Particle physics and knowing particle physics is, and has been of direct military and economic benefit to our society.
But it is the principle of the thing. Are we going to have the best and greatest particle accelerators here in the USA, or are we going to send our smartest physics graduate students to Europe?
In the immortal words of Robert (Bob) R. Wilson....
“It has only to do with the respect with which we regard one another, the dignity of men, our love of culture. It has to do with: Are we good painters, good sculptors, great poets? I mean all the things we really venerate in our country and are patriotic about. It has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to make it worth defending.”
I would like to see America be the leader in all sciences, including particle physics. I am not by any means an expert on particle physics, and I am willing to accept the idea that I may not appreciate the importance of this new development in particle physics. Those in the field do seem elated over this. My experience over the years is that too often such claims have turned into hyperbole. To jump from this event to making predictions about finding alternate parallel universes is a huge jump.