Citing three people familiar with the matter, the report noted that the planned holds could intensify an escalating conflict between Capitol Hill and the executive branch over the administration’s foreign policy approach toward Russia, The New York Times reported.
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The legislative standoff is anticipated to unfold during the lame-duck congressional session following the Nov. 3 midterm elections, when Republican leaders are expected to seek floor confirmations for dozens of executive and judicial nominees before the conclusion of the 119th Congress.
The procedural pushback underscores widening resistance within Congress to the administration’s recent accommodations toward Moscow, with senior Republicans increasingly joining Democrats to challenge executive decisions regarding security assistance and sanctions policy.
Lawmakers from both chambers have linked recent operational curbs on Ukrainian defense communications directly to shifting policies in Washington.
Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania stated that he would seek the dismissal of federal officials responsible for disrupting Starlink services in Ukraine, alongside appropriations cuts for their respective agencies.
Donald Trump suggested 200% tariffs could end the war in Ukraine, but doubted the measure would work due to low US import volumes.Fitzpatrick, a former FBI supervisory special agent who worked on Russian counterintelligence matters in Kyiv, questioned claims that the technical restrictions were coincidental amid public criticism directed by Trump toward President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I personally don’t believe in the coincidence theory,” Fitzpatrick said.
The disruptions were also addressed during a secure telephone consultation between Zelensky and a bipartisan group of senators organized by Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Thom Tillis of North Carolina. According to the lawmakers, the Ukrainian president reported that vital satellite services remained subjected to operational limitations.
