Buttigieg dismisses Musk tweets about Starlink deliveries in North Carolina

The ongoing effort to ship Starlink dishes to hurricane-ravaged areas in the US has also led to accusations from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk that the federal government, including FEMA, is blocking deliveries. This sparked a response from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who reportedly spoke to Musk today to refute some of the allegations.

The back-and-forth began today when Musk posted a text exchange he had with an unnamed SpaceX engineer who was working to deliver Starlink meals to areas in North Carolina hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

“The big problem is that FEMA is actively blocking shipments and confiscating goods and services on site and locking them away to claim they are their own,” the engineer apparently told Musk. “It is very real and frightening how much control they have taken to prevent people from helping.”

In response, Musk tweeted: “The level of government military incompetence is breathtaking!!”

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Musk then retweeted a screenshot of the SpaceX engineer claiming that federal authorities were closing surrounding airspace to “regulate” private helicopters carrying Starlink antenna deliveries. “We are also reaching out to Trump’s team to help us, but things are not looking good,” the engineer wrote.

In response, Secretary Buttigieg tweeted back and denied that the federal government was preventing Starlink deliveries. “No one is closing airspace and the FAA is not blocking legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you encounter a problem, call me,” Buttigieg wrote.

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In response, Musk initially tweeted: “There are hundreds of reports of FEMA/FAA blocking flights. “That literally just happened.” But the SpaceX CEO now hints that he has spoken to Buttigieg. “Thanks for the call. “Hopefully we can solve the problem soon,” Musk said this afternoon.

Later Friday, Musk thanked Buttigieg for the “expedited approval of support flights,” adding, “I just wanted to note that Sec Buttigieg is on the ball.”

“Glad we were able to address the issue – thank you for your commitment,” Buttigieg responded.

However, Musk's tweet about FEMA “not helping” is still pinned to the top of his X account.

The exchange underscores how Musk has used the Starlink rescue effort to criticize US regulators. On Wednesday, he accused the FCC of putting lives at risk by rejecting $886 million in subsidies for Starlink. The FCC has rejected Musk's allegations and questioned why SpaceX can't deploy Starlink antennas without using taxpayer money.

He has also fought with the FAA over SpaceX launches.

FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, to combat misinformation, the agency has created a “rumor response” page. It said: “Rumors about FEMA rejecting donations, stopping trucks or vehicles carrying donations, and confiscating and confiscating supplies often spread after a disaster. “This is all false.”