The US Department of Health and Human Services reportedly plans to furlough 41 percent of its workforce if the Congress fails to prevent a looming government shutdown.

There are a total of 79,717 employees in the department. As many as 32,460 of them are expected to be furloughed under the contingency staffing plan it released over the weekend, Reuters reported. Also Read | US stocks drift amid looming shutdown, Nvidia rises 2.8%, Micron Tech jumps 5%

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would furlough over 75% of its workforce, halting grant peer reviews, advisory council meetings, and basic research.

The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) is expected to retain 86% of its workforce, while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will keep 53% of employees.

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