 24 cybersecurity advisers for deployment nationwide. DHS currently has six cybersecurity advisers.

The Department of Homeland Security is making its final pitch for private-sector firms interested in bidding to support its new Next Generation Security Operations Center, which will serve as a clearinghouse for cybersecurity tools and support services. "The task orders issued hereunder will be designed to acquire a broad range of services and solutions -- under various contract types -- to fulfill the department's [cybersecurity] mission," the agency writes in a $395 million request for proposals.

Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Tom Carper, D-Del., wrote letters to the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department with questions about the growing number of ransomware attacks and what the agencies plan to do. "While much attention is paid to what must be done to bolster the cyberdefenses at federal agencies and large businesses, all of us [are] vulnerable to online scams and emerging dangers like the malicious computer virus known as 'ransomware,' " the senators said.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said "federal cybersecurity efforts are not where they need to be ... but we are improving and detecting more and more intrusions every day." Johnson praised Congress for steps taken on cybersecurity bills and pointed to 700,000 stopped attacks on government systems by the DHS' Einstein system.