Yes or no, does ULA receive government money regardless of whether they launch at all in a given year? I’ll give you a hint, the answer is not “no.” SpaceX is a threat to the ULA monopoly on the US orbital launch industry, and it is driving down launch costs significantly through innovation. So yes, it’s different from the pre-existing competition.
ULA is a govt contractor bound to the same competitive rules that all govt contractors must adhere. They don’t get to keep the doors open on taxpayer money if they are not on a contract and delivering a product or service to the govt. So I don’t know what you are implying. Its up to the govt to decide how and when it competes and awards contracts, and what is in the best interest of preserving particular industrial base capabilities that we don’t want to lose. In the case of space access, the govt has been looking to cut costs by finding lower priced alternatives, but that often comes with higher risk or less capability. And since govt admin/bureaucracy turnover is only a few years most of the time, the govt record for knowing how best to allocate the tax dollars is spotty.