NY Won’t Pay to Keep Statue of Liberty Open During Federal Shutdown, Gov. Hochul Says

The Statue of Liberty may close as a result of the federal government shutdown. And if it does, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said people should blame Republicans who control the federal government.

The statue as well as Ellis Island were open on Wednesday, but Hochul said the state won’t provide funding to ensure the monument stays open during the funding fight. That’s a break from prior shutdowns, when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo committed state funds to keep Lady Liberty’s torch burning.

Hochul, a Democrat, said more than 100,000 federal workers in New York – including National Parks Service personnel who work at Ellis Island and Liberty Island – will go without pay at least temporarily after Congress failed to pass a new funding deal Tuesday night. The governor also said the shutdown threatens funding for other federal programs including Head Start and food assistance benefits.

“It sucks,” she said. “And this is wrong.”

Hochul chose the Statue of Liberty as the symbolic backdrop for a Wednesday morning news conference on the Lower Manhattan waterfront hours after the shutdown began. She said that the federal funding stalemate might close its doors, but it wouldn’t undercut its message of welcoming immigrants.

“People need to see that there’s consequences right now to what the Republicans have done, and definitely go to the polls next year,” Hochul said. “ We’re not able to backfill this. … Liberty Park may stay closed. Because people need to know where this came from.”

Spokespeople for the National Parks Service didn’t return a request seeking comment. It’s unclear whether the statue’s lights would be turned off if Liberty Island closes due to the shutdown.

Cuomo, a Democrat running for New York City mayor as an independent, directed state funds to keep the monument open during federal government shutdowns in 2013 and 2018. It cost roughly $1.5 million, or about $65,000 a day, to keep the Statue and Ellis Island open from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 14, 2019.

“Under no circumstances do I believe the dysfunction of the federal government should dim the Statue of Liberty’s lights or shutter its doors,” Cuomo, now a candidate for New York City mayor, said in a statement. “I was proud to have New York step in to keep the Statue of Liberty open. I felt it was the right thing to do then and that’s also how I feel today.”

Campaign spokespeople for Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, didn’t return messages seeking comment.

Most Democrats in the U.S. Senate, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York, refused to back a Republican-authored bill that would have continued government funding for several weeks, and the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed for passage. Democrats said they want to restore funding for health insurance subsidies that expire at the end of the year as a condition for supporting government operations.

Republicans said Democrats had walked away from legislation to keep the government open over an unrelated issue. U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, said she voted to keep the government open.

“Our government is shut down because Democrats continue to play games impacting our military and government services that Americans rely on,” she said on social media.

Story by Jimmy Vielkind/New York Public News Network