The White House has rejected a suggestion by billionaire Elon Musk to have him fund the Transportation Security Administration – TSA, employees’ salaries during the partial government shutdown that has left airports across the country in chaos, according to multiple sources who spoke with CBS News.
The administration took the Elon Musk proposal under advisement, the sources said. But one source told CBS News there may be legal hurdles if Musk were to pay salaries—even indirectly—since he already has government contracts.
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
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 21, 2026
Additionally, sources said White House officials believe an agreement could come to fruition in the coming days to end the funding fight.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats for the shutdown and called for one to fund the government. “We blame the Democrats for this funding stalemate that’s been going on now for six weeks,” Leavitt said on Wednesday. “The President and the Republicans’ position has been very clear — fund the Department of Homeland Security.”
Musk tweeted out his offer on the weekend. “I would love to pay the TSA employees’ salaries while this funding gap continues to harm so many American workers,” he wrote on X. “I will work with Congress to make this happen.”
When asked about Elon Musk’s offer on Monday, President Donald Trump told reporters he was all for it. “Let him do that. I’d love it. I think that’s great.”
🚨 BREAKING: Elon Musk’s offer to pay TSA salaries has been DECLINED by the White House, per CBS
President Trump signaled his excitement over @ElonMusk’s offer, and was moving forward with trying to make it happen.
But federal laws severely limit private citizens’ abilities to… pic.twitter.com/76HUduBqle
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 25, 2026
Providing TSA salaries would cost approximately $250 million, CNN reported. Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA, did not immediately respond to questions from Insider. Musk also declined to comment.
In private conversations, administration officials considered if Musk could donate money to the federal government’s general fund to pay the workers. The U.S. Office of Government Ethics bans private citizens from directly paying federal employees. That said, citizens are permitted to contribute financially through a designated account known as “Gifts to the U.S. Government.”
According to the U.S. Treasury, such funds can be applied toward federal budget needs. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told CBS News, “We greatly appreciate Elon’s generous offer,” but noted, “This would pose great legal challenges due to his involvement with federal government contracts.
With Democrats now refusing even to negotiate until Trump completely reopens the government, TSA workers are now at risk of missing their second full paycheck since the shutdown began. Previously, the agency gave employees a partial payment early in the shutdown. TSA Acting Chief David Pekoske said on Wednesday that by the time the shutdown ends employees will have lost about $1 billion in pay combined between this 40-day shutdown and last year’s 43-day shutdown.
