Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) on Sunday demanded a congressional investigation into the temporary loss of Starlink access by Ukrainian forces, calling the administration's explanation insufficient and warning that lives are at stake.
Appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation," Turner, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was pressed on whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio's characterization of the outage as something that "sort of happened" satisfied lawmakers. Turner rejected that framing outright.
"Absolutely not. I mean, this is something where there needs to be an investigation. There needs to be a congressional investigation," Turner said. "We need to find out who these people are because lives are at risk and lives are lost over these things."
The Ohio Republican also cited reports that service remains unreliable, particularly in areas where Ukrainian forces are actively defending against Russian aggression. "This is essential to the United States' support of Ukraine in defending real aggressive attacks by Russia within Ukraine, and this needs to be restored," he added.
Host Margaret Brennan raised SpaceX founder Elon Musk's public assertion that he did not want Starlink used for offensive military operations. Turner pushed back, noting that the contested territory is within Ukraine's borders. "But this is within Ukraine. This is defending Ukraine against aggression within Ukraine," he said. "And there should be an investigation as to why and it should be completely restored."
The Ukrainian military reported restricted access to Starshield, the military-grade version of the satellite system, earlier this week. A source familiar with the matter told The Hill that services were cut for objects moving faster than 100 mph, impacting drones, airplanes, and helicopters. This disruption has raised fears of a broader U.S. abandonment of Ukraine, as analysts and officials worry about the signal it sends.
Musk deferred to President Trump regarding the outage, while Trump denied any involvement. "I didn't do that. No, we didn't do that at all. In fact, I don't even think it was slowed down from what I understood. Because I just checked this morning," Trump told reporters Friday en route to a campaign rally in Georgia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky contradicted Trump's claim that systems were fully restored. "Have they returned to previous speed limits? No. But is it coming back? Yes," he said at a Brussels news conference, according to the Associated Press.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of the administration's handling of the Ukraine war. Republican senators have also demanded a probe into the Pentagon's role in the cutoff, while Trump and Musk have denied responsibility amid an escalating feud with Zelensky. The dispute has spilled into public view, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accusing Zelensky of making reckless claims about Starlink, as reported in this account of the escalating tensions.
Turner's call for a formal investigation adds to mounting pressure on the administration to clarify the circumstances surrounding the outage and ensure uninterrupted support for Ukraine's defense.
