Statue of Liberty to remain open during government shutdown

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island will remain open despite the ongoing partial government shutdown, even as some national parks and monuments close down, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Saturday.

“As we’ve done before when Washington’s dysfunction has shut down the government, New York will step up and ensure the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain open for the world to look to for strength and hope during this tumultuous time,” Cuomo said in a statement.

The state of New York will pay the federal government $65,000 for each day that the monuments remain open during the shutdown.

{mosads}In an interview with CNN, Cuomo painted the decision as an easy one based in both economic and symbolic arguments.

“While they’re being absurd in Washington, D.C., one of the great symbols of this nation, the Statue of Liberty, they can’t close it down,” he said.

The governor added that the state would lose roughly $1 million per day in economic benefits if the Statue of Liberty were to close.

“The wall may have been a great line in a campaign, but it’s unintelligent as border security,” @NYGovCuomo says about the shutdown standoff. https://t.co/N2GwfEqhQR pic.twitter.com/2sUwgLvEw0

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) December 22, 2018

Roughly 25 percent of the federal government shut down at the end of the day on Friday after the House and Senate failed to come to an agreement on funding. The main source of disagreement was President Trump’s demand for $5 billion for his proposed wall along the southern border.

The Senate passed a stopgap measure earlier in the week that included $1.6 billion for border security.

The House then passed a measure that contained $5.7 billion for the wall, a bill that was stonewalled in the Senate.

Trump huddled on Saturday with conservative lawmakers and advisers at the White House, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated in remarks on the Senate floor that it would be up to Democrats and Trump to broker an agreement.

Friday’s lapse in funding marks the third time the government has shut down this year.