mr. jarvis, i'm sorry, my time is -- thank you. mr. jarvis, how much of an economic benefit, what has done to the economy of this country, the fact that with a national park has done in terms of just like mayor bryan, ms. eberly, ms. simon, in terms of their responsibilities, how much of an economic impact because of the closure? >> well, at this moment, october which is a peak period for many of our gateway communities, the impact is enormous. they are not going to recover that. even if the federal employees are paid at the end of this, our concessionaires, our gateway communities, those hotels, restaurants will not recover his lost. so we've already begun to figure out how we can get some of these back open. as the mayor of tusayan indicator we have we opened the grand canyon, the rocky mountains, a park in utah. all of these, because, frankly, we shut these down on october 1 and immediately began to figure out how we can work to get those back open without violating the and a deficiency act. i think the evidence shows from claude mor

mr. chairman and jonathan jarvis. thanks for the work you do on behalf of the american system. i do associate myself with the remarks of members of congress on this side of the aisle, mr. huffman and mr. carter right. you are responsible for the protection of water supply. that is one of my areas because 50 years of natural resources, that is really critical for me. for feeding of the federal dams on the colorado river and other areas, especially glen canyon and hoover, you previously found and then addressing the expansion of invasive species, the hydropower resources and water divergence with the shutdown, we are listening to the federal energy and water resources which is costing us nationwide millions of dollars to clean up the intake in the pumping areas. is this covered under the property, emergency response area? >> thank you for bringing this up. one of our concerns and the reason we gave and closed glen canyon and the lake mead recreational facilities, during the recreational boating, and can be contaminated with muscles and we have watched stations and inspection stati

mr. jarvis? that is not a complex question. >> the anti-deficiency act requires that i reduce all employees down to only those necessary for life and property. that required the closure of all 401 national parks. >> mr. jarvis why did you fail to enforce the plain language of a statute for 100 days for protesters. and yet on the very first day you denied access to a monument that veterans helped build. >> on the very first day of the closure i implemented a closure order for all 401 national parks in compliance with the anti-deficiency act and immediately, immediately that day, also included as a part of that order that first amendment activities would be permitted on the national mall. >> do you consider a first amendment activity to walk to a monument you help build? or is it only smoking pot at mcfearson square. >> the first amendment activities we are content neutral on first amendment and on the national mall. >> that wasn't my question. do you consider it to be an exercise of the first amen

mr. jarvis for your many years at the park service and all of the witnesses here. the shutdown was the final hit to the national parks after years of cuts in your budget and you mentioned this earlier in your testimony and operations and construction accounts. with the cuts of funding how have that impacted your organization? >> did a number of ways. in terms of our facilities we are in steady decline. most of the facilities of classic national parks were built steve 50 or 75 years ago with waste water systems, roads, in the like we have the $11 million backlog that is declining we receive less than half of what we need just to maintain. the other side is the rangers' staff that provide interpretation also protection is in decline. so we're not capable of providing the cerebus that the public expects and deserves. >> as the service gears up for the 100 years what is the continued cuts mean for the future? i am sure it must be very impact will. >> a couple of things we're working on is to develop as many partnerships we can and with the state or profit organizations

mr. jarvis.ast forward two years, parks are closing and access to monuments are restrictedine those when helped to build the monument. you didn't wait a hundred days to enforce the law with veterans who wanted to see the monument and you didn't work to gain compliance and veteraryerans were not groated with a measured response. they were groated with barricades on the very first day. >> wow, what can i say? trey gowdy nailed. it >> i listened there was nothing i could add because he was spot o. watching jarvis sit there in that seat, do you just wonder who had to bring the mop in and clean up under that chair after that particular moment? that's what i would like to know. father of tyroen woods one of four americans killed in benghazi september 11th, 2012. he wrote the president and asked why did my son not get the help the night he died. he showed me the letter. he heard back from the president but did he get the answers he let's get you back to huckabee. >>> it's been over's year since the atta

mr. jarvis, why did you fail to enforce the plain language of a statute for a hundred days for protesters and yet on the very first day you denied access to a monument that veterans helped build? >> joining us now, congressman trey gowdy. good to see you on the program. what were you going for? that guy said, look, it was a first amendment thing for the occupy wall streeters. >> the duplicity was too much to stand. for a hundred days he didn't lift a finger for left wing protesters in mcpherson square. on the first day to make the shutdown as painful as possible for innocent people, he barricades world war ii veterans. on the one hand he ignored a statute. with the veterans he inhaven'ted a statute that doesn't exist. i wonder why he would ignore the law for a hundred tas and invent a statute to deny veterans ak a sesz to a monument they built. >> he claims there weren't enough workers to open it safely. >> he claims he couldn't remember who he talkeded to at the white house. these are open air monument s. you can go now and there won't be staff. he got caught trying to make it as painful

mr. jonathan jarvis is director of the national parks service and ms. lisa simon is the president of the national tourist association and mr. myron abele is director of energy and global warming policy at the competitive enterprise institute and mr. denis galvin is a member of the board of trustees and the national association pursuant to the rules of the oversight committee, i would ask that all members rise and raise your right hand and be sworn in. >> use only swear or affirm that the testimony is the truth and the whole truth and nothing but your. >> we do. >> please be seated and let the record reflect that all witnesses answered in the affirmative. we have a large panel today on both sides and in order to allow time i ask that you limit your opening statements to five minutes and your entire opening record plus any other submissions you think are pertinent to your testimony to be placed in the record. with that, i recognize the mayor. >> thank you, chairman i said.. thank you. and i would also like to recognize your assistance in many ways as well.