Anthony Weiner: “What this amendment says is enough is enough, reopen the Statue of Liberty by July 31, 2004. It is not closed for lack…”

“What this amendment says is enough is enough, reopen the Statue of Liberty by July 31, 2004. It is not closed for lack of money. This House has allocated $19.6 million for security enhancements, and that is between fiscal year 2002 and fiscal year 2004. There is an additional $10 million or so in this budget for that. The time has come for the Statue of Liberty to be reopened. It is almost mind-boggling to me that only a matter of weeks after September 11 the Washington Monument was reopened. The Republican National Convention, which by the way we would be welcoming with open arms to New York City, will soon be coming to New York City at least in part to the proximity to that attack on our country; and yet the National Park Service refuses to open the Statue of Liberty.”