Schiff: Hegseth should face Senate questions over Starlink slowdown
The detail that stands out to me is that a private satellite company's service slowdown directly degraded a country's military operations. That's a striking shift in how modern warfare works, and it's worth pausing on before the political fight over testimony begins.
Schiff wants Hegseth to answer for it, and oversight of the Pentagon is a legitimate function of the Senate. If the administration is making decisions about who gets satellite access and when, the public deserves to understand how those calls get made. Democrats would certainly press that case if they take the Senate.
But I'd also want to hear the other side. Starlink is a commercial service, and questions of cost, capacity and strategic priorities all factor into how it's deployed. Hegseth would likely argue the slowdown was a practical decision based on those factors. That's a fair thing to test under questioning.
The real issue is accountability for infrastructure that's become essential to national security. Whether that accountability lands with the Pentagon, the company or both is what the hearing should clarify. I'd want to know the actual timeline and reasoning before passing judgment.