SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox has again expressed disappointment in Congress as the government shutdown is more than likely to happen in 2 days.

Congress has failed to come to any kind of agreement on federal government funding and Cox, while frustrated with Congress’ unwillingness to “fulfill their most obligation of funding the government,” has pledged that the Utah government is working to ensure the health and well-being of the state’s economy.

Cox took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Congress and to reassure Utah citizens.

“It’s extremely disappointing that Congress is unwilling to fulfill its most basic obligation of funding the government, but Utah is prepared to step up and do what it takes to reduce the impact of a shutdown on Utah families,” said Gov. Cox. “In Utah, our number one priority is our families and we will not let down the families who depend on the WIC program. Our tourism economy is also of vital importance and we’ve communicated to Interior Secretary Haaland our plan to keep Utah’s national parks open if she is willing to work with us, and our expectation that any state dollars spent will be restored to the people of Utah.”

The governor’s office reports WIC benefits will be available through the month of October utilizing funds from the USDA. Utahns with questions about the program can contact the state WIC office at 1-877-WIC-KIDS or visit their local WIC office.

The state stepped up in 2013 and again in 2018-19 to keep “The Mighty 5” open during the shutdown. The state says it has again identified short-term funding options to allow the parks to stay open with limited operations during the impending shutdown.

The state is awaiting approval for this plan from the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, who has not yet said that she will allow the parks to stay open. If the state is unable to keep the National Parks open, local economies would take a hit of $7.1 million per day for every day of the shutdown, according to a statement on the Governor’s website.

Cox spoke out against the shutdown during his monthly press conference last week when he said “I just want to be clear about this… This is stupid. This is the one thing they are supposed to do, like pass a budget, guys. What’s it been ten years, more than that, since they’ve actually done the budgeting process the way it was envisioned to be?”