Colorado officials relieved that national parks will stay open during shutdown
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Colorado leaders are breathing a tepid sigh of relief after the Trump administration announced it would keep national parks open during the government shutdown.
Why it matters: The state's four national parks are significant economic drivers in rural areas of the state, and the shutdown arrives in the middle of leaf-peeping season, a major tourist draw.
Driving the news: The Department of the Interior said the parks would remain mostly open to the public, despite minimal staffing. The agency will use park admission fees to keep them operating.
- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told Axios on Wednesday that the state's parks and wildlife agency is standing by to assist if needed, part of an executive order he signed in 2023.
- The potential closure of the national parks was the governor's top concern this week, in part because October accounts for 10% of the yearly visits to Rocky Mountain National Park.
What they're saying: "Our immediate relief is that … national parks will remain open and people can keep their plans to enjoy the fall leaf colors," Polis told us in an interview.
The big picture: Most Colorado initiatives are unlikely to see swift impacts from the shutdown — at least in the near-term.
- The longer the shutdown, the greater the impact, Polis told us, as benefit losses and missed paychecks start to hurt the state's economy.
- "The first few days and weeks are easier, but ultimately money and accounts run out, and major effects begin in the coming weeks," Polis said.
Yes, but: Colorado is not exempt from all impacts.
- Many of the state's 54,000 federal workers are furloughed, and the Trump administration is considering permanent job cuts.
- If the enhanced earned premium tax credits are not included as part of the bill to fund the government, as Democrats are demanding, 250,000 people would see health insurance costs skyrocket, and an estimated 75,000 would lose coverage.
Between the lines: Just ahead of the shutdown, the Polis administration and state lawmakers took action this week to prevent a freeze on the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
- The state allocated $7.5 million in stopgap funding to keep the program operational. Officials are counting on the federal government to reimburse the state.
- "This is a level of risk that we're taking on to make sure that the benefits are uninterrupted," Polis said.