I think that fusion research physicists actually have a pretty realistic idea of what the money would likely result in, but they know this won't get them the funding.
So, if this money isn't wasted of fusion research, I expect it would be wasted on some other field which is 2nd best at making duplicitous promises. Maybe solar freakin roadways.
The challenge is to figure out how to design and maintain a system that can disincentivize the B.S.
nyrath