There does not seem to be concern about the care of strategic activities, such as science, technology and education. The metaphor of the anchor does nothing more than refer to the fact that the State (national and provincial) should not spend more than what they earn.
There is no need to resort to the trite argument of the NASA and the billions of dollars it has annually, coming from the contributions of American taxpayers. There are already 170 companies on the list to collect thanks to a law approved by both major parties.