Diyar Guldogan
06 February 2026•Update: 06 February 2026
WASHINGTON
Two US Democratic senators on Thursday pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to investigate whether SpaceX, one of the Pentagon’s most critical contractors, has accepted undisclosed investments from individuals with ties to China.
In a letter to Hegseth, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim cited court records and investigative reporting that suggest Chinese investors may have quietly funneled tens of millions of dollars into SpaceX through offshore vehicles designed to obscure their identities.
“These ties could pose a national security threat, potentially jeopardizing key military, intelligence, and civilian infrastructure, and are at odds with the administration’s policies on foreign investment from countries of concern in strategic industries,” they wrote.
Warren and Kim pointed to testimony from SpaceX investor Iqbaljit Kahlon, who reportedly told a court that routing Chinese capital through offshore entities in the Caribbean would make the risks of foreign investment “acceptable.”
“These reports raise serious national security concerns,” the lawmakers wrote, warning that foreign investors could gain access to nonpublic information about SpaceX’s contracts, supply chains, or sensitive technologies.
Warren and Kim asked the Pentagon to answer 11 questions by Feb. 20, 2026, including how many SpaceX shares are owned by investors with ties to China or other adversary countries.
