The US Federal government didn't exist. No, that's not correct. You'll recall that the girl's mom worked for the FBI; in once scene we see the mom going in for

The US Federal government didn't exist. No, that's not correct. You'll recall that the girl's mom worked for the FBI; in once scene we see the mom going in for a security check. The existence of an FBI clearly implies the existence of a federal government. It's just that their scope was significantly curtailed.