More Quantum Policy
This article was written in collaboration with Dolly Chitta Ph.D. Dolly is founder of Curie Quantum and is Science and Innovation Advisor to the Nucleus Institute.
In January, we made our first post on Quantum related policy. In a relatively short article, we summarized the totality of U.S. policy relating to Quantum initiatives and support over the last several years. Now, just two months later there is significantly more in the way of updates to share, reflecting momentum and increasing attention to the technology.
What’s Happening in Congress?
Continued funding for the National Quantum Initiative (NQI) was included as part of the appropriations contained in the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026, signed into law on January 23. Quantum was just one in a long list of priorities supported by the bill, but it received special attention, including a hearing in the House Science, Space and Technology Committee titled “Assessing U.S. Leadership in Quantum Science and Technology”. Committee Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) commented:
“We are no longer just funding science experiments. We are building the infrastructure for the next century’s economy. If we don’t own the quantum supply chain today, we will be importing our security tomorrow.”
Congress appears interested in going beyond maintenance funding for existing Quantum projects. In our earlier post, we had noted the introduction of The National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026, which would meaningfully expand the scope and resources of the NQI. On March 6, Representatives Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) also introduced the Quantum in Practice Act that would include applied science in areas such as agriculture, healthcare, energy and materials as a focus of the NQI. These initiatives may not be game changers, but they are more than incremental steps.
What’s Happening in the White House?
Arguably, the White House is even more focused on ways to promote Quantum development. In February, it was reported that a draft executive order called “Ushering In The Next Frontier Of Quantum Innovation” was close to being released. The executive order is expected to chart the next stage of the White House’s strategy surrounding quantum by directing the Office of Science and Technology Policy to take actions such as lowering commercial barriers, partnering with foreign markets, scaling infrastructure and strengthening supply chains. It is expected to be a sweeping order, prioritizing an all-hands-on-deck approach to promoting the technology and protecting national security from the risks it presents.
A Quantum-specific executive order will fit nicely within prior announcements around AI–as AI and Quantum have the potential to work hand in hand to bring viability to Quantum computing. For example, the Genesis Mission is a White House and Department of Energy initiative that seeks to develop “an integrated AI platform to harness Federal scientific datasets — the world’s largest collection of such datasets, developed over decades of Federal investments.” The mission explicitly identifies Quantum information science among the national technology domains that could benefit from this platform-based approach to scientific discovery.
Efforts like these reflect a view that technological leadership will require a coordination of resources across the governmental, academic and private sectors. For heavy resource technologies like Quantum this type of integrated research environment could play an important role in accelerating progress toward practical applications.
Public-Private Initiatives
On March 6, the formation of a national “Commission on U.S. Quantum Primacy” (CUSP) was announced. It was reported that: “CUSP will be led by co-chairs Ylli Bajraktari, U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM). They are joined by a distinguished group of experts and policymakers at the intersection of technology and security.” CUSP will “evaluate the current state of the U.S. quantum ecosystem and deliver a final report featuring actionable policy recommendations to ensure that the United States does not merely participate in the quantum age, but defines it.” This particular effort feels less like tactics and more like strategy, a review of where we are. It is an interesting collaboration of legislative policymakers and private sector experts.
We also note the ongoing DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) as important to monitor. QBI is exploring (through grants and academic and industry proposals) whether it is possible to build an industrially useful quantum computer by 2033, which it defines as “any quantum computing approach [that] can achieve utility-scale operation — meaning its computational value exceeds its cost.” Unlike many earlier research initiatives, the QBI is structured around specific technical milestones intended to assess whether quantum systems can achieve the levels of reliability and scalability required for practical use.
Similar to the White House initiatives discussed above, public private Initiatives such as CUSP and QBI reflect an understanding that the Quantum conversation requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Where do These Steps Leave Us?
Individually and spaced over time, any of the above developments might not appear material. But taken together, over the course of less than three months, the initiatives demonstrate momentum and growing awareness of the incoming importance of Quantum. We should expect to see more policy steps, especially as the rapid pace of AI reminds policymakers of the importance of staying ahead of transformational technologies.
