A bipartisan pair of senators are introducing legislation Thursday that would direct a White House office to develop a strategy for reckoning with the cybersecurity ramifications of quantum computers, and require agencies to begin pilot programs on quantum-safe encryption.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., say the National Quantum Cybersecurity Migration Strategy Act is meant to get ahead of rapidly advancing quantum computers that could bypass modern encryption standards and leave important data unprotected.

“It’s critical that the federal government be prepared for any threat posed by quantum computing technology, especially when it concerns our national security,” said Peters, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “My bill would help keep Americans safe by ensuring we have a quantum cybersecurity migration strategy to stay ahead of our adversaries and protect Americans’ personal data.”  

Blackburn added that “the National Quantum Cybersecurity Migration Strategy Act would ensure the federal government creates a road map to protect sensitive data and national security from emerging data security threats fueled by quantum computing.”

It’s a follow-up to two quantum computing laws passed in recent years: one devoted to developing U.S. quantum research and another devoted to pushing agencies to acquire IT systems with post-quantum cryptography. 

The latest legislation, which CyberScoop is first to report, would lean on the expertise of the Subcommittee on the Economic and Security Implications of Quantum Science (ESIX) — which is a part of the National Science and Technology Council that coordinates federal government technology policy — to develop the strategy. 

The strategy would recommend standards for federal agencies to define “a cryptographically relevant quantum computer,” to include characteristics such as “the particular point at which such computers are capable of attacking real world cryptographic systems that classical computers are unable to attack.”

The strategy would include an assessment of the need to migrate to post-quantum cryptography for each agency, and measurements for evaluating that migration.

ESIX would also establish a post-quantum pilot program that would require each sector risk management agency responsible for protecting the 16 federally designated critical infrastructure sectors to upgrade at least one high-impact system to post-quantum cryptography by the start of 2027.

“Because stolen data can be stored and decrypted later, experts warn that action must be taken now to secure systems with stronger, quantum-proof protections,” a forthcoming news release on the bill states. “This bill responds to that urgency by requiring federal agencies to begin migrating critical systems before it’s too late.”

Quantum industry leaders at a May hearing urged Congress to expand support for U.S. quantum initiatives. Experts and U.S. government officials are particularly worried about falling behind China on quantum computing.

Peters and Blackburn are introducing their bill the day after the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee took action on its first slate of bills in 2025.

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It’s time for SpaceX to take strong action against scammers abusing the company’s Starlink internet service, Sen. Maggie Hassan said in a letter to CEO Elon Musk on Monday.

The New Hampshire Democrat cited evidence accumulating over the past two years that some Southeast Asian fraudsters scamming billions of dollars from U.S. citizens have leaned on Starlink due to its independence from national telecommunications networks, decentralized structure and the ability to use it on the go.

Media outlets and government officials have turned up Starlink equipment at scam compounds that are largely centered in Southeast Asia, and a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report last fall highlighted the trend. 

“While SpaceX has stated that it investigates and deactivates Starlink devices in various contexts, it seemingly has not publicly acknowledged the use of Starlink for scams originating in Southeast Asia — or publicly discussed actions the company has taken in response,” Hassan wrote. “Scam networks in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, however, have apparently continued to use Starlink despite service rules permitting SpaceX to terminate access for fraudulent activity.”

Scam compounds have been getting increased attention from Southeast Asian governments and nonprofit organizations in recent months, but there are also signs that the crackdowns aren’t keeping up with the industry’s evolution.

A human rights group last week reported data showing that the scammers’ use of Starlink has more than doubled since Thailand began cutting internet cables to cripple their operations.

SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday, and has not responded to past media questions about Southeast Asian scammers using Starlink.

Hassan wants to know whether SpaceX was aware of the scammers using Starlink and if so, when it first knew it, its policies for investigating and restricting the use of Starlink devices, what it’s done to work with law enforcement agencies on the problem and more. She sits on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Much of the cybersecurity-related attention SpaceX has received this year is as a potential target of cyberattacks, particularly after White House security experts warned of the security risks of installing Starlink there and President Donald Trump said he would continue using the service. 

SpaceX has a web page dedicated to Starlink-related scams of another sort.

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