The Trump administration will keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open during the partial government shutdown, the Interior Department revealed Wednesday — after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul refused to offer state assistance.
“Thanks to the leadership of President Donald J. Trump both Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty remain open for the enjoyment of the American people,” a spokesperson for the Department of the Interior told The Post.
Ahead of the government shutdown, Hochul had refused to commit state funds to keep the Statue of Liberty open.
“If Lady Liberty’s iconic torch goes dark, it will be thanks to the Washington Republicans who refused common sense and abandoned the people they were elected to represent,” Hochul said in a statement to The Post hours before federal funding lapsed for the first time since the 35-day shutdown in December 2018 and January 2019.
During that shutdown, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo used state resources to keep the iconic landmark, which is run by the National Parks Service, open.
“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, a Democrat, said at the time.
Over 3.7 million people visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island last year, according to the National Park Service.
The complex is staffed by 88 permanent employees, 28 seasonal employees and 80 United States Park Police personnel.
The Department of the Interior’s shutdown contingency plans, released Tuesday, calls for 9,296 of the National Park Service’s 14,500 employees to be furloughed.
However, some parks will remain open and use “available retained recreation fees balances” to provide “basic services” to visitors, the document noted.
A prolonged shutdown could see a total of some 750,000 federal employees furloughed, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate.
