Park Service Chief Ripped by GOP over Closure Tactics

Brought before House for hearing about methods behind closing things that didn't need to be closed

The head of the National Park Service was pilloried at a tense House hearing Wednesday over the agency's allegedly "arbitrary" decisions during the partial shutdown which Republicans charge were made to inflict maximum inconvenience on the public. 

"The policies have been arbitrary, inconsistent, and ever-changing," Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said. 

He alleged the National Park Service is trying to make the partial shutdown "as painful and as visible as possible." 

GOP lawmakers sharply questioned a string of recent NPS moves, as Director Jonathan Jarvis claimed his agency was trying to comply with the law and make do with limited resources. They questioned why the park service tried to shutter some private businesses on federal land, closed off open-air memorials in D.C. to most public viewing, and even blocked off parking lots.