US Officials Urge Congress to Reauthorize Key Quantum Law

Feds Warn US May Lose Quantum Race Without Sustained Research Funding Chris Riotta (@chrisriotta) • January 22, 2026

A lapsed federal law significantly strengthened coordination across the federal government, academia and industry on quantum computing - but gaps in authorization threaten to undermine progress, officials told lawmakers Thursday.

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Senior leaders from the Department of Energy, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NASA and the National Science Foundation testified before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology that the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018 created a long-absent national framework for quantum research, allowing federal agencies to align priorities, share infrastructure and coordinate investments across computing, sensing and networking technologies. The bill lapsed in 2023.

Lawmakers introduced the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act in early January as part of ...