Colorado officials were ready Friday to step in and keep national parks, like Rocky Mountain, open in the event of a federal government shutdown/Kurt Repanshek file
Editor’s note: This is updated to show that the Senate passed the stopgap spending bill early Saturday morning. The vote was 85-11. The White House released a statement that no agencies will shut down, and President Biden is expected to sign the bill in the morning.
Had Congress failed on Friday to pass legislation to keep the federal government in business the state of Colorado would have worked with the National Park Service to keep park units in that state open.
Congress appeared on track earlier this week to adopt a bipartisan proposal to fund the government through March under what’s known as a Continuing Resolution, but staunchly conservative members in the House of Representatives balked against some of the provisions and funding, and then President-elect Donald Trump urged Congress to reject the agreement.
On Friday, congressional leaders in the House of Representatives were working frantically to come up with legislation that could gain passage before midnight. House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed that a shutdown would be averted.
If not, Colorado was ready to step in to enable national parks in that state to remain open.
“While national parks will be affected by a potential shutdown, the governor has prioritized that the state have plans in place to work with our federal partners in the event of an extended federal government shutdown,” Eric Maruyama, a spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis, said in an email to the Traveler. “Colorado will work with the [National Park Service] to continue to keep our state parks open to visitors so they can continue to have access to Colorado’s outdoors and our nation’s best outdoor amenities and facilities. We will strive to work with the National Park System to keep the parks open.”
In September 2023, when it looked like Congress’s inability to produce a budget would spur a government shutdown, both Colorado and Utah were ready with funding to keep national parks in their states open. However, a last-minute budget agreement negated the need for that.
Utah officials did not immediately respond Friday to an inquiry of whether they would have provided funding to keep national parks open in the event of a shutdown this weekend.
The National Park Service had posted alerts on some park websites warning the public that, “[I]n the event of a government shutdown, access and visitor services will continue through Sunday, December 22. On Monday, December 23, parks would generally close and services may be unavailable.”
It’s not yet clear whether the stopgap legislation included $2.3 billion for the Park Service to address damage to parks caused by tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes.
