WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama made the short trip from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday to make clear that national parks and monuments are open for business.
A deal Friday night between the White House and congressional leaders avoided a government shutdown that would have closed popular tourist sites across the country. He said "that's the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward."
The president shook hands with visitors at the memorial on the National Mall and made brief remarks. He said the memorial remained open because Congress settled its differences.
He told the crowd that "this is what America is all about — everybody from different places enjoying those things that bind us together."
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