The Statue of Liberty is open to the public on Monday, despite the government shutdown.
Governor Andrew Cuomo stepped in, announcing the state would pay the $65,000 a day needed to keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open to visitors.
From our point of view, it's a good investment because the revenue we gain from the tourists is multiples of what it will cost to actually pay to open the Statue of Liberty. And again, we want to keep tourism flowing, we want people coming and we don't want any disruption,” Cuomo said.
The governor said the Statue of Liberty is symbolic of what’s going on right now. He said the government is shut down because of a debate over immigration reform.”
“It's all about welcoming people, it's all about bringing people here. The concept of closing the doors to immigrants is repugnant to the concept of America. That's what we've been arguing for years,” Cuomo said.
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