Elon Musk wants to pay TSA salaries during partial government shutdown

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Elon Musk announced on X that he is willing to cover the salaries of TSA employees working without paychecks during the ongoing partial government shutdown. The shutdown has left roughly 50,000 officers unpaid, triggered high absenteeism and quit rates, and raised questions about whether a private donor can legally fund federal salaries.

Elon Musk said in a post on social media that he wants to pay the salaries of Transportation Security Administration employees who are working without paychecks during the partial government shutdown and as spring break travel ramps up.

About 50,000 TSA officers aren't being paid as the shutdown stretches on for over a month, affecting funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Security lines at airports around the country have become chaotic, stretching outside terminals at some airports. Some TSA workers have not shown up to work, and officials have warned smaller airports could close if the situation drags on much longer.

"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 a post on X the morning of March 21.

It is unclear whether there is a legal pathway for a donor to pay government salaries. USA TODAY has reached out to the Office of Management and Budget for comment. 

Musk, who in March was found liable to Twitter shareholders in a fraud lawsuit over his takeover of the platform now known as X, is the richest man in the world. He did not say how much money it would cost to pay TSA salaries. USA TODAY has reached out to TSA for comment.

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Workers are set to miss their second full paycheck on March 27, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said. TSA employees who continue working through the shutdown will receive back pay after the shutdown ends and funding resumes, under a 2019 law.

TSA absences reached 10% last weekend, a jump from the standard rate of under 2% during normal operations, DHS said. Some airports had much higher no-show rates, with New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport seeing a 29% absence rate, 32% in Atlanta and 27% in New Orleans on March 18, the agency reported.

Since the shutdown began, 366 TSA officers have quit, DHS said.

Donations to the government are accepted into the Treasury Department – which holds the government's cash – and then disbursed based on congressional appropriations – rules set by Congress about how they can be distributed – just like other federal funds.

“Any money donated to the federal government goes into the Treasury. That doesn’t mean that an agency has the authority to take it out,” Philip Candreva, a professor of national security policy and budgeting at Duke University, previously told USA TODAY.