(MENAFN- Live Mint) US government Shutdown: The torch of the Statue of Liberty, one of America's most enduring symbols, could soon go dark as the federal government shutdown stretches on. With funding halted and no resolution in sight, New York leaders have warned that the state will not step in to keep the landmark open once federal support runs out.

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Standing in Lower Manhattan with Lady Liberty in view, New York's top Democrats rallied against the shutdown on Wednesday, directing blame squarely at congressional Republicans and former President Donald Trump.

Governor Kathy Hochul accused Republicans of betraying their voters by refusing to negotiate on healthcare subsidies, which Democrats sought to extend in return for keeping the government funded.

“I want to be clear - this shutdown is a choice,” Hochul said.“In putting Donald Trump first, they put New Yorkers last.”

State Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins described the shutdown as the work of“a dysfunctional government led by a president who basically believes that if he inflicts pain on people, that it will only hurt Democrats.”

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Officials warned the consequences are already being felt. Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration staff are working without pay, while hospitals await stalled federal reimbursements.

The longer the shutdown drags on, they said, the more vulnerable groups will be affected - including Social Security recipients and mothers, infants and children relying on nutrition and childcare programmes such as SNAP, WIC and Head Start.

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Christine C. Quinn, president and chief executive of WIN, which provides housing and services to homeless families, said the disruption is only the beginning.

“As devastating as a government shutdown is, let us be absolutely clear: The consequences of the Trump administration's proposed budget would do irreparable harm to millions of New York families and would plunge our state, and states across the nation, into a fiscal and humanitarian disaster,” Quinn said.

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Yes, unless federal funding is restored. The National Park Service, which operates the site, has not yet confirmed when operations will cease. But Hochul made clear that the state will not cover the costs.

The torch, she warned,“could literally go dark, not because of an act of God or a horrific storm or a flood or hurricane, but literally because Donald Trump and Republicans in Washington forced a government shutdown.”

Her spokesperson, Emma Wallner, confirmed that the state would not intervene, noting that officials had not been told when the federal closure would take effect.

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Republicans reject claims that they are responsible for the shutdown. Representative Elise Stefanik, a North Country Republican weighing a challenge to Hochul next year, said Democrats were weaponising healthcare subsidies for political gain.

“Once again, New York Democrats, cheered on by Kathy Hochul, are putting hardworking New Yorkers and Americans LAST because they are forcing a government shutdown by concocting an unrelated policy issue,” Stefanik said.

What federal funds are at risk in New York?

The Trump administration has already cut $100 million from counterterrorism programmes and $20 million from subway safety initiatives. On Wednesday, officials confirmed that a further $18 billion in allocated infrastructure funding would be frozen, raising doubts about two major New York City projects.

This year alone, New York had expected $93 billion in federal funding - more than a third of the state's budget. It remains unclear how much of this will be delayed or withheld.

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Democrats are betting that voters will feel the impact of the shutdown and Republican budget cuts in time for the 2026 midterms.

“People need to see that there's consequences right now to what Republicans have done,” Hochul said.“Go to the polls next year, 2026, and start getting this country back on track.”

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