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With a United States government shutdown in the books—again—you may be wondering what that actually means for New York City. Things are still a bit up in the air, but we do know that some places, including cultural organizations, will temporarily close amid the shutdown.
Here's what will close in New York City amid the latest government shutdown.
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Why is the government shutting down?
If you're feeling like, "wait, what's happening now?," we don't blame you. In this frenetic news cycle, it's hard to keep track. Here's a quick breakdown, with help from the Associated Press: Basically, our federal leaders can't agree on a budget. An October 1 deadline has passed, and neither side budged. When a funding lapse happens, some agencies shut down and non-essential workers don't work.
Some things will continue, like the FBI, CIA, military, veterans health care and the postal service. But for other agencies, that's not the case.
What New Yorkers need to know
Our federally funded museums and cultural organizations are likely to temporarily shutter. That includes Smithsonian museums, national sites and more, such as:
The National Museum of the American Indian
As a Smithsonian museum, the always-free-to-enter National Museum of the American Indian closed in the last government shutdown, and it likely will again very soon. As the museum said on its website, it "will remain open through Saturday, October 11. If the government shutdown continues past October 11, the museums will then close to the public."
The museum contains some 825,000 items from 1,200 Indigenous cultures covering 12,000 years of Native American history. It displays its collection around the grand rotunda of the 1907 Custom House at 1 Bowling Green.
The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
Housed in a sumptuous former mansion on the Upper East Side, the Cooper Hewitt is dedicated to the field of design. It houses a collection of objects that span 3,000 years.
As a Smithsonian museum, it will also stay open through at least Saturday, October 11, per the museum's social media. However, that's just the garden, shop and cafe, as the galleries were already planned to be closed through November 21 for installation.
National Parks sites
What exactly is happening with New York City's National Park sites is still a bit murky. That's because parks are remaining "as possible during the federal government shutdown. However, some services may be limited or unavailable," per the NPS.
The Flatiron District home where Theodore Roosevelt was born was closed as of yesterday, the New York Times reported. Lower Manhattan's African Burial Ground National Monument, Grant's Tomb on the Upper West Side, Hamilton Grange (a.k.a. Hamilton's uptown estate), and Wall Street's Federal Hall (the birthplace of American government, coincidentally) all closed during the last shutdown, per the Times, though it's not clear is that's the same this time.
Gateway National Recreation Area, a national park that stretches into in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey, stayed open last time without visitor services.
And finally, Ellis Island. As of now, it sounds like the federal government will keep the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island open, per NY1's reporting.
How long the government shutdown could last
Unfortunately, it's anyone's guess how long the shutdown will last. A short-term shutdown isn't likely to have a major impact on the economy, but if it lasts, that's not great.
"That can give rise to uncertainties about what is the role of government in our society, and what's the financial impact on all the programs that the government funds," Phillip Swagel, director of the Congressional Budget Office, told the Associated Press.
New York City tourism leaders are already worried about the economic impacts, as the fourth quarter is typically the busiest time of year for tourism. Plus, as longer-than-normal lines are expected at airports, tourists may opt to just stay home instead.
The last government shutdown, which stretched from December 2018-January 2019 during the last Trump administration, ended with a permanent loss to the economy of about $3 billion, per CBS.