Pork barrel boondoggle.
It definitely appears that way until you dig a little deeper. "Funding UFO Research" doesn't necessarily mean that they are searching for extraterrestials, but consider that if you're a NORAD Commander and you get an incoming "blip" you must respond. If the interceptor sees something strange then the military wants to know if it is some new type of russian or chicom supercraft, particularly if it performs in a manner contrary to typical aircraft.