NEW YORK �� The Statue of Liberty will reopen Monday after the New York state agreed to pay to reopen it, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.
The statue was site closed by the federal government shutdown.
"It's going to be open and running as normal," Cuomo said at a news conference in a lower Manhattan park overlooking the statue. "We will pay to keep the Statue of Liberty open every day."
The statue was among the national monuments and parks that closed after Congress failed Friday night to pass legislation to keep the government funded.
Cuomo said the state had reached an agreement with the federal Department of Interior so New York can pay for the federal employees who operate Liberty Island. The cost is about $65,000 a day.
"That is an economic problem for the State of New York. Tourism is very big business here in the city and the state and when the Statue of Liberty closes, it disrupts many tourists' plans," Cuomo said.
