I just got done reading the three dozen pages of shutdown regulations which I've been given by a furloughed federal employee. I may have missed this, or it may be in another document. I don't doubt what you're saying at all but I'd love to get a “chapter and verse” reference.
It would also be helpful in responding to some Freepers who may not understand the legalities here. The other side is really good at manipulating fine print of regulations; we need to get just as good if we're going to win this thing.
It was out on the WTOP newsfeed several hours ago. They didn’t provide any citation beyond it coming from NPS sources.
It wouldn’t surprise me if some entrepreneurial NPS staffer came up with it as a creative interpretation in order to defuse the situation. Yesterday there were 90 vets, a few Congresscritters and several dozen of the vets’ family members
Today those numbers, from reports and pics, were easily double. It was becoming a spectacle that would invariably continue to grow on a daily basis. A spectacle that distracted from and ran counter to the desired visuals and narrative. So an “out” that would get the situation out of the media was quickly found.
It’s out, in more detail, on the current ABCNews.com article. Sorry, can’t link to it from cellphone, but the cite is in the 5th para of the article