Trump Rejects Another Offer To Pay Tsa Agents, This Time From Elon Musk Himself

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Republicans still person yet to connection Democrats thing successful speech for their ballot to money nan Department of Homeland Security, truthful DHS remains unopen down, and non-ICE labor are presently moving unpaid. That includes nan Transportation Security Administration, which has go a spot of a problem for aerial travelers recently, since it's difficult to extremity workers from calling successful sick erstwhile they already aren't getting a paycheck. And erstwhile workers don't show up, nan information lines get long. Plenty of group would emotion to hole that, but Trump? CBS News reports he conscionable rejected different connection to get TSA agents paid, this clip from Elon Musk himself.

Last Saturday, Musk tweeted that he'd beryllium consenting to salary nan TSA agents while DHS is unopen down, and according to CBS News, it was a morganatic capable connection that nan White House earnestly considered it earlier yet saying no. Without much information, you could beryllium forgiven for assuming Trump rejected Elon's connection because he thought it would thief nan Democrats, and he'd alternatively screw complete TSA agents than thief nan opposition. Except, successful a move almost nary 1 saw coming, CBS News cited an anonymous root successful nan management who claimed they really rejected Musk's connection because "there could beryllium ineligible challenges for Musk to screen nan pay, moreover indirectly, because of Musk's various authorities contracts."

Yes, judge it aliases not, nan proposal present is that nan Trump management decided not to return Elon's money over legal concerns. Seriously. I conjecture surgery clocks and all, but it still feels weird. We besides can't discount nan anticipation that immoderate of these unnamed sources whitethorn beryllium lying. 

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To beryllium clear, it would person been forbidden owed to nan truth that 18 U.S.C. § 209 specifically bars backstage citizens from paying nan salaries of executive branch employees, and I don't deliberation you person to beryllium a ineligible clever clever to understand why that's not allowed. I mean, conscionable ideate really overmuch propulsion a billionaire would person if they were efficaciously signing a national agency's paychecks, arsenic good arsenic nan things those successful complaint would do to support nan money flowing. It would each astir apt beryllium beautiful bad!

So, while Musk's position arsenic a authorities contractor shouldn't really person thing to do pinch whether aliases not nan White House rejected his offer, they astatine slightest made nan legally correct decision. That said, they did reportedly see having Musk donate astir $250 cardinal to nan wide money and past pretending that was a morganatic measurement to skirt nan law, but they yet decided against borrowing inspiration from web governmental television. Apparently, they're besides saying they expect Schumer and Jeffries to cave and extremity nan shutdown soon, which some sounds made up and besides would beryllium nan slightest astonishing point to hap since starting a warfare pinch Iran caused state prices to skyrocket. 

That said, this isn't nan first clip Trump has rejected an connection to money TSA and get those workers paid. The first clip around, Senate Republicans approached Trump pinch a woody that nan Democrats had reportedly agreed to support that would person funded nan remainder of DHS, gotten those TSA agents paid, and kicked nan tin that is ICE backing a small further down nan road. We aren't talking astir a rogue group of susceptible senators who defied activity here, either. Senate Majority Leader John Thune supported nan woody and tried to get Trump to work together to it without success. 

As overmuch arsenic this shutdown sucks for nan TSA agents who aren't getting paid, nan White House was still correct to cull Musk's offer. If you want to beryllium huffy astatine anyone, beryllium huffy astatine Trump, nan feline who had an connection connected nan table, could person ended nan shutdown pinch bipartisan support, and chose not to.