Montana feds hope for the best, prepare for worst as shutdown looms

Hard-right Republicans in the House of Representatives have all but guaranteed a government shutdown this weekend, but federal law enforcement in Montana will still continue Monday.

A road closure sign sits next to the Roosevelt Arch at Gardiner when Yellowstone National Park was closed to visitors during the 2012 government shutdown.

LARRY MAYER, Billings Gazette

In the days leading up to Saturday’s potential failure of Congress to allocate funding for the U.S. government, dozens of federal organizations drafted contingency plans, frameworks for federal employees to rely on for determining if they’ll be working until funds are assigned.

“We’re hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,” said Jesse Laslovich, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana. “There’s lots of preparation, but its weird because you’re preparing for something you have no control over.”

The government shutdown, despite what its name suggests, will not result in all functions of the U.S. federal government coming to an end. Come Monday, prosecutors in Montana will still appear in U.S. District Court. Airmen at Malmstrom Air Force Base will still attend morning formation. Air traffic

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