ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota is ready, at least in the short term, to survive the current federal government shutdown.

That was the message Thursday from Governor Tim Walz and his state budget director, who say they've been laying out plans to continue operations without federal funding for weeks in anticipation of a budget agreement stalling out.

"We've been working for about four weeks in the preparations for this," Walz told reporters from the State Capitol. "There is a playbook, if you will, on how things start to roll back, what furloughs look like, what the impact is at this early stage."

State Management Budget Director and Assistant Commissioner Ahna Minge says the shutdown impacts two types of programs and services in Minnesota: those directly funded by the federal government, an

See Full Page