Lisa Blunt Rochester Asks Commerce Nominee: Are We Meeting Quantum Competition With China?

Forbes Breaking News

During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing last week, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) questioned Paul Dabbar, nominee to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce, about global quantum competition.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Senator Blunt-Rochester.

00:03Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome, Mr. DeBar.

00:07You've heard from some of my colleagues voice their concerns, but I also want to be very

00:14clear about my concern over the gutting of the Minority Business Development Agency.

00:20At his hearing before this committee, I personally asked Secretary Lutnik if he opposed dismantling

00:27the MBDA.

00:29And he said yes, and then gutted the agency's leadership and core functions anyway.

00:36And it's been reported that the agency has gone from 100 people to one person.

00:43They've been fired.

00:44I've heard they're on leave.

00:47That broken commitment undermines decades of bipartisan work.

00:52It was created by a Republican president in 1969.

00:58Republicans like the National Urban League fought to codify the agency, and ultimately,

01:04the goal and what it has done is expand economic opportunity for communities in my state as

01:10well as across the country.

01:11I was proud to join Senators Cantwell and Baldwin in writing letters opposing any effort to dismantle

01:17the MBDA.

01:18So, my questions, first, I have a yes or no question.

01:23If you can't answer it in a yes or no, just say I can't answer it.

01:27Do you support the gutting of the MBDA?

01:30I don't have enough information.

01:35Could you talk about what steps that you would take to invest in minority-owned businesses that

01:40have the potential to transform our economy for the better?

01:45As Deputy Secretary, my role would be primarily, besides the direction of the President and

01:52the Secretary, is to execute on the authorization and the appropriations of the Senate.

01:58I actually served as a Deputy Secretary in my state, so I understand the role of Deputy Secretary.

02:04I also understand that it's an opportunity to also provide wisdom, direction, advice.

02:09And I know you've worked in many different capacities, public sector, private sector.

02:15In your work and in your career, have you worked to unlock opportunities for minority-owned

02:20businesses?

02:21And what recommendations would you give to the Secretary towards those goals?

02:27Probably the one time when I dealt with that was when I was Under Secretary for Science,

02:34and there was a program at DOE that did not report to me.

02:38But there was a DOE program on the topic.

02:41I will follow up with more detail.

02:44But I have to say I have a lack of confidence after the Secretary sat here and said he wouldn't

02:49dismantle it, and now it's being gutted.

02:52I want to shift gears.

02:54We are, as has been said by many on the dais, in a competition with China on quantum.

03:00They've spent over $15 billion in quantum, public quantum funding, far outpacing the U.S., which

03:08has invested, my understanding, $932 million in 2023.

03:15There's also a major shortage of skilled quantum scientists and engineers, with McKinsey stating

03:22there's only one qualified quantum candidate for every three openings.

03:27And DOGE is not helping.

03:30It's, again, reported that they fired over 70 NIST employees in March.

03:35This is also a concerning trend for a technology area that has the potential to revolutionize

03:42computers and our economy, as you have stated.

03:45Are you concerned that we are not currently meeting the moment when it comes to our quantum

03:51competition with China?

03:53And what are your thoughts on this?

03:54So it's an area I know well.

03:56I think the investment that was made previously under the National Quantum Initiative Act was

04:04a very good first step.

04:06I supported in testimony before House Science about the reauthorization, and if I'm so lucky

04:14to be confirmed, I'd love to work with this committee on that.

04:18I do think that the science has now moved to the point that we could actually start building

04:23real devices, real computers, have quite a bit of experience in that, and I think this is the

04:29time to go do that.

04:30I know.

04:31I want to turn to cybersecurity as well.

04:32Quantum is a critical technology for the future of this industry, and NIST works on quantum

04:38cryptography, including encryption designed to resist quantum-based computer attacks.

04:44While these quantum attacks haven't occurred yet, security experts warn bad actors are

04:49stockpiling encrypted data to take advantage of future breakthroughs called Harvest Now, Decrypt

04:56Later attacks.

04:57Given the current federal employment environment, how will you grow the quantum workforce to help

05:04protect our economy from potential quantum attacks?

05:06So the secretary is very focused on post-quantum crypto efforts by NIST.

05:12We will continue and accelerate that.

05:14I have personal experience in this quantum topic.

05:18The president's letter to Director Kratzios also highlights this topic, and so I think

05:25we would love to work with you and the rest of the Senate to try to accelerate that with

05:30the next quantum bill, amongst other program offices.

05:35I will submit some more questions for the record on supply chains and also artificial intelligence,

05:41and thank you, Mr. Chairman.

05:42I yield back.

Category

Transcript

Recommended