This is a great idea for a podcast fireballs (chuckles as I type your username), we have a lot of scientists on the site and it's a topic that gets discussed often. I think I may even put it in front of the religion podcast i was considering doing next. Are you someone equipped to talk on this subject?
I'm no more qualified than the average user, but science policy in the US is one of my interests. You'd probably be better off finding more qualified people to talk about it, but I can point you in the direction of some reading about the subject. Just off the top of my head: Billionaires With Big Ideas Are Privatizing American Science The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation U.S. Science Agencies Get Some Relief in 2014 Budget NSF Budget Request I'm not sure how much time you prepare for these podcasts, but that book I linked to is a good read regardless. I look forward to hearing this podcast, its a topic I'm very interested in!