St. Louis-native U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) on March 8 sponsored a bipartisan bill that would permit the National Park Service to illuminate the St. Louis Gateway Arch in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag.
“St. Louis and the State of Missouri stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are being attacked by a ruthless dictator in Vladimir Putin,” said Wagner. “The world is united behind Ukraine and lighting up symbols like the Gateway Arch in Ukrainian colors will send a message to our friends and allies in Europe, and across the globe, that the American people are supportive of the sovereign Ukrainian nation.”
The seven original cosponsors of the Gateway Solidarity Act, H.R. 7002, are all Missouri representatives and included U.S. Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO), Billy Long (R-MO), and Cori Bush (D-MO).
According to the congresswoman’s staff, Rep. Wagner, who serves on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, last week traveled with a bipartisan delegation of congressional members to Poland and the Ukrainian border to witness the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homeland.
While there, Rep. Wagner also met with the 82nd Airborne, which is staged in Poland, as well as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, NATO and European allies, and Ukrainian leaders.
On their trip, Rep. Wagner and the group of lawmakers also provided oversight of the American aid being provided to the Ukrainian people and America’s NATO allies, according to her staff.