The Signal
Quantum Industry Coalition Seeks Higher NQI Funding in 2027 NDAA
The Quantum Industry Coalition is urging Congress to pass the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act through the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, with higher funding authorizations and support for testbeds, technology cente
Quantum.world Team · Written with AI · fact-checked ·
The Quantum Industry Coalition wants Congress to authorize more money for the National Quantum Initiative than the proposed fiscal 2027 budget and recent federal spending provide, while lawmakers try to reconcile competing versions of the program’s reauthorization. In a letter sent October 30, the group urged congressional leaders to complete the measure this year through the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. Its recommendations include support for quantum testbeds and technology centers, workforce development and continued government funding for commercially available quantum hardware and software.
Higher authorizations, without a dollar figure
The coalition’s request points to a funding gap but does not put a price on closing it. The letter calls for authorization levels above those in the proposed fiscal 2027 budget and recent agency expenditures for National Quantum Initiative activities, and identifies testbeds and the operation of quantum technology centers as areas needing continued support. The account of the letter does not provide specific dollar amounts.
“The National Quantum Initiative has been vital to U.S. quantum leadership since 2018, but the state of the art in quantum fields has advanced considerably in that time, and the program must be updated to reflect it,” the letter says.
The coalition also backs bill language allowing continued federal support for commercially available quantum hardware and software. The reported priorities do not specify a funding mechanism or amount for that support.
The 2027 NDAA is the coalition’s chosen route
The group is pressing for the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to pass before the end of 2026 as part of the annual defense authorization bill. The House and Senate versions still need reconciliation, making the NDAA a time-limited legislative vehicle rather than a guarantee of passage. The coalition’s letter describes the defense bill as the best available route to finish reauthorization this year.
The letter went to leaders of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. It names Sens. Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, Mike Lee and Martin Heinrich, along with Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Brian Babin. The coalition says its members unanimously support both chambers’ versions, while asking lawmakers to resolve remaining differences.
Workforce and research rules join the funding agenda
The letter calls for continued efforts to build a workforce fluent in quantum information science and technology, and for lawmakers to consider whether college and K-12 curricula should include more quantum material. Those proposals add education and training to the coalition’s priorities, alongside shared research infrastructure and commercial products.
On research security, the coalition wants the reauthorization’s protections and program definitions aligned with the CHIPS and Science Act. It argues that a consistent set of requirements would reduce duplication, and asks lawmakers to use definitions that cover different quantum approaches as well as enabling technologies, including quantum-classical hybrid systems. The group says the rules should remain technology-neutral rather than narrowing eligibility to particular quantum modalities.
A 2018 initiative faces a new authorization test
The National Quantum Initiative began with a 2018 law intended to coordinate and expand federal quantum research and development. Authorization for certain research and development activities expired on September 30, 2023, while authorization for the initiative as a whole runs through December 21, 2029. The reauthorization effort would update that framework as the House and Senate versions move toward a negotiated text.
The coalition’s October 30 post confirms that it sent the letter and urges committee leaders to agree on a final version of the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act and its Senate companion, the Department of Energy Quantum Leadership Act, before year-end. The immediate test is whether negotiators include the coalition’s requested funding levels, facilities, workforce provisions and security language in the bill they send forward. Until lawmakers produce that text, the coalition’s priorities remain recommendations, not enacted funding commitments.