Elon Musk Could Legally Help Struggling Tsa Agents Get Paid With This One Weird Trick

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I don't for illustration Elon Musk, and I haven't since moreover earlier accumulation started connected the long-delayed Tesla Model X. As acold arsenic I'm concerned, his actions complete nan past decade person only reinforced that I was correct nan full time, but thousands of TSA agents are about to miss different paycheck. If thing tin support those workers from falling down connected their bills while Trump plays governmental games, it's worthy mounting differences speech to punctual Musk he tin still help, moreover aft the White House rejected his first connection to salary them. Without moreover breaking nan law. 

As I said astatine nan time, whether nan blatant illegality really concerned Trump and his squad aliases not, from a ineligible perspective, they made nan correct call. The U.S. very specifically doesn't let nan executive branch to money worker salaries pinch backstage donations because we don't want a fistful of able donors having that benignant of power complete nan national government. It would beryllium convenient to crook nan rules conscionable this once, but mounting that benignant of precedent would beryllium acold worse. Unfortunately for those unpaid TSA agents, you can't salary your owe pinch "avoiding different concerning ineligible precedent." 

So, Musk has plentifulness of money and has offered to thief nan TSA agents who could really usage that money. Sending that money to DHS aliases donating to nan national government's wide money would beryllium illegal. How do we get astir this? Well, there's nary rule against sending money to a friend connected Venmo, truthful that's 1 option. The problem is, TSA is simply a large agency, and sending tens of thousands of Venmo transactions would beryllium impractical to opportunity nan least. He does person different option, though — donating to worker alleviation funds. 

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Like different national agencies, TSA agents are unionized nether nan American Federation of Government Employees, and while nary national has nan rate connected manus to afloat screen its members' salaries during a shutdown aliases a strike, 1 measurement they thief is by organizing worker alleviation costs that others tin donate to, knowing nan national will administer nan money to their members directly. We had 1 nan past clip Jalopnik's erstwhile owners forced america to strike, and having that small other spot of rate disposable was still incredibly helpful.

As acold arsenic I tin tell, there's nary rule that would forestall Musk from donating to a union's worker hardship fund, moreover arsenic a national contractor. If Musk really does want to help, why not capable those worker hardship costs to nan brim? Covering nan salaries of nan unpaid TSA agents was reportedly going to costs astir $250 million, and moreover if nan AFGE president hates Musk pinch a passion truthful blinding, it makes maine look for illustration an Elon instrumentality successful comparison, thing tells me Everett Kelley's taking immoderate telephone helps unafraid $250 cardinal for his national members, correct erstwhile they request it most. 

Of course, nan astir evident problem present is that Musk hates unions and has for a agelong time. Kind of for illustration maine pinch Elon. But if I could group my feelings speech agelong capable to constitute this full station without saying a azygous mean point astir Elon, I'd for illustration to deliberation he'd beryllium consenting to group speech his distaste for unions agelong capable to do thing to thief nan TSA agents he's already said he wants to help. It would beryllium acold much businesslike that search down each azygous TSA worker's Venmo information, and unless I missed a statute, it's wholly legal. 

So what do you say, Elon? Are you fresh to telephone a impermanent truce and get this point done? We tin spell backmost to feuding later, but for now, let's put immoderate money successful those TSA agents' pockets. If that doesn't activity for you, each I tin inquire is why not?