The Smithsonian Institution has announced that its museums and zoos will remain open for the weekend, despite the looming threat of a government shutdown. Institution officials announced on Thursday, January 19, that the complex in Washington, DC would remain open for the weekend of January 20-21 even if Congress failed to reach a budget decision. The complex, which is the largest museum, research, and education system in the world, would close on Monday until such a decision was reached and the government resumed regular operations. Its two museums in New York City, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian, would also close.
The fate of other National Parks and Monuments remains in limbo as of writing. The Trump administration has expressed a desire to keep them open at least in limited capacity during the potential shutdown. A shutdown would affect some of the nation’s most popular tourism destinations, including Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in New York, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, and the aforementioned Smithsonian.
A similar situation in 2013 saw the National Parks system closed for over two weeks, from October 1 until the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 was signed by President Obama on October 17. Images of children and families standing in front of closed and barricaded parks and monuments became some of the most popular portrayal’s of the government shutdown’s effect on ordinary Americans and tourists. In addition, the non-essential Parks employees were furloughed, while essential services employees reported to work unaware of when they would be paid for their labor.