The White House rejected the proposal by businessman Elon Musk to assume the payment of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers during the partial shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and has caused delays at airports in the United States, sources told CBS News.
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The offer proposed by the technology entrepreneur amounted to USD 250 million, according to two sources cited by the media.
The partial shutdown of the federal government, which has left the Department of Homeland Security unfunded for 40 days, has had a direct impact on the operation of U.S. airports.TSA employees have seen their income halved and, according to the agency’s interim head, by the end of the week, the staff will have collectively lost one billion dollars in wages, a figure that adds to the damages of the previous shutdown, which lasted for 43 days.
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The White House rejected Musk’s proposal, citing strict legal obstacles and ethical restrictions on private donations (REUTERS/Antranik Tavitian)
The owner of SpaceX and Tesla used his X account on Saturday to publicly offer: “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 across the country,” Musk wrote. Your proposal immediately generated repercussions in the administration and among the officials responsible for airport security, while adding pressure on the Executive and Congress to reach a budget agreement.Legal Obstacles and Ethical Questions
Some officials in the Trump administration showed openness to the initiative and President Donald Trump expressed his explicit support. But the White House considered that there are insurmountable legal obstacles to channel private resources to pay the salaries of public employees. Sources consulted by CBS News detailed that the main difficulty comes from the federal contracts that Musk maintains with the State and from the restrictions established by the U.S. Government Ethics Office, which prohibits direct donations from individuals to salaries of officials. A screenshot shows a tweet from Elon Musk offering to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during a funding standstill affecting U.S. airports Specialists in administrative law pointed out that any attempt to transfer private funds to general government accounts to allocate them to salaries would require express authorization from Congress. The Office of Government Ethics requires that payments to federal employees be made exclusively with budget items approved by the Legislative Branch, in order to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure the independence of the public function.Political Positions and Climate of Tension
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt blamed Democratic lawmakers for the situation and emphasized that the solution depends on the approval of funds for the DHS in Congress. “The president and the Republicans have maintained a clear position: to fund the Department of Homeland Security,” Leavitt emphasized in statements collected by CBS News. The Trump administration maintains as a condition for any agreement to include the resources requested for border security and projects related to the wall with Mexico, which has hampered budget negotiations. The partial shutdown of the US federal government leaves more than 50,000 TSA employees without full pay (REUTERS/Daniel Cole) In parallel, workers and unions of the TSA warned about the deterioration of working conditions and security checks at airports. The national union estimated that more than 50,000 employees suffered a loss of income during a period that already exceeds 40 days, which directly affects the response capacity at the main entry points to the country.Closure Context and Background
The partial federal government shutdown began 40 days ago, after Congress failed to pass the funding law requested by the Trump administration. Several DHS agencies, including the TSA and the Border Patrol, were left without a budget. The most recent precedent was the 2018-2019 shutdown, which lasted for 43 days and caused similar salary losses for public employees. You can also read:Musk’s initiative was interpreted as an unusual gesture of private intervention in federal budgetary affairs. TSA workers have lost more than a billion dollars in wages due to the prolonged budget shutdown (REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz/File Photo) However, experts consulted by CBS News and other U.S. media outlets warn that current legislation prevents this type of transfer for ethical and transparency reasons, and that any exception would require a regulatory change approved by Congress.
