Senate Committee Advances Quantum Computing Bill  

The development was reported by Nextgov/FCW, which covered the committee markup in detail. According to that report, the amendments cover a broad range of quantum-related priorities, from speeding up practical near-term applications to helping the federal government prepare for the cybersecurity risks that more powerful quantum machines will eventually create.

Sen. Todd Young, a Republican from Indiana who co-led the reintroduction of the bill alongside Sen. Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington, framed the legislation in sweeping terms. “Quantum technologies promise to dramatically transform every industry and sector of our economy and revolutionize our technological capabilities,” Young said in a statement. “This legislation, which reauthorizes the NQI, is critical to ensuring American leadership in quantum technology.”

Three of the seven amendments came from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Her proposals, folded into the bill during Tuesday’s markup, aim to improve coordination between the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, create a public-private partnership to accelerate near-term quantum applications, and require the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a national strategy for migrating federal cybersecurity systems to post-quantum standards. That last point addresses a widely recognized vulnerability: quantum computers, once mature enough, could break the encryption methods that currently protect sensitive government and commercial data.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) added two amendments of her own. One would support quantum testbeds designed to help move prototype technologies into industry-scale use. The other would clarify how the National Science Foundation runs its program to expand access to quantum research resources.

Read more: Global Quantum Governance: From Principles to Practice

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced an amendment aimed at connecting two separate innovation ecosystems created by prior legislation. His proposal would link the Multidisciplinary Centers for Quantum Research and Education, which the original 2018 law established, with regional technology and innovation hubs created under a 1980 federal law. The National Science Foundation and the Commerce Department would coordinate research activities between those entities, with a focus on quantum information sciences and engineering.

A final amendment from Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) would expand the research scope of those same Multidisciplinary Centers beyond quantum information science into adjacent areas including materials science, fabrication and physics. Kim’s amendment would also direct the centers to put existing infrastructure, such as data centers and communication networks, to work supporting quantum technology demonstrations and industry partnerships.

The National Quantum Initiative Act was first signed into law in 2018 but expired in the fall of 2023 when Congress failed to reauthorize it. Lawmakers reintroduced the reauthorization in January 2026.

The quantum computing industry moved quickly to welcome Tuesday’s vote. D-Wave, one of the leading commercial quantum computing companies, praised the committee for including language on commercialization and near-term applications. “These sandbox style programs are critical to demystifying the capabilities of quantum computing,” said Allison Schwartz, the company’s senior VP of global public affairs and government relations, in a statement cited by Nextgov/FCW.

The bill now heads to the full Senate. How quickly it moves from there will be worth watching, particularly given the cybersecurity provisions, which carry practical deadlines for federal agencies still running encryption systems that quantum advances could eventually render obsolete.