Partial government shutdown won’t trip up January’s major D.C. marches

Shutdown or no shutdown, the marches will go on.

Three marches — including two of the biggest of the year, the March for Life and the Women’s March — are slated to step lively next weekend on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., even if the partial federal government shutdown remains in effect.

Same goes for the first-ever Indigenous People’s March, which starts at 8 a.m. EST Friday, followed by the March for Life at 11 a.m. The Women’s March is scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday.

“We plan to march even if the government shutdown is not yet resolved,” the March for Life said in a statement. “We have marched for 45 years and will march again this year to end the human rights abuse of abortion.”

National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst confirmed that the agency would issue permits for the previously scheduled events.

“Permits will be issued for First Amendment events on the National Mall whose applications were submitted prior to the lapse of appropriations, including the March for Life and the Women’s March,” Mr. Litterst said in an email.

P. Daniel Smith, NPS deputy director, announced last week that the agency would dip into entrance, camping, parking and other fees, which are normally used for future projects, to maintain the most-visited facilities.

“After consultation with the Office of the Solicitor at the Department of the Interior, it has been determined that these funds can and should be used to provide immediate assistance and services to highly visited parks during the lapse in appropriations,” Mr. Smith said in a statement.

“We are taking this extraordinary step to ensure that parks are protected and that visitors can continue to access parks with limited basic services,” he said.

The partial shutdown reached 23 days as of Sunday, making it the longest in history, as President Trump and House Democrats lock horns over the funding of a $5 billion barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Organizers said they expect the Indigenous People’s March to draw about 10,000 participants to Washington, D.C., but the crowds at the March for Life and Women’s March could be 10 times that figure.

Another factor for marchers could be the weather: D.C. is forecast to be hit with a rain-snow mix next weekend, which could put a damper on attendance.

The first Women’s March in 2017, held the day after President Trump’s inauguration, saw an estimated half-million participants converge on Washington, D.C., while organizers say the March for Life has drawn six-figure crowds at several recent gatherings, including about 100,000 in 2018.

“Next Saturday, shutdown or no shutdown, we’ll be back at it,” the Women’s March tweeted. “Meet us in the streets!”

#FlashbackFriday to the 2017 Women’s March. Next Saturday, shutdown or no shutdown, we’ll be back at it. Meet us in the streets! https://t.co/Di6LqQQJfL

@KishaBari pic.twitter.com/vKWgQZLr8J

— Women’s March (@womensmarch) January 11, 2019

We have marched for life every year since 1974; we will not let rain, snow, or a government shutdown stop us.

Abortion is the greatest human rights abuse of our day and we will keep marching until it is unthinkable.
—Jeanne Mancini pic.twitter.com/dsKPvv44lv

— Yesi Lemus (@guatemayabyesi) January 10, 2019

On January 18th, 2019, we are uniting the Indigenous peoples across the World to stand together to bring awareness to the injustices affecting Indigenous men, women and children from North, Central and South America, Oceania, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. #ipmdc19 pic.twitter.com/51Xz7cFV16

— Indigenous Peoples Movement (@IndigenousPpls) December 7, 2018