In June of this year, the United States Senate Armed Services Committee eliminated the funding towards the Office of Naval Research's two most groundbreaking programs, the Free Electron Laser, and the Electromagnetic Rail Gun, for the sake of cutting the budget during the "debt ceiling" crisis.
These two programs have already made significant milestones and exceeded all expectations and surpassed many deadlines for success. They cost the US Tax Payer $211 million since 2005 for the rail gun, and $60 million annually since the 1990s for the laser; an infinitesimally small portion of the total defense budget. These programs could yield defense systems that would give the US military a shield against missiles, and a way to strike against distant threats, faster with less casualties.