The head of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans is extending an invitation to veterans groups that might find themselves unable to hold planned events at federal memorial sites or parks due to the government shutdown.
Museum chief executive Gordon H. Mueller notes in an emailed statement that the museum — an independent nonprofit operation — is not subject to the federal government shutdown.
World War II veterans from Mississippi and Iowa were, for a time, kept out of the World War II Memorial in Washington. Now, the National Park Service is making provisions to allow veterans groups into the memorial, but national parks and other commemorative sites remain closed.
That invitation comes amid growing worries over the effects the shutdown will have on the state's economy.