Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) fumed over reports President Donald Trump wants to take control of the 9/11 museum, saying the hallowed site belongs to New Yorkers.
A New York Times report detailed that Trump has met with 9/11 victims’ families and has listened to their concerns and expressed sympathy. The president cares about the city and was born there. But it’s unclear how he would take over the monument.
Hochul suggested that Trump should restore funding slashed from the World Trade Center Health Program if he wants to show he cares.
“Just months after slashing funding for the World Trade Center Health Program that cares for survivors and first responders, President Trump now wants to take over the 9/11 Memorial Museum,” she wrote in a release. “The 9/11 Memorial belongs to New Yorkers — the families, survivors and first responders who have carried this legacy for more than two decades and ensured we never forget. Before he meddles with this sacred site, the President should start by honoring survivors and supporting the families of victims.”
The museum’s leaders are not supportive of Trump taking control of the museum and making it a national monument, citing the federal government’s cost-saving measures. “At a time when the federal government is working to cut costs, assuming the full operating expenses for the site makes no sense,” Beth Hillman, the president and chief executive, said in a statement.
A spokesman for the museum told the New York Times that “nothing in existing law that would give the federal government the unilateral ability to take the site over.”
If the memorial fell under federal control somehow, Trump could curate its content like he’s modified the content of the Smithsonian museums.
Trump is not expected to be at the memorial, which draws around 2.4 million people a year, on Sept. 11 of this year. He will attend a ceremony at the Pentagon and then will go to a New York Yankees game.
Some of the criticism toward the memorial has been its costs. It’s $36 for adult admission compared to free admission for Smithsonian museums. The museum has also faced backlash for the salaries paid to its senior executives.
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Hillman defended the museum’s performance. “In the aftermath of 9/11, patriotic New Yorkers and Americans came together to create a memorial and museum to honor the 2,977 innocent victims killed by the attacks. Since then, we’ve raised $750 million in private funds to build and sustain this tribute and welcomed 90 million visitors to the memorial.”
“We’re proud that our exhibitions tell stories of bravery and patriotism, and are confident that our current operating model has served the public honorably and effectively,” Hillman said.