New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has vowed to keep the Statue of Liberty open for tourist visits amid a federal government shutdown and will use state funds to do so.
The iconic landmark is administered and funded by the federal National Park Service but New York state will pay itself to keep it open.
It is a price worth paying, Cuomo says.
"I’m volunteering that the state will pay to keep the Statue of Liberty open because it is the symbol of our nation. [Tourists] come here, they want to see the Statue of Liberty, many of them are here already and that was part of their trip. So the cost is justified just from a tourism point of view," he said.
Cuomo said at the weekend he will speak to the federal government about it ‘as soon as someone answers the phone.’
Tourists were met with uncertainty at the weekend as the shutdown took effect.
A sign read: "Effective immediately and until further notice, the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island are closed due to a lapse in appropriations."
Elsewhere around the country it’s not so black and white.
The National Parks Conservation Association says about a third of the 400-plus national park sites are closed.
In some national parks that are officially still open, they are accepting visitors only in some areas of the parks due to only a minimum essential staffs on duty.
"Not all parks are fully open but we are all working hard to make as many areas as accessible to the public as possible," said Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
