Key facts
- Pentagon contracting records show almost $1.2 million paid to SpaceX from March 2025 through June 2026, per the report.
- The contracts covered Starlink services for the White House Communications Agency, which handles secure communications for the president and vice president.
- Three of the four awards, totaling $502,000, were featured in a Democracy Defenders Fund report, according to the account.
- A fourth contract worth almost $686,000 was reported by The Washington Post.
- The White House and the Department of Defense did not explain whether the funds covered the same services described as a gift.
- SpaceX did not comment, leaving unclear whether its services were free or paid under the Pentagon contracts.
Federal contracting records show the Pentagon issued SpaceX almost $1.2 million in contracts from March 2025 through June 2026 for Starlink services to the White House Communications Agency, a military agency that handles secure communications for the president, vice president and other high-ranking officials, according to a report published November 6, 2026.
The Trump administration had earlier said the satellite internet service would be a donation. White House officials told The New York Times in 2025 that SpaceX's Starlink had donated its services and that the deal was reviewed by the White House Counsel's Office. The White House and the Department of Defense did not explain whether the government funds were for the same services as the initial presentation of the gift, according to the report.
Three of the four awards, totaling $502,000, were featured in a report from the Democracy Defenders Fund, according to the account. Another contract for almost $686,000 was picked up by The Washington Post.
Virginia Canter, chief counsel and director of anti-corruption and ethics at the Democracy Defenders Fund, said: "We worry about pay-to-play access and these kinds of transactional arrangements." She added: "When someone is given this access and subsequently given these government contracts, you have to wonder if these government contracts are in the best interest of the taxpayer."
An earlier Washington Post report said officials at the White House who manage communications infrastructure were not told beforehand by DOGE that it would install a Starlink terminal in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in February 2025. A WiFi network called "Starlink Guest" was then seen on phones in the vicinity and later removed, according to the report.
House Oversight Committee members raised questions with the administration about the installation, asking in April 2025 for information on the terms of the reported Starlink arrangement. Jessica Stalling, a professor at George Washington University Law School, said it may be difficult to change providers once an agency has adopted a company's technology.