That's because they would, if implemented, squeeze federal funding for civilian research over the long term. (sciencemag.org)
Military lasers could probably cut it, but they are difficult to access for civilian research. (discovermagazine.com)
Since 1978, the United States and other nations have been pushing to eliminate highly enriched uranium (HEU)-- which a terrorist or rogue nation could use to make a bomb — as fuel in civilian research reactors. (science.sciencemag.org)