President Donald Trump warned Sunday of widespread layoffs if the federal government shuts down this week, telling NBC News that "we are going to cut a lot of the people that ... we're able to cut on a permanent basis."

"[I'd] rather not do that," he told NBC News in an exclusive interview.

The White House is doubling down on warnings that thousands of government jobs could be on the line if the government shuts down at midnight on Tuesday.

The Trump administration last week told federal agencies to begin preparing for mass firings if Congress does not agree to a deal to avert a shutdown. If the White House follows through on its threat, it would mark a break from precedent, as federal employees are typically furloughed in such cases.

When there was a full government shutdown in 2013, for instance, about 850,000 employees were furloughed, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The warning of potential mass firings — which was made via a memo released by the Office of Management and Budget — marked a significant escalation of pressure on congressional lawmakers to head off a shutdown.

Still, with less than three days until the government funding deadline, lawmakers remain far apart on negotiations, increasing the chances of a shutdown.