White House rejects Elon Musk's offer to fund TSA during government shutdown

The White House has rejected Elon Musk's offer to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents' salaries as they keep working without pay during the partial government shutdown.

"We sincerely thank Elon for his generous offer," Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, told Business Insider. 

"This presents significant legal hurdles due to his ties with federal government contracts. The quickest way to pay TSA employees — and all DHS employees — is for Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security."

On Saturday, the tech billionaire shared in a social media post his desire to fund TSA workers' wages "during this funding stalemate that is adversely impacting many Americans at airports nationwide."

By Wednesday, TSA workers have missed at least one paycheck as Congress continues to struggle with funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

This funding gap has resulted in workforce shortages and lengthy lines at airports nationwide.

In response, the Trump administration has dispatched Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to manage airport delays.

It should be noted that because of the partial government shutdown, TSA agents have gone without pay, leading to increased absenteeism and staffing shortages at airports.

TSA acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill highlighted the growing hardships faced by unpaid airport workers. 

Many are struggling with mounting bills, eviction notices, and are even donating plasma just to get by. She urged lawmakers to ensure that such a situation “never happens again.”

McNeill told lawmakers that several airports are seeing callout rates exceeding 40%, and more than 480 transportation security officers have resigned during the shutdown.