GOP Rep. Fitzpatrick promises ‘consequences’ if US goes dark on Ukraine

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) called Ukraine’s loss of access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink internet, a “major problem” and said Congress would respond if the U.S. abandons its support for Ukraine.

Ukraine said it was suddenly unable to use Starshield on Wednesday, which could have major impacts on its defense operations and ability to stop Russian attacks. Multiple outlets had reported the U.S. threatened to cut off intelligence and weapons support to Ukraine prior to the outage.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who owns Starlink, clarified in a post to the social platform X that Starshield is managed by the U.S. government and any limits on the service would be decided on by President Trump or the military.

Fitzpatrick threatened “consequences” if the U.S. “goes dark” on Ukraine, telling The Wall Street Journal that Congress could halt funding for federal agencies responsible.

“Agencies won’t get funding if they’re not doing their jobs,” he told the Journal.

Fitzpatrick, who represents Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District, is one of just a handful of Republicans in the House defending a seat won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. He faces a tough reelection battle, though he has overperformed other Republicans in the past.

The Starshield incident comes amid growing criticism from Democrats and some Republicans over Trump’s wavering support for Ukraine. Trump said he struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to purchase Russian diesel, potentially giving Russia a financial lifeline to continue its war effort. Trump has also called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be replaced and blamed high gas prices on Ukraine attacking Russian refineries, not on the U.S. war with Iran.

Trump’s latest moves on Ukraine have prompted multiple Republican members of Congress to speak out.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who is retiring at the end of the term, said Congress will not advance Trump’s agenda if he abandons Ukraine.

“Their agenda is dead unless they change paths,” Bacon wrote on X.

Another retiring Republican and frequent Trump critic, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, said Trump’s Russian oil deal is “tarnishing” the efforts of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a prominent Ukraine supporter.

Zelensky told ABC News on Sunday that Trump is attacking him because he cannot stop Putin.

“These people can’t find a key how to stop Putin,” Zelensky said. “It’s more simple to speak about the prices and connect it with Ukraine.”