SETI doesn't get much funding, because Congress blocked it in the 1990s. Career-wise, this is also an incredibly risky subject to pursue as a researcher, because the most likely result is nothing.
On the other hand, other research into life in the universe is booming. The search for "biosignatures" in exoplanet atmospheres is a major subject in astronomy. One of the main goals is NASA's Mars rovers is to look for evidence of past habitability.
It would be great if SETI got more funding, but it's not as if there's no research into extraterrestrial life. There's a huge amount of research that isn't as flashy as SETI: atmospheric chemistry of exoplanets, the geology of Mars, etc.
There's a large degree of self-congratulation and self-promotion in what Loeb is saying, and denigration of what others have been doing. The idea that this field of research is "stifled" because people are "scared" is basically bullshit.