The White House has rejected Elon Musk’s offer to pay Transportation Security Administration workers during a partial government shutdown that has led to long security lines for travelers across the country.

Lawmakers have been negotiating a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, a matter that has grown in urgency as travelers flock to airports for spring break trips. In a Saturday post on X, Musk proposed paying TSA workers’ salaries “during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country.”

“We greatly appreciate Elon’s generous offer,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in an emailed statement. “This would pose great legal challenges due to his involvement with federal government contracts.”

CBS News first reported that the White House had turned down the offer after President Donald Trump said on Monday, “Let him do that.”

Under federal law, executive branch officials and employees cannot receive salaries or contributions from nongovernmental sources, a law designed to prevent conflicts of interest and corruption.

However, citizens can make donations to an account known as “gifts to the U.S. government,” and administration officials had considered a route for Musk to give the money through the government’s general fund, CBS reported.

Meanwhile, TSA staff could soon miss a second full paycheck since the shutdown started in February. Jackson faulted Democrats, saying that “the fastest way to ensure TSA employees — and all DHS employees — get paid is for Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security.”

Democrats have sought votes to fund all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement after agents killed two people in Minneapolis in January. Republicans have opposed the move, and a stalemate has continued as Democrats seek reforms to federal immigration enforcement practices.

During the deadlock, TSA staffers, who are considered essential workers, have been working without pay. Callout rates among affected employees have spiked and DHS said earlier this week that more than 450 TSA officers have quit.

On Monday, between 100 and 150 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were sent to several major airports across the country, including Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.

Lines haven’t eased since then. On Thursday, TSA wait times of more than four hours were anticipated at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.