Tourists Thrilled To See Popular Philadelphia Historical Sites Reopened
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – President Donald Trump announced an end to a 35-day government shutdown Friday. And tourists were thrilled to once again be able to see the famous cracked bell from inside the Liberty Bell Center.
Independence National Park, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, have reopened after ending the partial government shutdown.
"I am absolutely glad to hear that they can at least temporarily solve it," tourist Justin Anderson said.
Anderson traveled from Colorado Springs, Colorado to see the landmarks.
"It's a shame that it's gone on this long," he said. "It's a shame that so many people have been out of work and not getting a paycheck, particularly since we elected people to work for us and the fact that they're not doing that is quite unsettling."
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Most park buildings were shuttered during the shutdown.
The Independence Visitor Center was open, but with reduced staff and hours.
But there's still plenty of uncertainty looming with the threat of another potential shutdown if a deal cannot be stuck by Feb. 15. The temporary deal came on the same day that furloughed workers missed their second paycheck.
"We don't how we're going to pay our car payments, our house payments, our rents, our child care. We can't keep doing this," said Susan Braverman, a TSA agent.
Furloughed federal workers should start receiving their missed paychecks by early next week.