What to Know
- Mayor de Blasio warns that the government shutdown is an unprecedented crisis that's about to directly affect at least 2 million New Yorkers
- De Blasio said the city will lose a half-billion dollars in direct federal funding for New Yorkers beginning on March 1
- The mayor said the city is willing to exhaust its reserves to help those in need
Furloughed federal workers who need to travel to New York City for personal emergencies during the government shutdown are being offered free hotel rooms.
The Hotel Association of New York City says it's providing free rooms for federal workers affected by the shutdown as a show of goodwill.
"As a leading hospitality voice for New York City, we don’t want to see anyone who needs to be here turned away because of financial hardships created by the government shutdown," said Vijay Dandapani, president and CEO, Hotel Association of New York City. "Whether it’s a family situation or a health issue that requires people to travel to the city, we will do what we can to provide accommodations on a limited basis to those in dire need."
Affected federal workers in personal emergency situations interested in applying for a free hotel stay should send an email explaining their circumstances with subject "GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ROOM APPLICATION" to sandy@hanyc.org.
Lisa Linden, a spokeswoman for The Hotel Association of New York, said in times of emergencies, member hotels "have sought to provide relief where needed and offer free rooms to those in dire need who much travel to NYC."
The group evaluates requests on an individual basis, and if a compelling case is made, they do their best to accommodate, said Linden.
The Hotel Association of New York includes 280 member hotels in the city, representing more than 50,000 employees.
The longest shutdown is U.S. history entered its 28th day Friday. President Trump said he'll make a "major announcement" on the government shutdown and the southern border Saturday afternoon at the White House.
