New York, NY - December 24, 2018 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the State will intervene in order to keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open in the face of a federal government shutdown. Throughout the duration of the shutdown, the State will fully fund National Park Service personnel and costs of operations at the cost of $65,000 per day as it has during previous shutdowns in 2013 and this past January in order to keep the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island open to visitors. As a result, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island will be open tomorrow, and remain open every day except December 25, weather permitting.
"We will not allow President Trump's repugnant symbol of division close the true representations of who we are as a state and a nation," Governor Cuomo said. "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."
Under an agreement with the Department of the Interior, the State will pay to reopen the park as the federal shutdown continues. The park will be fully open and functioning as usual. The State will pay the federal government $65,000 for each day that the park is open.
The Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island have a major impact on the New York State economy. According to an annual report by the National Park Service, 4.5 million people visited Liberty Island in 2016, generating $263.2 million in visitor spending per year and supporting 3,400 jobs, with an economic output of $364 million.
Shutting down the park would deny access to an average of 12,000 daily visitors and impact more than 900 direct jobs at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, including with the National Park Service and Evelyn Hill, Inc.