“This happens every time there’s a [government] shutdown,” said Briganti, president of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. “People coming from abroad, and even those coming from other parts of the country, don’t realize the statue closes when the government shuts down.”
Now they won’t have to worry. On Sunday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D-N.Y.) announced that Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty would stay open on the state’s dime under an agreement struck with the Interior Department. Arizona has similarly said it will ensure the Grand Canyon remains open — whether the federal government reopens or not.
