Smithsonian American Art Museum. Photo Ken Rahaim.

WASHINGTON, DC — As President Donald Trump’s government shutdown enters its second week, the Smithsonian has announced that it will close its doors January 2 until a funding deal is reached.

The Smithsonian says this will affect all 21 of its properties, including museums, galleries, research centers and the National Zoo.

“There’s no getting around it,” Linda St. Thomas, chief spokeswoman for the Smithsonian, told NPR.

“The most important thing was to be able to get through this week because we didn’t want to disappoint people,” she said. “But, even then, you still have people who come for a once in a lifetime visit or to see something very special and it’s a shame to turn them away.”

The Smithsonian fielded nearly 30 million visits to its properties in 2017 with a federal appropriation of $1 billion for the 2018 fiscal year.

The shutdown resulted from a standoff between President Trump and Democrats over the President’s long-promised wall along the Mexican border of the United States.

For more information, www.si.edu.