Some House Republicans are threatening to block new Pentagon funding unless President Donald Trump takes a tougher stance on Russia, a warning that was followed Friday by his waiver of sweeping new sanctions on Moscow.

The threat comes as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is pushing for at least $350 billion in new military spending through the reconciliation process, a party-line budget package that Republicans hope to pass after next month’s midterm elections. Hegseth said on Wednesday at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference in Washington that the push will continue “regardless of what happens in the midterms,” according to Defense Daily .

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., targeted the agencies responsible for restricting Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet that Ukrainian forces rely on to guide drones. “Agencies won’t get funding if they’re not doing their jobs,” Fitzpatrick said in remarks reported by the Kyiv Post and cited by The Wall Street Journal .

Who ordered the restrictions remains disputed. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the U.S. government controls Starshield and that the military, and ultimately the president, decides any limits on its use. Trump has insisted Washington is still sharing intelligence with Kyiv .

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., went further. In an X post cited by Raw Story, he said the administration’s decision to reduce intelligence sharing with Ukraine and its Starlink access “equates to aiding the invader,” and questioned whether the White House expected any Republican support for the rest of the current Congress .

Then came the sanctions waiver.

Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving most of the Russia penalties in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which he signed into law on Sept. 18, certifying that the step was “in the national interests of the United States” .

The law, named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who died in July, would have imposed tariffs of up to 500% on Russian imports and mandatory sanctions targeting Russian banks and Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers. Those penalties were due to take effect on Sunday .

The waiver also shields a Treasury Department license, valid through April, that allows Russian diesel into the U.S. as Trump looks to Russian President Vladimir Putin to help ease rising diesel prices. Without the waiver, the law would have required tariffs on Russian petroleum products and sanctions on ships carrying them.

Senate Republicans joined the backlash.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said it was “unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator,” ABC News reported. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said enforcing the sanctions now would hinder U.S. efforts to negotiate a peace deal, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the decision wrong .

As of Sunday, the waivers remained in force with no fixed expiration date. The funding fight could come to a head during the lame-duck session, when Congress must also pass legislation to avert a government shutdown in December. Hegseth has expressed confidence that the defense package will move forward .