It Will Be Illegal to Walk on National Mall if Gov't Shuts Down, National Park Service Says — How Will They Enforce It?

It will be illegal to walk on the National Mall if the federal government shuts down, a spokesperson for the National Parks Service (NPS) said Monday.

NPS Spokeswoman Carol Johnson told TheBlaze Monday the entire National Mall would legally close to the public during a shutdown, but admitted it would be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce.

"The mall theoretically is legally closed," Johnson said. "Now, obviously people walking across it ... there is nothing much we can do, but it is legally closed."

A spokesperson for the National Parks Police did not return multiple requests for comment made by TheBlaze to see if individuals would be cited for walking on the mall.

The National Mall will be legally closed to the public during a government shutdown. (Image source: Shutterstock)

Johnson did say the NPS is taking proactive measures to particularly close off the monuments.

"We will be barricading a lot of them," she said. "The Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson, MLK, World War II. We will be turning off the fountains."

The National Parks Service is preparing to barricade the national monuments from the public during a government shutdown. (TheBlaze / Liz Klimas)

"The main thing is we don't have the funding to keep these open so we will have to close them," Johnson continued.

Despite this, however, Johnson said police would still continue to stand guard and patrol the monuments.

Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter

Carousel image via shutterstock.com

--

[related]