WASHINGTON The federal agency tasked with offering citizenship, green cards and visas to immigrants is planning to furlough about two-thirds of its workers at the end of the month after Congress failed to reach a deal on a coronavirus stimulus package.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services notified about 13,400 of its 20,000 employees that they would be furloughed Aug. 30 because of budget shortfalls, which the agency hoped Congress would fill in its next relief package before negotiations stalled last week.
"In the past few months, USCIS has taken action to avert a fiscal crisis, including limiting spending to salary and mission-critical activities," an agency spokesperson said. "Without congressional intervention, USCIS will have to take drastic actions to keep the agency solvent."
The agency had asked Congress for $1.2 billion, and the money had been expected to come through its next coroanvirus relief package. But after about two weeks of negotiations, talks dissolved as Democrats and the White House blamed each other for the stalemate.
In the end, the president signed four executive orders trying to fill the gap on some stimulus programs, though they did not deal with immigration services. Questions remain over whether the orders will ultimately be successful in carrying out Trump's aims.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/11/covid-19-stimulus-deal-us-immigration-services-plans-furloughs/3344178001/
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6:24 pm August 14, 2020
