Many tourist attractions in the US remain closed on Monday after the country’s government failed to agree a budget for the current financial year.
Wrangling in the US Senate over the 2018 budget means that funds for many government-run attractions including museums and monuments have been blocked and staff temporarily put on unpaid leave.
Among the attractions affected is the Statue of Liberty, which was closed on Sunday. New York City officials were due to dip into local government funds to pay for it open on Monday, according to the BBC.
Congress should have approved the US budget by October 1, the start of the government financial year, but failed to meet this deadline and a temporary extension to last year’s budget has now expired.
Another attempt to agree the budget was due to be made on Monday. The Senate needs a 60-40 vote in the 100-member chamber to pass it, but Democrats are blocking the deal, demanding protection from deportation for more than 700,000 migrants who entered the US as children. Trump’s Republicans are opposed to this and want more funding for border security and extra military spending.
Republicans have 51 senators; so will need support from some Democrats to agree a budget.