TSA security screenings delayed at airports nationwide due to government shutdown
Travelers are facing significant TSA delays as the government shutdown leaves employees unpaid and airports nationwide strained.
Elon Musk said in a social media post that he wants to pay the salaries of Transportation Security Administration employees who are working without pay during the partial government shutdown and as spring break travel increases.
Approximately 50,000 TSA employees have not been paid as the shutdown continues for more than a month, impacting the Department of Homeland Security’s cash flow. Security lines at airports across the country have been chaotic, with some extending outside the terminals. Some TSA employees are not reporting to work, and officials have warned that small airports could be closed if the situation persists.
“During this funding gridlock that is negatively impacting the lives of so many Americans at airports across the country, I would like to propose paying the salaries of TSA employees,” Musk wrote in a post on X on the morning of March 21.
It is unclear whether there is a legal way for donors to pay government salaries. USA TODAY has reached out to the Office of Management and Budget for comment.
Musk, who was found liable to Twitter shareholders in March in a fraud lawsuit over the takeover of the platform now known as X, is the world’s richest man. He did not say how much it costs to pay TSA salaries. USA TODAY has reached out to the TSA for comment.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said workers are not expected to receive their second full paycheck on March 27. Under the 2019 law, TSA employees who continue to work during the shutdown will receive back pay after the shutdown ends and funding resumes.
According to DHS, the TSA no-show rate reached 10% last weekend, well above the standard rate of less than 2% during normal operations. Some airports have much higher no-show rates, with New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport having a 29% no-show rate, Atlanta 32% and New Orleans 27% as of March 18, the agency reported.
DHS says 366 TSA employees have retired since the shutdown began.
Contributions to the government are accepted by the Treasury Department, which stores government cash, and are disbursed like other federal funds based on Congressional appropriations (the rules set by Congress on how contributions are distributed).
“All money donated to the federal government goes into the Treasury Department. That doesn’t mean government agencies have the authority to withdraw it,” Philip Candreva, a professor of national security policy and budgeting at Duke University, previously told USA TODAY.
Contributions: Zach Wichter, Eve Chen, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY. Reuters
