Schiff and Hoyer demand Hegseth and Musk answer for the Starlink suspension in Ukraine

Senator Adam Schiff has called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to testify about Starlink’s service slowdown in Ukraine¹. Schiff said Hegseth should appear before the Senate on the Starlink satellite limitations in Ukraine⁴, and said that ‘somebody is lying’³.

In the House, Representative Steny Hoyer sent a letter to the Armed Services committees requesting an investigation into the Starlink suspension². He called for the committees to subpoena Hegseth and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk to testify on the source of the suspension².

Kyiv has since said the service is restored and the connection is now stable, but who ordered the restrictions has remained unclear, with President Donald Trump denying responsibility while defending Musk^7,8.

Why it matters to investors

The demands turn a technical outage into a question of accountability involving the Pentagon and a private supplier^2,5. Lawmakers are now asking for answers on the record, and a subpoena request names SpaceX’s chief executive directly².

The dispute highlights Ukraine’s reliance on satellite communications for its military operations as its war against Russia continues³. That dependence has drawn in allies: the UK prime minister said he raised Ukraine’s need for access to Starlink in a conversation with Trump⁶.

Some members of Congress want the US government to deepen its reliance on SpaceX rather than reduce it. They have urged the Department of War to expand the Starshield contract for Ukraine¹⁰. They also urged the department to evaluate its authorities under Title I of the Defense Production Act to prevent disruptions to the communications Ukrainian forces rely on⁹.

For SpaceX, that combination of scrutiny and demand for more service frames the political risk around its government business: Congress is questioning how the service was limited while also asking for more of it^2,10.

What to watch

Whether Senate committees schedule testimony from Hegseth, as Schiff has requested, will show if the demand gains traction beyond Democrats^1,4.

The Armed Services committees’ response to Hoyer’s request for subpoenas of Hegseth and Musk is the next formal step in the House².

Any move by the Department of War on an expanded Starshield contract, or on use of the Defense Production Act, would show how the administration intends to secure Ukraine’s communications^9,10. Diplomatic context also matters: Moscow says it is ‘ready in principle’ to resume peace talks⁸.