Government funds faster science doctorates for U.S. citizens.
S. 5187 — PHD Talent Act of 2026 · Filed by Mark Warner (D-VA) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 30, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
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What it does
The bill tells the Department of Energy to start a 5-year program. Universities get money to run doctoral programs that finish one year faster. Students get paid for at least 3 years of study. They also get mentoring and research work at national labs and companies. Schools must keep high standards. They must teach students both their field and AI or advanced computing.
Who it affects
College students pursuing science doctorates get funding and mentoring. The fields are AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, and clean energy. Universities that run the program get grants. National labs and companies host student research.
One thing to notice
The bill ends after 5 years and needs Congress to approve it again. This may make it hard for schools to plan long-term.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Jul 30, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jul 30, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- doctoral — The highest degree a student can earn at a university, usually in a specific field.
- national labs — Government-run research centers where scientists work on important projects.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (13,783 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
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