If government shuts down, so does Glacier

If the government shuts down, Glacier National Park will bar recreational entry to its lands, spokeswoman Ellen Blickhan confirmed today.

"We will deny access to visitors," Blickhan said Thursday morning.

If Congress doesn't come up with a spending plan by Friday at midnight, the Park would close Saturday. All but a skeletal staff will remain at Glacier. U.S. Forest Service lands, on the other hand, will remain open for public use, said Flathead National Forest spokeswoman Denise Germann.

Germann said the Forest Service offices will close and like Glacier, a few staffers will remain on - primarily law enforcement for resource protection.

A shutdown won't impact U.S. Mail Service as the post office is independently funded.

The prospect of a shutdown irritated Montana's lawmakers.

Beyond visiting Parks there are a host of other government services that would stop, according to Sen. Jon Tester's office, including:

• Delayed paychecks for U.S. troops, though they would still be expected to report for duty.

• No funding for states for highway projects.

• The IRS suspending refunds to taxpayers.

• A suspension of federal home loan guarantees and small business loans.

• A possible disruption of Social Security, Medicare and veteran's benefits checks.

"Montanans expect their representatives to work together to responsibly cut spending without putting our entire government and the economy on life support," Tester said.  "We can't afford an irresponsible shutdown because jobs are at stake."

Sen. Max Baucus also opposed a shutdown.

"I'm committed to making smart cuts to eliminate bureaucratic waste and reduce our debt while preserving rural priorities that Montanans depend on," Baucus said. "We need to make tough choices and get serious about reining in our debt. But our tough choices have to be smart choices that restore financial security to our working families- not pull the rug out from them as our economy is starting to recover. And we certainly can't balance the budget on the back of our seniors by breaking the promise of Medicare."

"A government shutdown should never happen. It could cost jobs and hurt our vets, troops and seniors. Folks back home send us here to work together to solve problems, not to get in fights.  I'm going to continue to do everything I can to bring folks together and work with my colleagues to find a budget solution that puts us back on the path to fiscal responsibility without jeopardizing Montana jobs and communities.  No matter what, I'll keep working to make that happen."

Congressman Denny Rehberg blamed Tester and Baucus, claiming both senators are in a position to stop a shutdown. In an op-ed released to newspapers Thursday, Rehberg said it's time to make significant budget cuts.

"Montana's entire team in Congress needs to step up to the challenge because, while the $100 billion in savings we're currently fighting about isn't chump change, it's only the tip of the iceberg," he said.