Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) announced on Monday, October 19, 2026, that he will investigate the loss of satellite internet access in Ukraine. Fitzpatrick stated he intends to hold U.S. officials accountable if they were involved in limiting Ukraine's access to Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink network. The lawmaker said he planned to discuss the matter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later in the week.
The investigation follows a reported service outage on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, that affected both Starshield and Starlink. Ukrainian officials stated the disruption hindered defense operations and the ability to counter Russian attacks. The outage occurred amid reports that the Trump administration had considered reducing intelligence and weapons support following Ukrainian criticism of a deal to import Russian diesel.
Fitzpatrick specified that oversight measures could include public congressional hearings and budget cuts for any responsible agencies or agency heads. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) also indicated that a bipartisan group of senators is preparing to take action. While a Wall Street Journal report attributed the slowdown to SpaceX owner Elon Musk, both Musk and President Trump have denied responsibility for the service interruptions.
The scale of the impact is linked to U.S. defense policy and executive branch decisions. Rep. Fitzpatrick stated that if U.S. officials were involved in limiting the service, Congress could implement "harsh and punitive budget cuts" to specific federal agencies. While the exact dollar amount of potential cuts was not reported, such a move would set a precedent for legislative intervention in executive-level defense and intelligence agreements. Additionally, the outage coincides with reported delays in the transfer of Patriot interceptor missiles, potentially affecting the broader air defense capabilities of the country.
What happens next depends on several upcoming meetings and legislative actions. Rep. Fitzpatrick is scheduled to speak with President Zelensky and his team during the week of October 19, 2026. Fitzpatrick also vowed to bring legislation to the House floor to reaffirm support for Ukraine, strengthen sanctions against Russia, and prohibit the import of Russian oil. The specific dates for these floor votes and the commencement of formal oversight hearings have not yet been announced.