Elon Musk is offering to cover the salaries of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel during the ongoing partial government shutdown — which a maverick Democrat senator is saying “should never” have “come to this point.”
“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.
“This is incredibly generous,” Sen, John Fetterman (D-PA) responded on X. “TSA agents across the country are relying on food pantries and community donations to get by. I remain the lone Dem to vote with my Republican colleagues to fully fund DHS and get people paid”.
The Pennsylvania senator added, “It should never come to this point.”
With his opposition to the shutdown, Fetterman continues to forge a reputation as his party’s maverick, also breaking with Democrat party lines on immigration, Israel and the Iran war.
Musk makes his offer as the 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.
As a result, TSA agents working without pay, resulting in staffing shortages and long airport lines nationwide.
The standoff is also raising concerns about the ability to prevent attacks.
Republican lawmakers have pushed to fund DHS, while Democrats have sought standalone funding for agencies like TSA that would exclude immigration operations.
Under federal rules TSA officers are considered essential employees and are required to report to work even during a shutdown, though pay can be delayed.
Saturday morning Fox Business reported, “Major U.S. 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).”
On Thursday, TSA Union leader George Borek warned security risks at airports are only going to “get worse” as the result of retirements and a hiring freeze since last year at the agency, saying 400 have already signaled they’re leaving.
It remains unclear how Musk’s pay proposal would work or whether it would be legally possible for a private individual to fund federal workers.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
