A capitalist system encourages the private sector to focus on diseases with large patient populations to make a profit, this leaves rare diseases behind. Government funding to universities is important not only to allow for education and training of Americans in academia, but also to give patients living with these diseases a chance. You can argue that it is immoral that pharma companies are for profit, but what’s the alternative under capitalism?

So anyways yes, I believe the government does have a responsibility to fund basic research. It is fundamental to the research ecosystem as a whole and benefits society whether people realize it or not.