BOSTON (WHDH) - The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum reopened on Wednesday after closing Tuesday afternoon due to staffing issues.
The head of the JKF Presidential Library and Museum, Alan Price, says he’s glad to see the facility back open.
Price says five of his employees were fired as a result of Trump administration budget cuts. The employees were relatively recent hires, still in a probationary period.
“It was a sudden loss of staff,” said Price. “They were mostly frontline facing, and so until we could figure out a staffing solution to make sure all ticketing systems were covered, we had to make some adjustments.”
As the museum reopened, allowing staff to return to their jobs, one woman came out with a sign to protest the cuts, calling them “idiocracy.”
People got in for free on Wednesday because staffers who shifted work responsibilities from the front desk did not know how to log into the library’s computer system, which handles payments and ticketing.
Some visitors from Tuesday came back on Wednesday.
“They immediately assured us that our safety wasn’t in jeopardy, but that they had to shut down for an executive order,” said Jeff Jensen, who was visiting the library from Tampa. “We saw the signs on the door and were like, well, we’ll try again tomorrow.”
“We were very thankful it was open again today so we could come and finish,” said John Luti, who was escorted out on Tuesday.
No other presidential libraries around the country reportedly closed.
“I don’t believe anybody was forced to close because although there were cuts, those did not involve frontline staff,” said Price.
Members of the Kennedy family say they were disturbed by the news.
A former congressman says President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are shooting from the hip without regard to the consequences.
“This is obviously what happens when you shoot first and ask questions later,” said Joe Kennedy III. “And you govern by the seat of your pants, rather than actually thinking things through.”
The JFK Library gets more than 100,000 visitors a year from people from all over the world.
A couple from Sweden is happy the JFK exhibits were open Wednesday.
They said they don’t support mass layoffs which can impact services.
“We don’t understand. We tried to understand. But it’s difficult,” said Joron Hjelte, visiting from Sweden. “What’s happening here and what’s happening in the world. Things change from breakfast to dinner.”
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