| Dear Friend, Last week we honored the Greatest Generation who, eighty years ago, put their lives on the line to stand up against evil. Their courage knew no bounds, and their sacrifices forever changed our world for the better. May God bless their brave souls.
As part of my work on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I joined our delegation to the Spring Session in Sofia, Bulgaria. I can report that by the end of the year, two-thirds of our NATO allies will meet their 2% of GDP defense spending target. This has been a major priority for our delegation, and I have been gratified to see European allies stepping up. This is vitally important as we fight back against dictators like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping who seek to grow their empires by any means necessary. A consistent point made in our meetings was that we must set up Ukraine to win this unjust war so we can weaken Russia and deter it from attacking a NATO ally and forcing U.S. servicemembers to fight overseas. We can and we must keep our commitments to Ukraine and provide necessary air defense and ammo so they can repel Putin and his army and emerge victorious. One of the most important next steps is to free Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to truly fight back and attack the military targets inside Russia that Putin is using to stage devastating air strikes on Ukraine. The Biden Administration has taken some steps to allow Ukraine to strike these targets, but it is moving much too slowly. The U.S. must remove these unnecessary blocks so Ukraine can win this war.
NATO is increasingly under threat from China as well, both in Europe and in the Indo-Pacific. To counter the China-Russia axis of evil, NATO must prioritize defeating China’s efforts to dominate the Indo-Pacific region. Many of our discussions centered around the increasingly large threat China poses not just to the Indo-Pacific region, but also here at home in America. Xi Jinping continues to consolidate power and use his influence to control smaller nations, all to the detriment of our freedoms here at home. It cannot be said enough, but a stable world ensures our freedoms, safety, and prosperity in the United States remain strong. We will continue to work hand-in-glove with our NATO allies to push back against these growing dictatorships and threats to our way of life. 
I met with advocates from the Missouri Network Against Child Abuse, the state network for Child Advocacy Centers. We discussed my Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, legislation that would ensure the most vulnerable victims of crime in our society have the support and resources they need. 
The Administration’s harmful inflation is cutting deep into your pocketbooks. Many American businesses working on projects critical to U.S. national security are facing the same staggering price increases. Because of the importance of their work to our safety and security, local employers like those working on the NGA project in St. Louis were forced to pay steep, unanticipated price increases in order to meet their projects’ original deadlines. I spoke in support of my bipartisan amendment, which supports critical relief for certain Defense contractors who faced crippling cost overruns due to inflation. I am pleased to say my amendment passed the House in last week’s appropriations legislation. Watch my speech here. 
Only when the U.S., Israel, and our Abraham Accords partners present a united front to counter Iran and its proxies—including Hamas—can there be peace and stability in the Middle East. Creating a demilitarized, deradicalized, stable, and economically strong Gaza when Hamas is defeated is an opportunity to resume that incredibly important project. It cannot be the United States’ job to rebuild Gaza, but together with Israel we can choose who sits at that table. Our friends and allies, including Abraham Accords countries, can shepherd in a new era of peace and prosperity, in Gaza and beyond. I appreciated introducing and meeting with Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog to begin this important work, which will be one of our major initiatives within the Abraham Accords Caucus. 
There is a crisis at our Southern border. President Biden's reckless immigration policies have allowed illegal immigrants to stream across the border with impunity. Take my survey here to tell me what you think about border security. Sincerely, 
Ann Wagner
Member of Congress | 
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