USCISannounced that it will not have to furlough 13,000 employees, which isabout two-thirds its workforce. Thefurloughs were set to begin on August 30, 2020. The agency cited, “unprecedented spending cuts and a steady increase indaily incoming revenue and receipts,” as the reason for the recession of thefurloughs. USCIS first expected the furloughsto begin earlier in the summer. Thosewere postponed until August 30. Theyhave now been further averted.
USCIS Deputy Directorfor Policy Joseph Edlow warned, “averting this furlough comes at a severeoperational cost that will increase backlogs and wait times across the board,with no guarantee we can avoid future furloughs. A return to normal operatingprocedures requires congressional intervention to sustain the agency throughfiscal year 2021.”