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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Dear Colleague,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="">I know that many of you are asking
whether anything has happened since the All Hands meetings a month
ago. In fact, little has materially changed. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">For something like
a budget bill to become law, it requires approval in the House of
Representatives, in the Senate<span style="color: rgb(31, 73,
125);">,</span> and a final signature from the President. While
some bills have been passed in the House, they did not pass the
Senate, except for a series of Continuing Resolutions that have
extended that status with interim funds through an extra few
weeks.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">The latest of the
short-term measures comes to an end on April 8, one week from now.
Congress may come up with a full-year bill, which the President
could sign, or perhaps another short-term Continuing Resolution,
or nothing. In the latter case, the government shuts down.
However, that does not mean that we would shut the lab, at least
not immediately. We have sufficient funds in hand to continue to
function for a while.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">We are into the
planning of exactly how we would <font color="#000000"><span
style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></font> handle such a
government shutdown. Of course, if that condition were to persist
for a significant period, we would have to transition to a
different status in which we would do the minimum to safely
maintain the government’s investment in the laboratory. An analogy
might be what happens during the end of year shutdown.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Meanwhile, I and
others have been meeting with our political leaders in Washington.
On Tuesday this past week, we visited nine congressional offices.
We explained the consequences of some of the dire measures being
contemplated.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">We are conscious
that you are under considerable stress as a result of the
uncertainty, and as soon as we can clarify anything, we will do
so. Meanwhile, we appreciate very much your ongoing attention to
the jobs at hand, and your concern for your own and your
colleagues’ safety.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Sincerely,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""> Hugh Montgomery</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""> Director</p>
<br>
<br>
<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span><br>
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