A bipartisan group of US senators is preparing to block the confirmation of US President Donald Trump’s nominees for federal posts until the White House ensures the restoration of full Starlink functionality for the Ukrainian military, The New York Times reported.
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.
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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.
Bipartisan warnings, funding threats, and committee inquiries
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.
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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.
“Funding the Russian war machine, cutting off Ukraine’s satellite communications, and degrading its air defenses all stand in the way of peace,” Blumenthal and Tillis stated in a joint communique.
A Senate aide confirmed that while the Senate Foreign Relations Committee previously approved the transfer of multiple tranches of air defense interceptors to Ukraine, the munitions have not yet reached Ukrainian military inventories.
The aide added that congressional committees are exploring a formal investigation into SpaceX regarding service disruptions in Ukraine and have instructed commercial entities involved in Russian diesel transactions to retain records for future oversight inquiries.
History of US executive requests to SpaceX across administrations
The congressional backlash coincides with disclosures detailing repeated interventions by both the Biden and Trump administrations requesting SpaceX founder Elon Musk to adjust Starlink coverage parameters across international conflict zones, Reuters reported, citing six former senior US officials.
According to former officials, Washington has sought both to constrain access in specific geographic areas to deny connectivity to hostile paramilitary networks and to expand coverage to support allied military operations or anti-government demonstrators.
Under the Biden administration, US authorities asked SpaceX to deactivate Starlink coverage in sectors of Yemen and southern Lebanon to prevent misuse by Iran-aligned armed groups.
In October 2023, amid combat engagements between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, US intelligence alerted the White House to reports that individuals linked to the militant movement possessed satellite terminals.
Similar precautions were raised in 2024 regarding Yemen’s Houthi movement during American air operations.
Conversely, the Biden administration coordinated with SpaceX to activate Starlink in Iran following civil protests in September 2022 that erupted after the custodial death of Mahsa Amini, with US agencies helping facilitate the transport of satellite terminals into the country.
Immediately following the launch of Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, US officials also pressed for the rapid expansion of Starlink access for Ukrainian defense forces.
The Trump administration similarly approached Musk to ensure Starlink operations across Iran following joint US-Israeli military strikes in 2025 and 2026, aiming to facilitate communications for anti-government demonstrations.
The revelations mark the first detailed public accounting of formal executive branch requests directing the operational footprint of commercial satellite communications in foreign operational theaters.
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