WASHINGTON (TNND) — Elon Musk offered to fund the salaries of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers as they remain unpaid amid the partial government shutdown.
The Tesla CEO shared the news on X, which is his social media platform, early Saturday morning.
“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 wrote in the post.
It is unclear whether such an arrangement would be legally permissible, as federal workers are typically paid through congressional appropriations and subject to strict rules governing compensation.
Sen. John Fetterman, who is a Democrat, shared Musk’s post. He called the offer “incredibly generous.”
“TSA agents across the country are relying on food pantries and community donations just to get by,” Fetterman wrote on X. “I remain the lone Dem to vote with my Republican colleagues to fully fund DHS and get people paid. It should never come to this point.”
The proposal comes as TSA officers, like many federal employees, face uncertainty during the funding lapse, raising concerns about staffing shortages, longer security lines, and broader travel disruptions at some of the country’s biggest airports.
Air travelers endure long lines and two-hour wait times at the TSA security check point at Terminal E at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport Friday, March 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Lawmakers remain at odds over funding priorities, including disagreements tied to immigration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending, which includes the TSA.
A bill to fund DHS failed to advance on Friday in the Senate despite growing concerns, as Democrats declined to provide the support needed to move the funding measure toward final passage.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would offer an alternative measure Saturday to fund just the TSA, which screens passengers and luggage for hazardous items. It is likely to fail as lawmakers hold a rare weekend session.
Later on Saturday, President Donald Trump threatened to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports across the country if Democrats do not agree to end the ongoing funding impasse that has disrupted operations and led to staffing shortages.
“If the radical left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our country, in particular, our airports, be free and safe again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE agents to the airports where they will do security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all illegal immigrants who have come into our country, with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia, who have totally destroyed, with the approval of a corrupt governor, attorney general, and congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, the once great state of Minnesota,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.”I look forward to seeing ICE in action at our airports,” he added.
________________
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.