Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7535) to encourage the migration of Federal Government information technology systems to quantum-resistant cryptography, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 7535, the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act.

Today, the processes we use to encrypt data are incredibly reliable and can keep sensitive data secure from unauthorized users during storage or transmission. But tomorrow, that may no longer be the case.

Researchers around the world are accelerating advances toward quantum computing, which refers to the application of quantum physics to computers. This will allow the computers of tomorrow to perform calculations many magnitudes faster and more powerfully than they do today.

While quantum computers have the potential to provide considerable benefits to society through unimaginable innovation, they could also equip our adversaries with the ability to break the best encryptions available today.

Capabilities of this magnitude are estimated to be a decade or more away, but China and other adversaries are expected to begin stealing sensitive encrypted data much sooner with the intent of unlocking it when they have the ability to do so. It is essential that the Federal Government prepare for this inevitability now while we still have time to protect data that is critical to our national and economic security.

The process of migrating all Federal IT systems to post-quantum cryptography will be complex and costly, but putting the right steps in place now will help us stay at the forefront of this frontier.

I applaud Representative Ro Khanna, as well as Representatives Nancy Mace and Gerry Connolly, for introducing this thoughtful bipartisan bill to establish this process.

Within a year of enactment, the bill would require the Office of Management and Budget to submit a report to Congress containing a strategy for addressing the risk posed by quantum computing, the funding needed to secure Federal information technology systems from quantum computing threats, and a review of related coordination efforts. This will allow time for assessment of this strategy before the National Institute of Standards and Technology issues its post- quantum cryptographic standards, which are expected in 2024.

OMB would then be required to prioritize and designate Federal IT systems for migration to post-quantum cryptography using those standards and to submit an annual report to Congress on progress toward transitioning Federal agencies to the new standards.

The bill has been carefully aligned with the national security memorandum released by the Biden-Harris administration in May, which made important strides to advance U.S. leadership in quantum computing by strengthening collaboration and partnerships with private-sector leaders, securing critical capabilities, and making strategic investments.

I am grateful to Representative Ro Khanna for leading on this important issue and setting an ambitious but achievable framework to both maximize the benefits and minimize the threats of quantum computing for the U.S.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna).

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from Pennsylvania has no further speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 7535, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7535, the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, a truly bipartisan piece of legislation.

I thank Congressman Ro Khanna from California for his leadership in this and Congressman Connolly and Congresswoman Maloney for working together across the aisle on an issue like this.

I could never imagine 20 years ago--or further than that, 40 years ago, 35 years ago--playing with an Apple IIe in the 1980s, and fast- forward to college as a cadet at the Citadel, learning and teaching myself how to code. We have seen leaps and bounds in technology and the advances over the last decades in technology.

We see the risks to our national security here and abroad, and we are working together in this environment today where many of us are attacked for working together but looking forward and looking to the future and protecting our country and protecting our allies.

Quantum computing is without a doubt the next frontier in technology. It will take our civilization forward by leaps and bounds. In many ways, it will turn conventional understanding of computing on its head. I am here to tell you that the quantum computing era is upon us.

Just 3 years ago, an entry level quantum computer the size of a refrigerator was proven capable of outperforming a supercomputer the size of a football field. Imagine the advances in technology in that short a period of time and how quickly we are moving forward to the future.

We are looking at a world not unlike the last few days of the Manhattan Project, knowing what is to come will alter the security of the world forever. Fortunately, as with the development of the atomic bomb, America is at the forefront of pioneering this kind of technology--no doubt by leadership from Congressman Khanna and others.

We must inevitably face the reality that one day soon this technology may, in fact, be used against us by China and others that are against us today. The most significant threat of quantum computing is its ability to break through encryption with unprecedented speed.

Currently, our sensitive data is usually encrypted and protected with a password. It might take a conventional computer years or even decades to try to break that password and eventually steal your data.

In the next few years or decades, a computer will be created which will crack the last 20 years of encryption--not in years or months, but in minutes or seconds. To prevent any illicit use of this technology, we want to ensure that we are transitioning to a post-quantum cryptography future, to ensure Federal agencies that their sensitive information remains secure from any prying eyes. And we know that in 2020 we had 11 Federal agencies that were hacked by those that aligned with China and with Russia--11 Federal agencies.

Our bill prompts the Federal Government to begin taking the necessary steps to future proof current sensitive information and its databases. It will ensure the Federal Government will study the specific risks, draft a report on strategies to address these risks, and estimate the costs associated with securing our agencies and their IT systems.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues across the aisle for their work and their leadership on this issue.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 7535) to encourage the migration of Federal Government information technology systems to quantum- resistant cryptography, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I strongly support the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act.

Last year, Congressman Khanna came to me about a grave national security threat looming on the horizon.

Today, the processes we use to encrypt data are very reliable and can keep sensitive data secure during storage or transmission. But tomorrow, that may no longer be the case.

Researchers around the world are making rapid advances toward quantum computing, which is the application of quantum physics to allow computers to perform calculations many magnitudes faster and more powerfully than they do today.

While quantum computers have the potential to provide considerable benefits to society, it is also increasingly likely that they could allow our adversaries to break the best encryption we are capable of today.

Capabilities of this magnitude are likely still a decade or more in the future, but China and other adversaries are expected to begin stealing sensitive encrypted data much sooner to unlock it when they have the capacity to do so.

It is essential that the Federal Government prepare for this inevitability now, while we still have time to protect data that is critical to our national and economic security. The process of migrating all Federal IT systems to quantum-resistant cryptography will be complex and costly, but we need to start laying the groundwork for this today.

I applaud Mr. Khanna, as well as Ms. Mace, Mr. Connolly, and Senator Hassan, for introducing the Senate companion, all of them for putting forth a thoughtful, bipartisan bill to establish that very process.

This bill would require the Office of Management and Budget to quickly issue guidance requiring Federal agencies to create and maintain inventories of all cryptographic systems currently in use, as well as all Federal IT systems that could be vulnerable to future quantum computers.

Within a year, OMB would be required to submit to Congress a strategy for addressing the risk posed by quantum computing, allowing time for assessment of this strategy before the National Institute of Standards and Technology is expected to issue its standards for how to deal with quantum computing in 2024.

The OMB would then be required to issue guidance requiring agencies to develop a plan to migrate their IT systems to quantum-resistant cryptography using those standards and to consult with the Chief Information Officers Council to prioritize agency IT systems for migration based on risk.

The bill before us today provides more concrete direction to support this vision, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge concurrence in the Senate amendment to H.R. 7535, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as an emerging technology, quantum computing holds great promise and potential peril for our Nation. It has the potential to exponentially increase computing power and processing speeds, which will mean technological leaps for American research activities and business sectors.

While such major advances are likely decades away, there is a clear risk that foreign adversaries like China are using early developments in quantum computing technology for malicious purposes.

One immediate risk is that our foreign adversaries may use the first quantum computers to unlock data that has already been stolen from U.S. Federal agencies.

Current data encryption methods protect the privacy, security, and integrity of underlying data and are nearly impossible to decrypt with today's computing capabilities. The computations required to unlock encrypted data require computing resources that we do not currently possess. However, as quantum computing matures, so does the possibility that sensitive information could be unlocked. This is a clear national security threat.

The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act will require a governmentwide strategy to better secure valuable government data.

While the Federal Government already has initiatives underway to address such emerging threats, including the development of post- quantum cryptography standards and a recent Presidential national security directive, H.R. 7535 makes this a clear congressional priority.

The bill requires a governmentwide review of vulnerable agency information systems and consistent guidance to Federal agencies, and it seeks to ensure proper congressional oversight.

Advancing a strategic approach to evaluating quantum computing risks to Federal IT and network cybersecurity is important given the significant potential risk to our public-sector data.

And since this bill only requires centralized guidance and reporting, the Congressional Budget Office found it would cost American taxpayers less than $1 million over 5 years. This is a reasonable investment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my House Oversight and Reform Committee colleagues, Representatives Ro Khanna and Nancy Mace for their work on this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Ms. Mace).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill that addresses an emerging national security issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, as we wind down the 117th Congress, I am glad to be here supporting final passage of the Quantum Computer Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, a bipartisan bill the House sent to the Senate just this past July.

After the Senate made technical, perfecting edits, we are here today to consider sending H.R. 7535 to the President.

As an emerging technology, quantum computing holds great promise and potential peril for our Nation.

While the technology continues to rapidly develop with potential to improve computing capabilities for American research in the economy, there is a clear risk that foreign adversaries, like China, will be using this technology for malicious purposes.

One such risk is that our foreign adversaries may use the first quantum computers to unlock data that has already been stolen from U.S. Federal agencies.

Current data encryption methods are nearly impossible to decrypt with today's computing capabilities.

However, mature quantum computing systems could unlock our most sensitive information. This is a clear national security threat.

The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act will require a government-wide strategy to better secure valuable government data.

While the Federal Government already has initiatives underway to address these emerging threats--such as a recent Presidential national security directive--H.R. 7535 makes this a clear congressional priority.

Advancing a strategic approach to evaluating quantum computing risks to Federal IT and network cybersecurity is important given the significant potential risk to our public-sector data.

Madam Speaker, I thank my House Oversight Committee colleagues, Representatives Ro Khanna and Nancy

Mace, for their work on this important bill.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Ms. Mace).

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill that addresses an emerging national security issue, and I yield back the balance of my time.