@mekkaokereke Completely agree. I wanted to add some rays of positivity for those feeling bleak, I hope you don't mind:
It's worth noting that while the US government under-invests, it's not entirely bleak for the US green tech scene.
Specifically, both Iron-Air and Sodium-Ion batteries are US inventions and even manufactured primarily here today. US companies are also much closer to cost-effective LAES than most EU or CN entities.
That all changes if we don't push harder, but it's a start.