Issue: ORN-2026-02

House science committee to host hearing on National Quantum Initiative Act: The House Science, Space and Technology Committee is planning to hold a hearing on Thursday, Jan. 22 to discuss the progress the National Quantum Initiative Act has made since it was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2018, according to three sources with knowledge of the plans.  House lawmakers are looking to hear from staff at NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Energy Department and the National Institute of Standards and Technology on the NQI and its role in future federal quantum information technology research and development work.  The witnesses include James Kushmerick, director of the Physical Measurement Laboratory at NIST; Saul Gonzalez, directorate head at NSF’s Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences; Mark Clampin, NASA Science Mission Directorate’s deputy associate administrator; and Tanner Crowder, the quantum information science lead at Energy. The NQI initially allocated about $1.27 billion to federal quantum information technology R&D programming. Following its lapse in 2023, multiple bills have been introduced to increase federal investment in quantum technology and related sciences, and industry groups have voiced a need for renewed passage. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

_______________________________

DHS launches office for drone and counter-drone technologies: The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday that it had created an agency office focused on deploying drones and countering nefarious uses of the technology, with millions of dollars already earmarked for protecting high-profile mass gatherings across the U.S. later this year. The newly minted DHS Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems will “oversee strategic investments in drone and counter-drone technologies that can outpace evolving threats and tactics,” the agency said in a press release.  DHS said the office “has already begun its work” and is currently in the process of finalizing a $115 million investment in counter-drone tech. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

_______________________________

National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization: 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 additional $25 million for QIST research at NASA, particularly focusing on quantum satellite communication and quantum sensing work.  NIST would also be instructed to stand up to three new quantum centers dedicated to advancing research in quantum sensing, measurement and engineering, with $18 million available annually from FY2026 to FY2030 for each center. The NSF, in conjunction with leadership at NIST and the Energy Department — along with other federal agencies — would also host three new centers focused on quantum research and education; quantum workforce coordination and development; and quantum testbed activity. More information is posted on the NextGov website.