The White House has rejected an offer from Elon Musk to personally fund TSA workers’ salaries during the partial government shutdown that has thrown airport security into chaos across the country, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson told Fortune.
Musk floated the proposal publicly on March 21, posting on X that he wanted “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.” The post drew more than 91 million views.
“We greatly appreciate Elon’s generous offer,” Jackson wrote in an email to Fortune. “This would pose great legal challenges due to his involvement with federal government contracts.”
Jackson also said that the fastest way to ensure TSA employees get paid would be for “Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security.”
Meanwhile the airport crisis deepens. The Transportation Security Administration said Wednesday that wait times have hit the worst levels in the agency’s history, with some passengers waiting more than four and a half hours to clear security. Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that TSA has lost more than 480 transportation security officers since the funding lapse began on Feb. 14, now roughly 40 days ago.
At some major airports, 40% to 50% of officers have called out on certain days, forcing the agency to consolidate screening lanes and scale back operations, according to Bloomberg. Atlanta, Houston, and New York have been among the hardest hit. Videos posted to social media showed lines at LaGuardia Airport snaking through terminals and into baggage claim areas early Wednesday morning.
The administration has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports to help manage the crush, a move that has drawn bipartisan scrutiny. McNeill said ICE personnel are handling “non-specialized screening functions” like travel document checkpoints, while TSA officers focus on core security duties.
And the shutdown remains deadlocked in Washington. Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic proposal to end the partial shutdown, with Majority Leader John Thune dismissing it as a list of demands including changes to immigration enforcement operations. Democrats have pushed for reforms scaling back ICE’s operations following several violent incidents that left civilians dead.
Representatives for Musk did not respond to a request for comment.
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