Huge benefits: Increase competition, overthrow incumbents, equip populace with basic skills and manufacturing capacity in case of when shit hits the fan, cheaper parts. Downsides I can think of: Exploitation of the program through various means by bad actors. It is no different than SBA low interest loans, just instead of capital, you get machines for specific purpose. Another one is injection molding, the entire industry has been shipped overseas. IM is fundamental to producing parts in large quantities and the dark art of making molds is almost extinct in USA.

I urge everyone to study WWII history. Overnight, they converted button/zip manufacturers to making carbureator parts for Airplanes. Literally, overnight. At 8pm, they were producing mother of pearl buttons. By noon next day, they were making first batch of pins for the deflector plate.

Today's generation has no clue what happens in trying times. They need to study history to see what really happened, almost overnight.

> I urge everyone to study WWII history

I read a lot of WW2 history, but not about the manufacturing part. Any good books you’d recommend?

Freedom’s Forge is one I’d recommend, I started reading it and couldn’t put it down until the end.

Your reply in no way addresses my question...

Why not, as a taxpayer, my interest is in defense of the nation and getting more “bang for the buck” so to speak :-) instead of giant defense companies milking billable hours.

Yes it does, at length

No, it doesn't.

I asked what the benefit would be of funding private enterprises that private enterprises are already willing to fund. And he provided a nonsensical spiel about WW2-era policies without explaining why those policies were necessary today, given that private enterprises are already willing to spend the money to fund those activities.

His suggestion would result in massive amounts of fraud and wealthy techbros getting free toys they don't need from the U.S. government courtesy of their fellow taxpayers.

How would this possibly be achieved when everyone in congress has pockets lined with defense contractor lobby money?

Keep the pork projects and run the investment aids as a separate program.