Congested Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport [Reuters=Yonhap News]

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who is considered the world's wealthiest person, has stepped forward to resolve the salary issue for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees, which has been stalled due to the government shutdown.

Musk announced on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on the 21st (local time), "I would like to propose paying the salaries of TSA employees during this budgetary stalemate which is negatively impacting the lives of countless Americans."

Currently, approximately 50,000 TSA employees are working without pay, with an average annual salary of $61,000 (approximately 92 million won).

However, foreign media outlets have pointed out that it is unclear whether there is a legal avenue to pay civil servants' salaries through donations.

Philip Candreva, a professor at Duke University, explained to USA Today, "Any money donated to the federal government goes into the Treasury. No agency has the authority to withdraw it."

Musk's groundbreaking proposal comes amid a prolonged political dispute over the budget agreement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The processing of the DHS budget has been stalled for five weeks as Democrats oppose the immigration enforcement policies of the Donald Trump administration.

As a result, TSA employees, who are under the DHS, are working without receiving salaries. Following the temporary shutdown of the DHS, 366 employees resigned, and the absentee rate has reached 10%.

Airports across the United States are experiencing personnel shortages, leading to significant delays in passenger security screening.