Government shutdown updates: Leavitt says Trump exploring cutting aid to Portland

When speaking to top-ranking generals and admirals at a meeting in Quantico, Virginia, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the department "must prepare now" for war.

"The time is now," Hegseth said on Tuesday morning.

Hegseth also emphasized the importance of "peace through strength" and having the "right people and the right culture."

He added that the department is "clearing the way for leaders to be leaders."

"You might say we are ending the war on warriors," Hegseth said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer late on Monday responded to a post from President Donald Trump, saying the president could "only throw tantrums" rather than negotiating a deal to avert a potential government shutdown.

"If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can’t negotiate," Schumer said. "You can only throw tantrums."

The reply followed an earlier post by Trump that included a manipulated video featuring likenesses of Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Jeffries and Schumer met earlier Monday with Trump in the Oval Office as part of bipartisan talks seeking a deal to avert a shutdown, which would begin at midnight on Wednesday.

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Attorney General Pam Bondi formalized her directive dispatching "all necessary officers" from ATF, the U.S. Marshals, DEA and FBI "to defend ICE facilities and personnel whenever and wherever they come under attack, including Portland and Chicago."

Bondi previously announced the directive in social media posts over the weekend.

In her memo, Bondi said she has directed the department to evaluate whether existing grant fundings and other technical assistance can be proved to federal, state and local authorities providing assistance to ICE facilities.

She added that funding could also be used toward "the purchase of body-worn cameras and other such equipment" that may be deemed necessary by federal authorities.

"The Department of Justice will arrest and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law every person who aids, abets, or conspires to commit these crimes, whether through funding, coordination, planning, or other means," Bondi said.

-ABC News’ Alex Mallin

Federal government employees who oversee firings will be allowed to continue working during a government shutdown, the Office of Personnel Management said in a memo Monday.

The guidance appears to pave the way for the Trump administration to follow through on plans to lay off federal workers if the government shuts down.

In another change in policy from past shutdowns, furloughed federal employees will be able to use government-issued computers -- to check for emails announcing layoffs, OPM said in the memo. In past shutdowns, furloughed workers have been prohibited from using official laptops for any reason.

-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel