Cherry Blossom parade might be nixed if there's a shutdown - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Well, we wouldn't want miss the cherry blossom parade, huh? Guess we'll keep spending trillions to avoid the horror of its absence

From: The Hill

The National Cherry Blossom Parade may not take place if there is a government shutdown, the Obama administration cautioned Wednesday.

Among the government operations and services that could be closed would be national parks, which includes the site of Saturday's parade in Washington, D.C.

A senior administration official singled out the parade during a conference call Wednesday morning hosted by the Office of Management and Budget.

Federal agencies have sought to identify which employees and services would be furloughed if lawmakers can't reach an agreement to fund the government before Friday's deadline.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week springtime festival coordinated with the peak blossom season for D.C.'s many cherry blossom trees. It is a large draw for tourists.

The National Park Service estimates that the festival, which has drawn around 150,000 people in past years, creates at least $126 million for the D.C.-area economy, according to a report in The Fiscal Times.