White House turns down Elon Musk's offer to pay TSA workers during DHS shutdown

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: March 26, 2026 / 3:43 AM EDT


The White House has rejected an offer from billionaire Elon Musk to pay TSA workers during a partial government shutdown that has disrupted airport travelers across the country, several sources told CBS News.

The suggestion was taken seriously by Trump administration officials, but there could be legal challenges for Musk to cover the pay, even indirectly, because of Musk's various government contracts, one source said.

Another reason: White House officials believe the partial shutdown is likely to end soon, according to sources.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats for the shutdown and called for the restoration of funding. "It's the Democrats who have led to this stalemate over the past six weeks," Leavitt said Wednesday. "The president and the Republicans' position has been very clear — fund the Department of Homeland Security."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-elon-musks-offer-pay-tsa-workers-dhs-shutdown/

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REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143636383

[lostincalifornia]

1. It is a disgrace that our press for the most part IGNORES that the Democrats have introduced legislation about 10 times

to fund the TSA workers, without the voter suppression act, that each time the republicans in congress has rejected.

[Ray Bruns]

2. Isn't that illegal?

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Of course it is

But probably 90% of what this administration has done the past year has been illegal.

[doc03]

4. I think that was a stunt the Ped-A-File and Muskrat cooked up

for a headline.

[C_U_L8R]

5. Yet another phony puppet show

to tantalize the small magat mind.

[Miguelito Loveless]

6. When you have enough money to pay the salaries

of a national government agency, you have too damned much money.

[JohnnyRingo]

7. He's using TSA agents as pawns in a quest for more power.

Just like he's using the voters in his Magaverse.

[riversedge]

8. agree--and Trumps wealth keeps increasing no matter what he does.

[Bayard]

9. Set up a GoFundMe account for them, Leon

[ChicagoTeamster]

10. Trump wants to break the TSA Union so he can replace them with a private company packed with loyalists