Sens. Young, Cantwell introduce National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization

The updated bill text adds multiple federal hubs to fund workforce growth and quantum technology research and development, as industry leaders hope for swift passage.

On Thursday, Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., introduced the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to praise from industry leaders.

The National Quantum Initiative Act was initially signed into law by President Donald Trump during his first term in office in 2018. It expired in 2023, and efforts to reauthorize the program have since fallen short of passage.

The new legislation would extend the original act’s funding timeline to expire in December 2034 and would authorize funding for multiple federal agencies to execute new quantum information science and technology research efforts. 

That funding includes authorization of $85 million “for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030” for QIST research and consortium activities within the National Institute of Standards and Technology and an ...