[Rodamala]

Normal operations will resume "when a new funding measure is passed by the US Congress and signed by the president of the United States," the ABMC said.

Christopher Palmer, a spokesman for the US embassy in Paris, confirmed the move but said the mission and consulates in the country will remain open.

A restaurant owner near the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, one of the landing beaches of the Normandy invasion, expressed fears that her business would be hit.

The site, which houses the remains of more than 9,300 US troops, attracts more than one million visitors a year.

"Today there were people," she said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I had 80 to 90 people. Everybody was only talking about this, they didn't know. Even the guides brought tourists.

"But if tomorrow, the cemetery is still closed it could have serious repercussions on our business."

At the American cemetery at Bony, containing the graves of 1,844 soldiers who died in the Battle of the Somme during World War I and other operations, employees did not turn up for work, a worker said.

"But they will be paid because we are under French law," the worker said, joking that these were just "extra holidays".

The US government was forced to shut down on Tuesday, after the houses of Congress failed to agree a new budget. National parks, monuments, and some administrative offices were immediately closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers temporarily without a job.

It was the first shutdown in 17 years.

[Sacajaweau]

Friggin’ unbelievable

[I want the USA back]

Our current government doesn’t care about that.
But I’ll bet the billions are still flowing to their true friends, the jihadis.

[Admin Moderator]

Please do not continue articles in post #1. It forces us to check for copyright violations.

[JediJones]

Why does a cemetery need to be locked and closed by anyone? It’s a cemetery, not Club Med.

[JediJones]

This is a good exercise. Whatever people complain about missing in the first 30 days of a government shutdown, we can consider adding back into the funding. Everything that no one misses can be shut down permanently. Which should be 95% of it.

[matginzac]

Totally unbelievable!
Off topic: shouldn’t the French language sign finish with “publique”?

[Gator113]

One thing is certain, Obama is making history.

“.....fundamentally transforming the United States of America”

[combat_boots]

Who makes these signs?

[SECURE AMERICA]

ITS A FRIGGIN CEMETERY. THEY ARE NEVER CLOSED. I LIVE NEAR A NATIONAL CEMETERY WHERE MY FATHER IS BURIED. I VISIT REGULARLY. I NEVER SEE ANY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE. ITs OPEN, NO GATE, NO DOORS ETC. HOW THE HELL DO YOU CLOSE A CEMETERY????
Forgive the caps. It was that or a lot of cussing and swearing because this stupidity really PISSES ME OFF..........

[NonValueAdded]

Obama did not close Arlington National Cemetery, are these cemeteries in France any less sacred? Storm the gates!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Once a rube, always a rube.

[Graewoulf]

Signed by Reid and Obama.

[VanDeKoik]

This is nothing short of locking American servicemen away from people wanting to pay their respects!

[petitfour]

Blame the Barricade president.

[GraceG]

They just Raised Raised Taxes in France, Let Hollandaise Sauce pay for it! We bailed his people out in WWII, if we hadn’t they would be speaking german...

Either that or exhume all the falled US patriots and re-bury them in arlington.

[Cicero]

Obama has always hated any call on him to show respect for our troops who have died for our country. That has been evident in many different ways. Remember when he neglected to go to Arlington Cemetery on Memorial Day, because he was too busy campaigning and golfing. Nor has he done anything but ignore the constant stream of troops who have been killed in Afghanistan since he took office, largely because of the onerous Rules of Engagement he has imposed on them. And he seems to take pleasure in insulting their families.

[BarnacleCenturion]

Well, if there’s federal money going into the cemetery, then shut it down.

If you make an exception for a cemetery, very soon you could have the entire federal government running without a budget.

[1010RD]

You’d hate to have people just going there and, you know, walking around.

No government, no graves. That’s final and we will not negotiate!

[uncitizen]

this is unnecessary. IT’S SPITEFUL!

[The Great RJ]

Just how many US government employees are “running” these cemeteries? I would bet the care for these cemeteries has been jobbed out to French companies. This was planned by the White House. Don’t think that any of Michelle Obama’s staff have been sent home or the White House chef will be making hot dogs and Ramen soup.