The shutdown of the federal government has had a devastating impact on some of the most beautiful places in the country.
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Infographic by Alissa Scheller for the Huffington Post
Last week the White House began allowing states to use their own money to temporarily re-open some national parks, but the National Park Service continued to lose millions of dollars in revenue each day of the shutdown. Hours before Senate leaders announced a deal to reopen the government and extend the debt ceiling on Wednesday, House Republicans called a hearing to grill National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, questioning why some national memorials that stayed open during the 1995-96 shutdown have been closed.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) described the situation as "disgusting and despicable."
Jarvis fired back that the shutdown forced the NPS to furlough some 20,000 employees and close all 401 national parks. Democrats backed him up, dismissing the hearing as “political theater.” Politico reports:
Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the top Democrat on Natural Resources, responded by pulling out a mirror and holding it up to the Republican lawmakers. “I’ll show you who is responsible, right here,” he said.