WASHINGTON – Many of the activities people enjoy doing on the National Mall in the spring and summer may not be available due to sequester cuts.
The Fourth of July fireworks are still on for this year, but the annual concert at the Sylvan Theatre is canceled. The National Symphony Orchestra concert that airs on PBS will still occur.
The National Arboretum will close to the public on Tuesdays through Thursdays, beginning on May 13. And 10 percent of the Mall’s maintenance staff jobs that are vacant will not be filled anytime soon, meaning trash could start to pile up.
The Washington Post reports that the National Archives – home of the original copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence – will slash evening hours to cut costs.
“If the parks are closed or reduced hours or not open on some days during the summer travel season, people are going to start to make noise about that,” says David Nather, senior policy reporter for POLITICO.
WTOP’s Kyle Cooper contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
