Potential effects of government shutdown: Millions of federal workers at risk of being furloughed

If Congress fails to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government by Saturday, millions of federal workers could go into the holiday without paychecks. They could be fired or asked to work without pay.

That includes some members of the military and other critical government workers, such as TSA agents and air traffic controllers, just as the holiday travel frenzy begins.

Some contractors with the federal government are not guaranteed back pay like federal employees, which can have devastating consequences for workers living paycheck to paycheck.

Despite efforts to avert the shutdown, plans are still being made if no deal is reached by Saturday’s deadline. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has already been in contact with agencies about their plans in the event of a government shutdown, an OMB official told ABC News. The official said the initial communication with agencies about their shutdown plans happened on Friday.

That communication is part of OMB’s procedurewhich is required by law, which states that one week before the appropriations bills expire, the office must “communicate with senior agency officials to remind agencies of their responsibility to review and update orderly shutdown plans” and “share a draft communication template to notify the employees status of grants.”

The procedure also says the White House office must continue to communicate with agencies ahead of any anticipated shutdown. The policy says that about two business days before the anticipated lapse of funding, “agencies should notify employees of the status of funding.”

ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott spoke with a federal contractor when a shutdown loomed last year, who said the 35-day government shutdown in 2018 took her months to recover financially.

Lawmakers in Congress continue to negotiate a deal that will keep the government funded. House Speaker Steve Scalise told ABC News on Wednesday that lawmakers had a “productive” late-night meeting in the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“We’re going to continue to work through the night into the morning to get an agreement that we can bring to the floor,” Scalise said, adding that he hoped the House could “get it resolved” on Thursday.

Johnson’s original plan called for extending government spending at current levels until March and added other provisions such as relief for disaster victims and farmers and a pay raise for members of Congress. That plan is in jeopardy as President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk have pushed for Republicans not to accept that deal.

Trump has pressed Republicans to deal with the debt limit before he takes office, saying that if they don’t, “he’s going to have to ‘fight ’til the end’ with the Democrats.”

In a joint statement Wednesday afternoon, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance urged Congress to “pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give (Senate Majority Leader) Chuck Schumer and Democrats everything they want.”

ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Sarah Kolinovsky and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.