The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is preparing to furlough nearly 70 percent of its workforce as the agency faces budget shortfalls amid the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesperson for the agency said Wednesday. About 13,400 of the agency’s 20,000 employees will receive notice that they will be furloughed starting Aug. 3 if the agency does not receive additional funding from Congress, the spokesperson said in a statement. The agency is primarily funded by fees from new immigration applications, but has suspended in-person services amid the coronavirus pandemic. The spokesperson said USCIS has seen a 50 percent drop in receipts and incoming fees since March, and estimates that application and petition receipts will drop by about 61 percent through the end of fiscal year 2020.