Senni. John Hoeven, RN.D., discusses the ongoing partial government shutdown causing major airport disruptions across the country in ‘The Bottom Line.’
Elon Musk has promised to pay the salaries of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers amid a government funding dispute.
“I would like to commit to paying the salaries of TSA workers during this time of funding shortages that are negatively impacting the lives of many Americans at airports across the country,” Musk said in an X post Saturday morning.
Musk’s offer comes as the partial government shutdown passes one month, with lawmakers unable to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the TSA.
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Elon Musk has promised to pay the salaries of employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) during the continuation of government funding. Musk is pictured speaking on stage in Cannes, France. (Richard Bord/WireImage/Getty Images)
The DHS shutdown has left TSA agents working without pay, causing staff shortages and long airline lines across the country, while raising concerns about the ability to prevent attacks.
Republicans have pushed to fund DHS, while Democrats have sought independent funding for agencies like the TSA that exclude immigration services.
TSA officers are considered essential employees and are required to report to work even during a shutdown, although pay may be delayed.
Passengers wait in a check-in line at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to lack funding, in Arlington, Virginia, March 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/Reuters Photos)
Musk’s offer appeared to be aimed at easing the strain as airport lines grow and staffing pressures increase.
Major US airports experienced major delays, with security wait times exceeding 3 hours in some cases, due to the absence of senior TSA officials. The hardest hit airports include Houston (HOU, IAH), Atlanta (ATL), New Orleans (MSY), and Philadelphia (PHL).
Footage from Philadelphia International Airport, shot early Thursday, showed hundreds of passengers waiting for elevators and escalators to clear the security zone.
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TSA personnel at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on March 13, 2025. (Annabelle GORDON / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
It comes as the TSA’s top union leader warned Thursday that airport security risks linked to the shutdown will be “extremely bad,” as the TSA has been recruiting since last year.
It is not clear how Musk’s proposed plan would work or whether it would be legal for a private individual to fund the organization’s employees.
Fox News’ Ashley J. DiMella and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
