Governor Patrick Morrisey announced on Friday, October 3, 2025 at the New River Gorge National Park in Fayette County, West Virginia, that the state concludes an agreement with the Federal National Park service to donate the national parks in West Virginia during the Federal Government’s closure. (Photo by Lori Kersey/West Virginia clock)
West Virginia includes an agreement on the donation of almost 100,000 US dollars for the National Park Service to keep the state’s national parks open in the middle of the current run. Closure of the federal government.
The money comes from the Civil Conttency Fund of the GovernorA pot of money that serves as the main resource of the state for the changeover of natural disasters and for the governor, which he can exploit in any way that he looks at.
According to Drew Galang, the deputy press spokesman for governor Patrick Morrisey, corresponds to about 98,000 US dollars, with around 66,500 US dollars for operations at Harpers Ferry and almost $ 31,500 for the New River Gorge.
The donation of the state will fully operate its national parks – including visitor centers, shuttle services, museums and much more – for at least two weeks, Morrisey said at a press conference on Friday. West Virginia is the first state in the nation to conclude such an agreement.
When the shutdown ends earlier than 14 days, Galang said that the state would “get the remaining means back”. The state will not receive any costs for days on which the government is closed.
If two weeks have passed and the federal government is still closed, Morrisey said that the state would “re -evaluate” as needed.
“West Virginia is America’s playground and we want to let you know that our national parks are open and ready for you to visit,” said Morrisey on Friday. “… the agreement that we, in my opinion, have a big business for West Virginia. It enables us to keep these parks open, and we do this through state resources, but it is a good compromise because tourism for the success of West Virginia is really so critical.”
Chelsea Ruby, tourism secretary of West Virginia, said October was the fourth “busy” month of tourism for the state of the entire year. Last year, said Morrisey, more than 200,000 clear visitors came to the New River Gorge National Park in October. More than 78,000 visitors went to the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park at the same time.
These visitors, said Morrisey, bring companies and municipalities to millions of dollars in terms of economic effects.
“People flow into our state every day and know that we have a rich history and a breathtaking landscape,” said Morrisey. “I know that when West Virginia really starts his comeback, we do it on the back of people who fall in love with our beautiful state and then spend more time here.”
During his comments on Friday, Morrisey repeated the Federal Government’s ongoing closure and called it the “Schumer closing” in relation to the US representative house Chuck Schumer, D-NY.
The Federal Government’s closure began early Wednesday morning after a graded congress missed A financing calculation before the start of the novel financial year to keep the services going.
The center of this struggle are improved subsidies for health care, which are particularly crucial to West Virginians.
Democrats in the congress want to see these subsidies contained in the expenditure law. Republicans not.
The extended subsidies that are bought for plans on the health insurance market will take place at the end of the year. According to the non -partisans Congress budget office, The course of the subsidies is expected to cause 4.2 million Americans by 2034 to lose their health insurance.
Especially thousands of West Virginians is affected if the subsidies end in healthcare. Around 67,000 West Virginians buy their health care on the market.
The West Virginia Center for household and politics According to West Virginians, which take out insurance through the market, their premiums will boost on average 133% or $ 1,400 per year when the subsidies end. Overall, around 15,000 West virginians will lose health care because, according to the center, they can no longer afford it.
Since the closure, the Republicans – who own the presidency and the majorities in both the US house and the Senate – have burdened the Democrats and vice versa.
Morrisey, a Republican, followed in his comments on Friday.
He said that Republicans under President Donald Trump only try to “do reasonable things”, while the Democrats “politicize” “politicize”.
Numerous Surveys of just before The shutdown started and after it started show The A majority Nationwide, Trump and Republicans are more accused of closure than Democrats.
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