Statue Of Liberty Open Despite Government Shutdown Thanks To Local Funding
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island won't be affected by the U.S. government's partial shutdown that's closed parks around the country.
An alert posted Saturday on the official National Park Service's website reports that the island is open thanks to funding from New York's state government.
It's the third time in five years the state has kept the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open during a federal government shutdown.
During the January 2018 shutdown, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the cost was about $65,000 per day. The state also funded the sites during a 2013 federal government shutdown.
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About 10,000 reportedly people visit the Statue of Liberty each day.
Cuomo is planning deliver his third inaugural address on Ellis Island on New Year's Day.
MORE: How Will A Federal Government Shutdown Affect You In The Tri-State Area?
Other local officials have weighed in on Friday night's failure by Congress to reach a new spending agreement. Westchester County executive George Latimer expressed optimism that the shutdown won't affect the vast majority of New Yorkers.
"The Federal Government shutdown has, at present, no direct impact on County functions and operations. In the short term, the affected Federal departments do not pose an immediate threat to our day to day responsibilities," Latimer said in a statement Saturday.
The county executive did add that TSA employees at the County Airport are working voluntarily without pay.
"These are our neighbors and we need to be supportive of them as they work to continue to keep us safe. When the shutdown ends, they would hope to get retroactive pay," Latimer added.
Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city has enough cash flow to get by without federal funding for a few weeks. After that, agencies like NYCHA and the Department of Transportation will start to feel the pinch.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
