NOAA Calls Off Furloughs

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will not furlough any of its 12,000 employees after the Commerce Department reached an agreement late Friday night for additional budget flexibility, acting NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan wrote in a memo obtained by SpaceNews.com.

Sullivan wrote the agency would have had to furlough some workers for up to 10 days and others could have seen 20 furlough days under an appropriation received in late March.

“We have implemented a hiring freeze, limited travel and training, and cut grant and contract funding, in addition to many others,” Sullivan wrote.

She referenced the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma, Missouri and other parts of the Midwest in the memo to thank agency workers for their service.