The Democrats’ partial government shutdown just crossed the one-month mark, and Americans trying to catch a flight are paying the price. Security lines stretch for three hours or more, and workers aren’t getting paid.
The shutdown started on February 14, when Democrats blocked a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, as a form of protest against immigration enforcement. And now, Elon Musk is stepping in to do what Democrats apparently can’t. While Democrats and Republicans duke it out, roughly 64,000 TSA employees are classified as essential workers — meaning they’re required to show up every single day, paycheck or not.
On Saturday morning, Musk posted a remarkable offer on X.
“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,” he wrote.
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TSA workers earn about $50,000 a year on average, and many are still recovering from the previous 43-day shutdown that wiped out their savings. Since this one began, more than 300 TSA officers have already walked off the job for good.
Musk’s offer appeared aimed at easing the strain as airport lines grow and staffing pressures build.
Major U.S. airports have experienced severe delays, with security wait times exceeding 3 hours in some cases, due to high TSA officer absenteeism. Hardest-hit airports include Houston (HOU, IAH), Atlanta (ATL), New Orleans (MSY), and Philadelphia (PHL).
Footage from PHL, shot early Thursday morning, showed hundreds of passengers waiting on elevators and escalators to clear a security checkpoint.
The TSA union has been sounding the alarm all week. A union leader warned Thursday that airport security risks will only worsen, especially with a hiring freeze dating back to last year. Absenteeism at some airports is averaging 20% on any given day, with spikes far higher. When a third of your screeners don’t come in, chaos is inevitable.
And Democrats don’t care.
A longtime TSA worker said some agents could not support their families, let alone get to work.
‘Whether it’s “I can’t put gas in my car,” “I have to take care of my children,” “I have to pay my light bill so that my lights won’t get cut off,” … those are the reasons that officers are not showing up,’ Aaron Barker, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 554 in Atlanta, said, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
’Officers are scared,’ Barker added. ‘They don’t know what to do.’
Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that TSA workers are set to miss another payment on March 27.
‘If a deal isn’t cut, you’re going to see what’s happening today look like child’s play,’ Duffy told CNN on Friday. ‘These are going to be good days compared to what’s going to happen a week from now.’
As for Musk’s offer, it’s not entirely clear if it’s even legal. But the gesture itself makes a point that makes the Democrats look terrible. The world’s richest man was compelled to offer his own money to help these people make ends meet just because the Democrats are having a temper tantrum. This isn’t the first time Democrats have shut down all or part of the government to resist President Donald Trump, and it won’t be the last, sadly.
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