The White House is preparing a comprehensive executive order on quantum information sciences that would establish government-wide coordination to accelerate U.S. quantum computing development, creating parallel momentum with congressional efforts to reauthorize expired quantum research funding.
A draft executive order obtained by Nextgov/FCW tasks the Office of Science and Technology Policy director with setting strategic vision to maintain American leadership in quantum technologies. The order represents the most ambitious federal quantum policy framework since the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act, which lapsed in 2023.
The pending order assigns major implementation roles to the secretaries of Energy, Defense, and Commerce, requiring them to update the National Quantum Strategy within 180 days. Thirty days after that update, relevant agencies must report to OSTP and the Office of Management and Budget on their implementation plans—creating clear regulatory timelines and accountability mechanisms.
Notably, the executive order establishes a national effort to achieve a “quantum computer for scientific applications and discovery” (QCSAD) housed at a Department of Energy facility, with explicit mandates for private sector engagement. Commerce will develop plans to de-risk investments in commercial quantum companies, while Energy, Commerce, and Defense must form a Center of Excellence within 180 days to assess quantum computing system capabilities.
These executive branch initiatives emerge alongside renewed congressional action. At a January House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing, federal experts testified on commercialization challenges, emphasizing that quantum applications remain nascent despite recent progress in error correction. Lawmakers heard from officials at NIST, NASA, the Energy Department, and the National Science Foundation about bridging the research-to-market gap.
The hearing provided groundwork for potential reauthorization of the National Quantum Initiative Act. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Todd Young (R-ID) introduced legislation in early 2026 seeking nearly $1.5 billion in funding—an increase from the original $1.27 billion allocation. The executive order would reconstitute the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee at the 180-day mark, directly reviving a provision from the expired 2018 law.
Related: Congress Urged to Reauthorize the National Quantum Initiative Amid Budget Battle
The dual-track approach reveals parallel efforts but also potential coordination challenges. While Congress focuses on funding levels and research mandates, the executive order emphasizes interagency coordination, private sector partnerships, and international trade competitiveness. The order tasks Commerce, the International Trade Administration, and the U.S. Trade Representative with identifying foreign trade barriers hindering U.S. quantum competitiveness—a regulatory focus absent from congressional testimony.
James Kushmerick, director of NIST’s Physical Measurement Laboratory, told lawmakers in the hearing that government-industry co-development is essential, noting no major bureaucratic barriers exist to private partnerships. The executive order codifies this approach through specific agency mandates for industry engagement, prize challenges, and advanced market commitments.
However, the draft order contains a conspicuous gap. It lacks post-quantum cryptography provisions and does not mention the Department of Homeland Security or CISA, despite their central role in protecting critical infrastructure from quantum-enabled threats. The order does task the FBI with expanding its Quantum Information Science and Technology Counterintelligence Protection Team, focusing on threat response rather than preventive cryptographic migration.
Energy Department official Tanner Crowder testified that quantum networking and error correction remain critical technical challenges, with applications for the electrical grid still nascent. The executive order addresses this by requiring Energy, Commerce, NSF, and NASA to submit five-year roadmaps for quantum sensing and networking within 180 days—creating regulatory benchmarks for technology development.
The order also prioritizes workforce development, directing OSTP to partner with academic institutions and requiring NSF to establish National QIST Education and Teaching Institutes. The Labor Secretary will track workforce development metrics, establishing data collection requirements for measuring U.S. quantum talent pipeline progress.
With approximately $2 billion invested globally in quantum technology in 2024 according to McKinsey estimates, and fault-tolerant quantum computers expected around 2030, these coordinated federal efforts signal recognition that regulatory frameworks and public investment must keep pace with technological advancement and international competition.
