If you aren't even here (who tf calls it the colonies?) or know enough to talk about it, then you really need to shut up about it. "The Fed" here refers to the Federal Reserve. If that shuts down we are very fucked. But it appears you are trying to talk about the federal government. In which case there are an assload of departments which protect the people and our interests. If the federal government gets shut down, they do as well. Not just the shitty parts suffer.