Government responses to shutdown questions eerily similar

The staff over here at Federal Times are getting a sense of deja vu from agency responses to our questions about a possible government shutdown.

Here is a response from the Energy Department (Emphasis added).

As a matter of course, our agency plans for contingencies, but this is besides the point since, as the bipartisan congressional leadership has said on a number of occasions and as the President has made clear, no one anticipates or wants a government shutdown. The Department is working with both sides on Capitol Hill to fund the government and keep its vital services and functions operating.

Here is the response from the Commerce Department:

As a matter of course, the Commerce Department plans for contingencies.  In fact, since 1980, all agencies have had to have a plan in case of a government shutdown, and these plans are updated routinely.  All of this is beside the point since, as the bipartisan congressional leadership has said on a number of occasions and as the President has made clear, no one anticipates or wants a government shutdown. The administration will work with both sides on Capitol Hill to fund the government and keep its vital services and functions operating.

Somehow I doubt that these two public affairs people at these two agencies came up with the exact same phrasing and punctuation.

I will post questions to each of these agencies and will update if I get a response.