Rep. Rosendale introduces bill to block military assistance to Ukraine until US border is secured

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., on Tuesday introduced legislation that would block security and military assistance to Ukraine until the U.S. southern border is secured -- the latest example of Republican concern that Ukraine’s border security is being prioritized over American border security.

The Secure America’s Border First Act would prohibit the expenditure or obligation of military and security assistance to Kyiv until there is "operation control" of the U.S.-Mexico border – where the border crisis is moving into its second year.

There is growing concern in Washington D.C. about the Russian buildup of forces at the Ukrainian border. U.S. combat forces have arrived in Poland this week amid fears that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could see Kyiv fall within days. 

But Rosendale’s bill seeks to bring attention back to the southern border, where there were 178,840 migrant apprehensions in December alone, capping a year that saw massive migrant numbers as well as drugs such as fentanyl pouring into the U.S.