WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A local couple was feeling the effects of the looming government shutdown. The West Palm Beach newlyweds are on their honeymoon hoping to tour the Grand Canyon, but they have been forced to rearrange their plans.
Tiffany Nieves-Cook and her new husband, John, planned a helicopter and hiking tour in the canyon. That will no longer be happening, if every national park were to be off-limits.
"The whole goal is to have everything done so that you can enjoy and relax and really enjoy your wedding day," said Tiffany, who is a wedding planner herself. "By trade, I'm a plan A, B, and C kind of girl so here we thought we had everything figured out and unfortunately, certainly I don't think this is something that anybody would have ever anticipated," she said.
All national parks, including the Grand Canyon, where the couple planned to spend the next several days, were in limbo.
"To think that a national park would be closing down on a honeymoon is definitely something that you can never plan for," said John.
The couple had to cancel the Grand Canyon portion of their honeymoon and instead extend their stay in Las Vegas.
They are frustrated with having to rearrange a trip they planned months in advance, but the newlyweds know what is happening to them is minor, compared to how a shutdown of the federal government could impact others across the country.
"You've got military families that, if this goes on long enough, they can run into some pay situations, so there are definitely real problems. And as much as we wanted to see that. That's more important," said John.
The couple plans to return to West Palm Beach Monday and will try to visit the Grand Canyon at another time.
Parks that could be impacted in Florida include Biscayne National Park, Everglades National Park, and the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.
