Senate Democrats are escalating pressure on Elon Musk, demanding a formal investigation and his testimony before Congress after a Wall Street Journal report alleged he personally ordered a slowdown of Starlink satellite service in Ukraine earlier this month.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) took to social media to accuse either President Trump or Musk of misleading the public about the decision, which he said has “life or death consequences for Ukraine.” Schiff called for a full Senate investigation and insisted that Musk be compelled to testify under oath.
“National security decisions should be made in our national security interests, and not based on the personal whim of an unstable executive,” Schiff wrote, sharpening his criticism of the tech billionaire’s influence over military operations.
The reported slowdown targeted Starlink-enabled Ukrainian military drones, aircraft, and helicopters traveling at speeds above 100 mph, according to a source familiar with the matter. Musk initially denied any personal involvement, claiming only President Trump could have ordered such a move, and noted that while Starlink is operated by his company SpaceX, the government-owned Starshield system is separate.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) responded directly to Musk on X, challenging him to appear voluntarily: “@elonmusk you don’t have to wait for a subpoena, you can just come in on your own.”
The controversy comes amid growing friction between the Trump administration and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. After the slowdown, Zelensky warned that “people will die” and called the move a “big mistake.” The president has also faced bipartisan criticism for his recent executive order waiving sanctions on Russian energy and for purchasing large quantities of Russian diesel, moves that have drawn sharp rebukes from both sides of the aisle.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) slammed Musk in a video on X, saying he “shouldn’t have the power to influence the outcome of a war with the flip of a switch.” Coons added that “he and Trump seem determined to put their finger on the scale for Putin.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that there is an “enormous risk” if Musk is “dictating our foreign policy” by controlling what tools Ukraine has on the battlefield. “We’d like to know exactly who is responsible for what happened,” she said.
The push for accountability comes as Democrats are also focusing on broader national security concerns, including the administration’s shifting stance on Russia. The party has sought to highlight what they see as dangerous consolidation of power in the hands of private individuals, a theme that has resonated in recent polling. As the political landscape evolves, the fallout from the Starlink controversy could become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over executive authority and the role of billionaires in foreign policy.
