As Congress and the White House search for a way to reopen the government, the search for alien life is largely not impacted by one of the longest partial shutdowns in American history.

The SETI Institute, which stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, a nonprofit backed by grants from NASA, philanthropists, and corporate donors, won’t let the United States be in the dark if intergalactic travelers happen to make first contact while the federal government bickers about Earthly politics.