Russia’s War in Ukraine Isolates American Isolationists

In the weeks leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a favorite talking point of prominent right-wing populists in the U.S. was that elites in Washington cared more about protecting Ukraine’s borders than they cared about protecting America’s southern border.

On February 8, Representative Matt Rosendale (R., Mont.) even introduced a bill that would “prohibit the U.S. government from providing military and security assistance to Ukraine until the border wall system on the southern border is completed.” Given that Republicans failed to build the wall when they controlled Congress and Trump was president — the plan could never get the 60 votes it needed in the Senate — and that the project would take months to complete, the only practical effect of Rosendale’s bill, which earned nine other Republican cosponsors, would have been to deny any military aid to Ukraine.

About the Author

John McCormack

John McCormack is a former Washington correspondent for National Review and was a fellow at the National Review Institute.

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In the weeks leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a favorite talking point of prominent right-wing populists in the U.S. was that elites in Washington cared more about protecting Ukraine’s borders than they cared about protecting America’s southern border.

On February 8, Representative Matt Rosendale (R., Mont.) even introduced a bill that would “prohibit the U.S. government from providing military and security assistance to Ukraine until the border wall system on the southern border is completed.” Given that Republicans failed to build the wall when they controlled Congress and Trump was president — the plan could never get the 60 votes it needed in the Senate — and that the project would take months to complete, the only practical effect of Rosendale’s bill, which earned nine other Republican cosponsors, would have been to deny any military aid to Ukraine.