29 Jan 2019
Smithsonian museums were losing US$1m a week during government shutdown
BY Luke Cloherty
Bosses at Smithsonian, the world’s largest museum, research and education complex, will have been pleased to hear that the US government ended its shutdown on Friday, as the institution was losing an estimated US$1m (€875,700, £759,240) a week during the period.
The 19 federally-funded museums of the Smithsonian Institution, along with the National Zoo that it also runs, have been closed since 2 January 2019 because of the shutdown, which started on 22 December 2018.
Smithsonian had managed to keep its attractions open for 11 days by using carry-over funds from the last financial year, however, those funds ran out 2 January forcing Smithsonian to close the doors at all of its institutions.
Writing in USA Today just days before President Donald Trump’s announcement on Friday (25 January), Smithsonian secretary David Skorton said: "The closure of restaurants, shops, IMAX theatres and other operations is costing the Smithsonian approximately US$1m in revenue each week.
"These losses are not recoverable. They will have a lasting effect on our budget for this fiscal year and that effect grows each day.
"School trips cannot occur with museums closed. The research of curators and others in our museums is halted. Numerous expeditions and field campaigns related to biodiversity, human origins and healthy forests and waterways have been cancelled.
"Each day of the shutdown has palpable effects on this proud and venerable cultural institution, the people we serve and the members of the Smithsonian family."
Animals at the National Zoo were still fed during the shutdown and Skorton has said Smithsonian’s 4,000 furloughed employees will receive backdated pay.
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