Susan Walsh/AP
- Elon Musk said he would like to pay the salaries of TSA agents hit by the government shutdown.
- Some TSA agents, who have gone unpaid for weeks, have stopped showing up for their shifts.
- The situation has led to hourslong lines for passengers at many US airports.
The world's richest man is offering to pay the salaries of TSA agents, who have gone unpaid for weeks as the partial government shutdown drags on.
Many TSA agents have stopped showing up for work, causing hourslong lines at security at many airports across the country.
"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 an X post on Saturday.
The Transportation Security Administration is under the Department of Homeland Security, which remains unfunded as Congress debates the agency's immigration enforcement policies. While the partial shutdown began on January 30, TSA agents received their first $0 paycheck on March 13.
As many as 10% of all TSA agents skipped work on several days this week, according to the DHS. The departments said that absence rates are averaging 20% in some airports. The salary for a TSA agent typically starts at about $40,000 annually. The DHS employs about 50,000 TSA agents.
While a generous offer, it is unlikely that Musk could ever do such a thing. Only the US government can legally issue federal salaries, and federal agencies cannot accept private funding to cover payroll.
Pressure is growing on Congress to make a deal and fund the essential national security department, especially as the US war on Iran shows no signs of slowing down.
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