Now it turns out that they are breaking their own rules in regards to what is essential and vital during a government shutdown. According to the U.S. Department of Justice FY 2014 Contingency Plan, one of the categories of activities that will continue is:
5. Those related to ‘emergencies involving the safety of human life of the protection of property,’ i.e., where there is a reasonable likelihood that the safety of human life or the protection of property would be compromised, in some significant degree, by delay in the performance of the function in question.
