Historic Philly Sites Close Amid Federal Hiring Freeze: Report​

The American Federation of Government Employees Local 2058, which is the union for employees at Independence National Historical Park, says the Trump administration's policies have forced some historic Philadelphia attractions to close, including the Declaration House and Ben Franklin's home and print shop.

According to Philly.com, Local 2058 President David Fitzpatrick said the federal employee hiring freeze led to seven attractions in the city closing.

Not only have revolutionary war era sites closed, park bathrooms can't be cleaned because no one can be hired to clean them, the outlet reports.

“I’ve been here 17 years,” Fitzpatrick told Philly.com, “and I can’t recall anything like this before.”

A spokeswoman for Mayor Jim Kenney's office said closing the attractions is bad government, as it doesn't give kids the "opportunity to learn about the founding principles that made this country great," the outlet reports.

Image via Eric Beato, Flickr Commons