The White House warned federal agencies to prepare for mass firings if Congress does not reach a deal to fund the government before next Wednesday.

A memo released Wednesday by the Office of Management and Budget told agencies whose funding expires Oct. 1 — and which do not have alternative funding sources and are "not consistent with the President's priorities" — to consider issuing reduction-in-force notices for employees.

The warning ratchets up the pressure on Congress to strike a deal to avert a government shutdown, as thousands of government workers' jobs could be on the line.

In past shutdowns, federal workers were typically temporarily furloughed until a budget deal was reached.

In 2013, the last year that there was a full government shutdown, about 850,000 employees we

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