On April 14, 2026, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act (S.3597) out of committee, adopting seven amendments during markup. The bill was introduced on January 8 by Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and would extend the National Quantum Initiative through December 2034.
Three amendments introduced by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) were adopted: the Advancing Quantum Manufacturing Act, which directs DOE and NSF coordination and establishes a Manufacturing USA institute for quantum manufacturing; the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Application Act, creating a public-private partnership for near-term quantum application development; and the National Quantum Cybersecurity Migration Strategy Act, requiring OSTP to coordinate a national strategy for migrating federal systems to post-quantum cryptography. Nextgov reported that additional amendments from Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) addressed coordination between quantum research centers and regional technology hubs, and the expansion of research into adjacent fields such as materials science and fabrication.
The bill authorizes $85 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for NIST quantum research and consortium activities, $25 million for NASA quantum work, and up to $18 million annually for each of three new NIST quantum centers focused on sensing, measurement, and engineering. The legislation now advances to the Senate floor.