Statue of Liberty and Grand Canyon to reopen despite US government shutdown

 

Kashmira Gander
Saturday 12 October 2013 10:53 BST
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Tourists pause to view the Statue of Liberty from the deck of a Liberty Island ferry boat at Battery Park in New York
Tourists pause to view the Statue of Liberty from the deck of a Liberty Island ferry boat at Battery Park in New York

Tourist attractions in the US including the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Mount Rushmore will soon re-open, despite the continued shutdown of the country's government.

A deal was made between the federal government and respective state governments that house the monuments.

The spokesperson for the governor of the south-western state of Arizona Jan Brewer, confirmed the Grand Canyon deal which will allow the park to reopen as soon as possible for less than the $112,000 US dollars a day Washington requested.

The National Park Service has also entered into an agreement with the state of New York where the Statue of Liberty National Monument is situated. Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed the payment $61,600 a day to employ National Park Service workers, and see tourists return to the statue.

Several corporate donors have made a deal to reopen Mount Rushmore, the carving in the Black Hills of South Dakota which features the heads of former US presidents, for $15,200 a day. Dennis Duagaard, the governor of the Midwester state, has wired four days’ worth of donations which will see the monument open to the public on Monday 14 October.

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