The National Park Service could face added complications hosting the presidential inauguration next month if Congress fails to pass a funding deal in the coming days to keep the federal government open.
Jon Jarvis, the National Park Service director from 2009 to 2017, said a shutdown in general can get “messy” for NPS.
But even if there was a protracted shutdown, Jarvis noted that NPS — one of the key federal agencies that organize the presidential inauguration every four years — could take steps to keep employees at work to ready the National Mall and other sites for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20.
While NPS facilities are often locked down during shutdowns, the Biden administration could opt to keep the mall open. NPS Director Charles Sams could also designate select NPS employees and Park Police needed for the inauguration as “essential workers.”
