The federal government is set to shut down on Wednesday unless Congress manages to strike a last-minute agreement to pass a stopgap spending bill before the Sept. 30 funding deadline. While it's become common practice for Congress to avert a shutdown at the last possible moment, such an outcome appears increasingly unlikely as lawmakers have departed Washington with no agreement in sight .

Under a shutdown, federal workers would miss paychecks, families could see delays in food assistance, and air travel might slow as airport screeners and air traffic controllers are asked to work without pay. But in a departure from how past shutdowns have been managed, the White House budget office under President Donald Trump is instructing agencies to prepare plans for permanent layoffs in program

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