Trump threatens mass firings of federal workers if government shutdown isn't averted, NBC News reports

President Donald Trump warned Sunday of wide layoffs if the federal government shuts down this week, telling NBC News that "we are going to chopped a batch of the radical that ... we're capable to chopped connected a imperishable basis."

"[I'd] alternatively not bash that," helium told NBC News successful an exclusive interview.

The White House is doubling down connected warnings that thousands of authorities jobs could beryllium connected the enactment if the authorities shuts down astatine midnight connected Tuesday.

The Trump medication last week told national agencies to statesman preparing for wide firings if Congress does not hold to a woody to avert a shutdown. If the White House follows done connected its threat, it would people a interruption from precedent, arsenic national employees are typically furloughed successful specified cases.

When determination was a afloat authorities shutdown successful 2013, for instance, astir 850,000 employees were furloughed, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The informing of imaginable wide firings — which was made via a memo released by the Office of Management and Budget — marked a important escalation of unit connected legislature lawmakers to caput disconnected a shutdown.

Still, with little than 3 days until the authorities backing deadline, lawmakers stay far isolated connected negotiations, expanding the chances of a shutdown.