GOP Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, spoke at Johnson’s press conference to highlight the impact of the shutdown on national parks and public lands.
Most national parks have stayed open during the shutdown, albeit with reduced staffing and services. But Westerman said that could change if the funding lapse continues.
“This can’t continue indefinitely. Despite all the extraordinary efforts being made, at some point, without funding, the public lands will not be accessible to the public,” Westerman said. “The longer this unnecessary shutdown lasts, the more negative consequences it will start to [have]. Without regular staffing, litter will pile up, and park ecosystems will be affected.”
GOP Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, the chairman of the subcommittee that oversees appropriations for the Interior Department, noted that families who have vacations planned are canceling their trips due to the shutdown.
“It’s a great time to visit our national parks. But we have families who have been planning to visit our national parks, for years sometimes, putting aside the resources, that are now canceling their visits to our national parks because of this shutdown and the impact that it could potentially have on their vacations,” said Simpson. “Unfortunately that’s very damaging.”
Both lawmakers praised the Trump administration for trying to keep the accessible areas of the parks open, in contrast to the shutdown of 2013, when the Obama administration closed parks.
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