Elon Musk offered to cover the salaries of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel during the ongoing government funding standoff.
“I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country,” Musk said in an X post on Saturday morning.
Musk’s offer comes as a partial government shutdown passes one month, with lawmakers unable to reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the TSA.
The DHS shutdown has left TSA agents working without pay, triggering staffing shortages and long airport lines nationwide, while raising concerns about the ability to prevent attacks.
Republicans have pushed to fund DHS, while Democrats have sought standalone funding for agencies like TSA that would exclude immigration operations.
TSA officers are considered essential employees and are required to report to work even during a shutdown, though pay can be delayed.
Musk’s offer appeared aimed at easing the strain as airport lines grow and staffing pressures build.
Major US airports have experienced severe delays, with security wait times exceeding 3 hours in some cases, due to high TSA officer absenteeism. Hardest-hit airports include Houston (HOU, IAH), Atlanta (ATL), New Orleans (MSY), and Philadelphia (PHL).
Footage from PHL, shot early Thursday morning, showed hundreds of passengers waiting on elevators and escalators to clear a security checkpoint.
It comes as a top TSA union leader warned Thursday that airport security risks linked to the shutdown are set to “get worse,” given that TSA has been under a hiring freeze since last year.
It remains unclear how Musk’s proposed arrangement would work or whether it would be legally possible for a private individual to fund federal workers.
