Senators Push for U.S. Leadership on Quantum
- July 9, 2025
- Snippets
MBHB summer associate Walter DeGroft co-authored this article.
In 2018, Congress enacted the “National Quantum Initiative Act.”[1] This act set out goals and priorities for the next 10 years, and more importantly, funding for the next five years to accelerate quantum technology in the United States.[2] Last year, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with his co-sponsors, sought to augment federal support for quantum research and development by proposing the “Department of Energy Quantum Leadership Act of 2024.”[3] This bill died on January 3, 2025, as the 119th Congress convened.[4] On February 13, 2025, Sen. Durbin, along with some new and familiar co-sponsors, introduced the bipartisan “Department of Energy Quantum Leadership Act of 2025.”[5] While almost identical to the 2024 version, the 2025 bill has some additions and modifications worth discussing. Most notably, the 2025 bill includes:
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- Regulations regarding collaboration with foreign entities (specifically China).
- A slight change of scope to include additional classes of quantum technology and organizations who can receive funding.
- A new section regarding fabrication and instrumentation for quantum technologies.[6]
If passed into law, the Quantum Leadership Act of 2025 will provide new goals, priorities, and funding through 2030,[7] reaffirming the United States’ commitment to quantum research and development.
Pushing for this act alongside Sen. Durbin are the original co-sponsors: Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT); Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK); Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY); and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN); with the addition of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) instead of Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM). It is unsurprising that Sen. Durbin is spearheading this bill. Chicago has been deemed the “Quantum Hub” of the country;[8] Illinois passed Public Act 103-0595 providing tax incentives for “quantum computing campuses,”[9], [10] and has plans to build the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.[11] Further, Illinois Gov. Pritzker has allocated “$500 million for investments in quantum technology.”[12] For all of these reasons, Illinois is the place to be for quantum.
With the actual implementation of quantum technology on the horizon (taking quantum technology from the realm of science fiction into the realm of science fact), the changes proposed by the Quantum Leadership Act of 2025 are understandable. For example, there has recently been an increased focus on keeping jobs in America. Therefore, the regulations on foreign entities make sense.[13] Moreover, in order to keep up with such an emerging tech space, the U.S. needs to expand the definition of “quantum technology” in order to ensure money can be appropriately allocated across the broad spectrum of different quantum activities. Additionally, if the U.S. wants to be able to scale its quantum technological advancements, there needs to be ample support for fabrication and instrumentation.[14] For these reasons, the changes seem logical. Now, let’s dive into them.
Section 2 of the bill (“Department of Energy Quantum Information Science Research Program (2)(H)”), among other things, added language that spells out certain restrictions for the funding in the Quantum Leadership Act of 2025. The first restriction covers Confucius Institutes.[15] For those unaware, “Confucius Institutes” are organizations that have partnered with the Chinese government to promote “Chinese language and cultural instructions.”[16] As of 2023, 104 of the 118 Confucius Institutes have been shut down.[17] Still, the bill’s proponents clearly see China as a threat and have created provisions in this bill to ensure any “institution of higher education that maintains a contract or other agreement with a Confucius Institute or any successor of a Confucius Institute” will be ineligible for funding under this act.[18] Additional restrictions have been made for any foreign country of concern or foreign entity of concern as described in this act.[19] For such a pivotal and powerful technology space, the U.S. has made it clear that they will not sacrifice security for innovation.[20]
Other changes that were introduced in this version of the bill include widening the scope of what tasks and what organizations can receive funding.[21] This includes adding engineering and general technological advancements as possible line items.[22] Additional language has been added to show the U.S. government’s reliance on private industry (allowing private companies to receive funding and have a seat at the table for discussing how this money will be spent).[23] Subsequent changes include the addition of universities as an acceptable party to receive funding in the hope of increasing the size of the quantum workforce in the U.S.[24] The legislation also allows organizations to seek renewal of their funding every five years.[25] In total, this bill would authorize more than $2.5 billion worth of funding over the next five years for innovations in quantum computing.[26]
A final big change coming from the Quantum Leadership Act of 2025 is the addition of Section 401A (“Department of Energy Quantum Instrumentation and Foundry Program”).[27] This section reserves $50 million for “developing domestic quantum supply chains.”[28] Outside of R&D manufacturing sites for private industry, we are not aware of any companies that presently specialize in the production of quantum computing devices. As this technology becomes more mainstream, there will be a need for mass production of quantum devices. As the bill states: this will help “[m]aintain United States leadership in quantum information science, engineering, and technology” by addressing the inevitable supply chain issues and by supporting other initiatives listed in this bill.
The chances of this bill passing are still unclear. Given that the 2024 version did not make it past the Senate and the fact that the present bill incorporates somewhat modest changes, the present bill will likely also struggle.[29] However, given the support of Senate Minority Leader Schumer and the bipartisan nature of the bill, there may be some cause for optimism. Likewise, President Trump has also made it clear, with $250 million being earmarked for quantum in the Big Beautiful Bill, that his administration values quantum innovations,[30] especially in the quantum cryptography space.[31] Thus, we remain hopeful that the federal government will reinvest much-needed support in quantum research and development. For more information on the proposed bill see the full amended text of the National Quantum Initiative Act.
[1] H.R. 6227, 115th Cong. (2018).
[2] See Id.
[3] S. 4932, 118th Cong. (2024).
[4] See Id.
[5] S. 579, 119th Cong. (2025).
[6] See Id.
[7] See Id.
[8] Chicago: An Emerging Hub for Quantum Innovation, World Business Chicago https://worldbusinesschicago.com/quantum/.
[9] Ill. Pub. Act No. 103-0595, § 10 (2024), https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=103-0595.
[10] Andrew H. Velzen, Illinois Passes Act Further Incentivizing Quantum Industry, MBHB Snippets, June 28, 2024, https://www.mbhb.com/intelligence/snippets/illinois-passes-act-further-incentivizing-quantum-industry/.
[11] U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin & Sen. Steve Daines, Durbin, Daines Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Support the Future of Quantum Research at Energy Department (press release, Feb. 13, 2025), https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-daines-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-support-the-future-of-quantum-research-at-energy-department.
[12] Andrew H. Velzen, Intellectual Property Tips for America’s Quantum Hub, MBHB Snippets (Aug. 22, 2024), https://www.mbhb.com/intelligence/snippets/intellectual-property-tips-for-americas-quantum-hub/.
[13] U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, The One, Big, Beautiful Bill: Made in America Becomes the Norm, Not a Novelty (press release, June 9, 2025), https://waysandmeans.house.gov/2025/06/09/the-one-big-beautiful-bill-made-in-america-becomes-the-norm-not-a-novelty/.
[14] Quantum Leadership Act of 2025, supra note 5 § 3.
[15] Id. at § 2(2)(H).
[16] Bonnie Girard, The Rise and Fall of Confucius Institutes in the US, The Diplomat (Nov. 28, 2023), https://thediplomat.com/2023/11/the-rise-and-fall-of-confucius-institutes-in-the-us/.
[17] See Id.
[18] Quantum Leadership Act of 2025, supra note 15.
[19] Id.
[20] H.R. 1, 119th Cong. (2025).
[21] Quantum Leadership Act of 2025, supra note 5.
[22] Id.
[23] Id.at §3(2).
[24] Id.
[25] Id.at §4(4).
[26] Durbin, Daines Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Support the Future of Quantum Research at Energy Department, supra note 11.
[27] Quantum Leadership Act of 2025, supra note 5 at §3.
[28] Id.
[29] S. 4932, supra note 3.
[30] H.R. 1, supra note 20.
[31] The White House, Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Reprioritizes Cybersecurity Efforts to Protect America (June 6, 2025), https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/06/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-reprioritizes-cybersecurity-efforts-to-protect-america/.
