Or they could take that same amount of money away from things that aren't furthering knowledge of the universe and research that leads to new advancements that

Or they could take that same amount of money away from things that aren't furthering knowledge of the universe and research that leads to new advancements that historically have had a rather impressive impact on the technology available to the average person. You know like from military minded funding, hell that amount would barely make an impact there. Especially since more efficient safer nuclear power, which continued research into nuclear battery construction could potentially contribute to, could itself help provide a source of power to help slow climate change.