White House lays groundwork for mass firings if there's a shutdown

WASHINGTON — The White House is raising the stakes of a potential government shutdown by drafting a request for federal agencies to prepare “reduction in force” plans in case Congress doesn’t pass a spending bill before Oct. 1. In a memo from the Office of Management and Budget, obtained by NBC News, the Trump administration indicated it's prepared to go beyond the traditional furloughing of some government employees during shutdowns and fire federal employees.