Quantum Computers Could Break Today's Encryption. Washington Needs to Prepare Now.
CyberScoop, Thursday, October 8th, 2026
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi argues Congress must give the post-quantum transition the same urgency as AI.
The op-ed warns that lawmakers focused on AI safety are overlooking quantum computing, as new research suggests a cryptographically relevant quantum computer may need far fewer resources than earlier estimates.
Google has set 2029 for its PQC transition, and harvest-now, decrypt-later attacks already threaten long-lived secrets even with the White House's 2030-2031 federal deadlines.
The author calls for intelligence and Defense Department exposure assessments, upgradable military systems, and support for states, hospitals and banks.