> Why now all of a sudden?

The government already considered them a threat. Just like everyone else, including themselves (the gov isn't a single entity).

What changed is geopolitics. Official and publicly calling them a threat.

What this also changes is how gov works with companies. How these companies can subcontract and to who. Which, let's be honest, most companies don't give a rats ass if they are hacked. Sure, they lose money, but it's almost always a slap on the wrist and since every company works this way there's no market signal to express that you care even if you do. (I'd still encourage people to install apps like Signal, degoogle, and all that. Your individual choices still do matter, even if it's only us nerds)