Insider Brief
- U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn argues that Congress should pass the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to restore and expand U.S. quantum policy, citing economic growth, technological leadership, and national security risks if the U.S. falls behind.
- The op-ed outlines how reauthorization would update the expired 2018 framework by expanding federal quantum R&D roles, reducing participation barriers for industry and universities, and strengthening domestic quantum supply chains.
- It highlights Tennessee’s existing quantum assets—including work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and early quantum networking deployments—while warning that China’s large-scale quantum investment could undermine U.S. encryption and strategic security.
PRESS RELEASE — Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) penned an op-ed in The Tennessean on why Congress must pass the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act, which would accelerate the groundbreaking quantum research taking place in Tennessee to benefit our economy and national security. Read the op-ed here and below.
Reauthorizing the NQIA is critical to America’s future
Senator Marsha Blackburn
Speeding up the discovery of life-saving drugs. Producing new encryption methods to safeguard Americans’ data. Spearheading innovations in energy, logistics, and chemical research. With quantum technology, the potential benefits for our economy and national security are nearly endless.
While traditional computers boast incredible speeds—with the fastest processing one quintillion calculations a second—quantum computers can operate even faster. This is especially true for tasks that deal with multiple variables, with quantum computers solving problems in minutes that would take a traditional computer thousands of years.
While transforming entire industries, such computing power has the potential to speed up the development of other emerging technologies, from artificial intelligence to self-driving cars. All told, quantum technologies are expected to generate nearly $100 billion in value over the next decade.
To take full advantage of this opportunity, America must lead in quantum development. That’s why I recently introduced legislation, alongside several of my Senate colleagues, to reauthorize and expand the National Quantum Initiative Act (NQIA).
First signed into law by President Trump in 2018, the NQIA supported research and development, improved coordination between industry and government, and promoted international standards for quantum. It also established a 10-year strategy for U.S. quantum leadership to ensure that our country stays at the forefront of this critical technology. In 2023, however, the NQIA expired, leaving a huge gap in our nation’s quantum policy.
While reauthorizing these provisions, our legislation would enhance and expand the law to account for the rapid advancements in quantum technology since the initiative was first signed into law. For example, the legislation would empower NASA to conduct quantum R&D, including for quantum sensing and satellite communications. It would also direct the Government Accountability Office to determine ways to reduce red tape to ensure businesses and universities participate in the federal initiative and instruct the Commerce Department to develop a strategy to strengthen our quantum supply chains.
In addition to the NQIA, I have led several bipartisan bills to promote U.S. quantum development, including legislation to bolster quantum research at the Department of War, create a Manufacturing USA Institute to spur quantum manufacturing, and establish a public-private partnership to develop near-term, commercial applications for the technology. I am working to ensure these measures are included in the NQIA, which would bolster President Trump’s efforts to usher in a golden age of American innovation.
In Tennessee, we are well prepared to lead this next revolution in quantum development. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, researchers are pioneering groundbreaking quantum research on machine learning, communication systems, electronics, and more. In Chattanooga, the city’s electric utility has deployed America’s first industry-led, commercially available quantum network. And our universities, from Vanderbilt to the University of Tennessee, are educating and training the future leaders of our nation’s quantum workforce.
This forward-looking leadership is especially important as Communist China works to achieve quantum supremacy by 2049, investing $15 billion—that we know of—in its development. If they achieve this goal, our nation’s top adversary will be able to break encryptions, endangering everything from Americans’ bank accounts and intellectual property to classified information and military communications. As the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission noted in a recent report, “whoever gets there first could lock in irreversible strategic superiority—especially considering how exposed today’s global infrastructure remains to attacks on public key encryption systems.”
This threat represents one of the gravest risks for our nation’s security. We must do everything possible to prevent it from happening. By passing the NQIA, Congress can take a bold step to ensure America’s 21st century leadership and realize all the incredible benefits of quantum—while ensuring that it can never be used against us by our adversaries.
