Biden and Trump Administrations Both Asked SpaceX to Switch Starlink On or Off Abroad, Six Former Officials Say

Since Ukrainian officials accused SpaceX on Oct. 14 of imposing speed limits on Starshield without warning, the fight has been about who gave the order. The newest reporting shifts the question to how often Washington has leaned on Elon Musk's company to do its bidding abroad.

Years of requests before Ukraine

Before this month's throttling, the Biden and Trump administrations had several times asked SpaceX to turn Starlink on or off in various countries, according to six former senior U.S. officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. Reuters, which is the only outlet reporting these details, says they had not been public before.

Four of the former officials said Biden-era requests included switching off service to keep Iranian proxy militias in Yemen and Lebanon from using it to communicate. They also said the Biden administration asked for service to be activated inside Iran and in Ukraine to support its military.

A former senior Trump official and another person familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration asked Musk to make Starlink available in Iran after U.S.-Israeli strikes in 2025 and 2026. The aim was to bolster internet access for anti-government protesters.

None of these people were named. The claims are unconfirmed by the White House or SpaceX. SpaceX did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Who ordered the Ukraine cap

The account of the Ukraine slowdown itself remains contested. Reuters has reported the Starshield order came from inside the White House. The Trump administration has acknowledged the slowdown but has not said whether it gave the order.

Musk said on Oct. 14 that limits on Starshield are set by the U.S. government. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk personally ordered the changes and discussed them with Trump beforehand. Trump said he "was not involved."

The White House pointed Reuters to Trump's remarks that he had not spoken with Musk about Starlink access for Ukraine and that "if there is a problem, I'll get it straightened out."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told CNBC he does not believe Musk acted "without at least the acquiescence of the White House" and called the throttling "frankly shameful." Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., has also called for an investigation. A bipartisan group has pushed for one, including a possible sworn Musk appearance.

The damage on the ground is specific. Terminals lose signal above 100 mph, which hits drones and other fast-moving platforms. A Ukrainian senior commander told The New York Times the restrictions cost his unit more than $1 million and delayed missions by three days.

Halyna Yusypiuk, spokesperson for Ukraine's embassy in Washington, said Kyiv's priority is "to have the service restored to normal speed as soon as possible, as the lives of our people depend on it."

Europe's spectrum fight

The dispute is now spilling into trade policy. U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder warned that European businesses could face "devastating" losses if Brussels restricts American firms, SpaceX in particular, the Financial Times reported Oct. 18.

The European Commission has proposed reserving part of a spectrum band for European companies, which would limit U.S. and Chinese satellite operators. Puzder accused Brussels of protectionism.

The Commission says the goal is to foster new European suppliers and competition, and that firms from outside the bloc will still be able to operate. SpaceX has warned the plan could degrade Starlink connectivity in Ukraine.

Zelensky has said Europe is working on its own alternative and that Ukraine is developing its own satellite system. CNBC reports that no existing option matches Starlink and Starshield today. Some European officials told Reuters there is no viable short-term substitute.

The launch bottleneck

The dependence goes beyond internet service. SpaceX accounted for 85% of U.S. launches in 2025, according to Politico, and is phasing out Falcon 9 in favor of Starship. Many military satellites were not designed to fit Starship.

The Space Force recently tried to book rides for three future satellite missions under the National Security Space Launch program. SpaceX declined, and no other launch company offered to take them, according to two people familiar with the missions. Two were for the Space Development Agency.

Brig. Gen. Eric Zarybnisky, the Space Force's acting portfolio acquisition executive for space access, pushed back on any alarm. "I wouldn't say there [are] missions I'm worried about being able to fly; I would say we're working through the right way to support those customers," he said. He acknowledged "temporarily, there are some things we'll need to work through" as new providers start flying.

A former Space Force official, speaking anonymously, put it more bluntly: "The Space Force is freaking out a little bit about launch."

The China backdrop

This is happening while Beijing builds a rival satellite industry. Foreign Policy's analysis notes the U.S. still has roughly 10 times as many satellites in orbit as China, but China is building a vertically integrated space manufacturing base with more than 500 commercial players. China logged 92 launches in 2025.

Public Citizen co-president Robert Weissman calls Musk's control of a "crucial means of communication" an "extreme danger" with antitrust and security implications.

The open question is whether the White House will say who signed off on the Ukraine cap, and whether Congress follows through on the calls for an investigation. Ukraine's speeds had not been restored as of the latest reporting.