Federal agencies have been directed to hold off enacting pay raises for top administration officials during the government shutdown that has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay.

The guidance was issued on Friday in a memo from Margaret Weichert, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management.

The raises were the result of a pay freeze for top federal officials, including the vice-president and cabinet secretaries, that was on the verge of expiring because of the shutdown.

In the memo, Weichert writes that “in the current absence of congressional guidance”, her office “believes it would be prudent for agencies to continue to pay these senior political officials at the frozen rate until appropriations legislation is enacted that would clarify the status of the freeze”.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders had said earlier that the administration was “aware of the issue” and “exploring options to prevent this from being implemented while some federal workers are furloughed”.

Donald Trump, who last month signed an executive order stopping pay raises for regular federal employees, told reporters at a press conference he “might consider” asking cabinet secretaries and other top officials to forgo the raises. Vice-President Mike Pence committed to doing so.

The raises, which were first reported by the Washington Post, appear to be an unintended consequence of a shutdown that is affecting hundreds of thousands of federal employees, forcing many to work without pay.

Trump and congressional leaders met again Friday to try to hash out a resolution, but emerged no closer to a deal. Trump is demanding billions of dollars for his long-promised wall along the southern border. Democrats refuse to give him the money. Talks continued on Saturday.

Sanders called the raises “another unnecessary byproduct of the shutdown” and said Congress “can easily take care of this by funding the government and securing our borders”.