The military will continue to prosecute wars abroad but its troops will not get paychecks and civilian employees — possibly hundreds of thousands — face being sent home without pay, according to new guidance issued by the Defense Department in preparation for a partial government shutdown.

Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan sent out a memo with the guidance as Congress faces a looming midnight deadline when current government funding expires. Senate Democrats appear poised to block a stopgap spending bill and trigger the first shutdown since 2013.