Republican lawmakers have expressed growing dissatisfaction with US President Donald Trump after he suspended fresh economic sanctions against Russia, putting aside a measure he signed into law only a month earlier.
Trump halted the sanctions through an executive order on Friday, prompting criticism from members of his party who are also seeking explanations for reported disruptions to Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service and US intelligence warnings about incoming Russian missiles.
Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania warned that Congress could take action against the administration over what he described as its failure to provide adequate answers.
Speaking to MS NOW after participating in a bipartisan call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Fitzpatrick said lawmakers would continue pressing the administration for clarification.
“There have not been sufficient answers forthcoming from the administration,” Fitzpatrick told MS NOW. “And you better well damn believe that we’re going to demand them. … We’re going to take budgetary action — punitive budgetary action — until we get to the truth, until this is fixed.”
Fitzpatrick also rejected Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assertion that the US government was not responsible for the problems affecting Starlink.
“It’s not enough to say you had nothing to do with it,” Fitzpatrick said. “You need to tell us who did, right? … He’s the president. He can find out who did.”
Rubio had maintained that Starlink was functioning, as far as he knew. However, a joint statement issued by Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Zelenskyy informed lawmakers on Monday that the service remained impaired.
According to the senators, the Ukrainian president also reported interruptions to US intelligence sharing concerning early warnings of Russian ballistic missile launches.
The developments have intensified concerns among some Republicans over the administration’s handling of Russia policy and its support for Ukraine.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, said she was surprised by Trump’s decision to suspend the sanctions, noting that lawmakers had timed the measure to accommodate the White House.
“That’s why I think I was extremely surprised when he did it,” Capito said.
However, she stopped short of promising any action against the administration, suggesting that lawmakers might have limited opportunities to influence events in the immediate future.
“It’s going to be difficult to say anything in the next two weeks that’s going to make any kind of difference,” she added.
Republican Representative Mike Turner of Ohio called for Congress to investigate the reported Starlink disruptions but said he did not believe an aggressive confrontation with the administration was necessary.
Another Republican, Representative Craig Goldman of Texas, opposed the sanctions waiver but indicated that he would defer to Trump’s judgment because of the president’s direct involvement in high-level discussions.
Goldman said Trump was “in discussions at a much higher level than I am.”
Republican Senator Darline Graham of South Carolina also said she intended to discuss the matter with Trump when he visits the state for campaign activities.
Her late brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, had negotiated the sanctions legislation before his death in July.
“It’s up to him whether or not he chooses to use it,” she said.
Despite the growing criticism, Republican lawmakers have yet to agree on a specific response to the president’s decision.
Any attempt to impose financial consequences on the administration would likely take place during the lame-duck session of Congress, when lawmakers will also face a December 11 deadline to approve government funding.
For now, the prospect of punitive budgetary action remains uncertain, with no formal plan established
