The main objective of Curiosity's mission to Mars is to search for life, either past or present. What if it succeeds? NASA is betting finding any alien life will be a game-changer, ensuring funding for future Mars operations. That may or may not work out.
Given the financial shape of the federal government, many politicians will have a hard time increasing spending on space no matter what the reason. The public might force that increae, but that in turn may well depend on what kind of evidence is found. An artefact from an alien civilization would clinch the deal, as would a multicellular creature-- especially one that squirmed or squiggled.
But what about a single cell organism, or a bacterium, or simply a fossil? Would that be enough? The answer to that is unclear.
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