On the Issues

Progressives should actually make progress. It's not enough to talk about solutions, you must find a way to deliver them. St. Louis is a sleeping giant primed to grow and expand. Wesley's job is to show up every day, and bring real results home to Missouri’s First District.

Bringing Federal Resources Home to St. Louis.

Missouri’s First District deserves a fighter in Washington who knows how to deliver results. Despite Republicans controlling both chambers in Congress and the White House, he secured over $12.3 million in federal funding for critical infrastructure, public safety, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization across St. Louis City and North County. Wesley continues to fight every day to make sure our district has the resources it needs to grow and thrive.

Making Housing More Affordable.

Every family in St. Louis deserves a safe and affordable home. However, too many families are being priced out of homeownership or struggling to afford rent, and Wesley is doing something about it. He secured nearly $7 million in federal housing grants to the district to increase housing supply and lower costs for renters and homebuyers, and he will keep fighting until housing in St. Louis is within reach for working families.

Modernizing Lambert Airport.

St. Louis should be one of America's premier transportation hubs, and it’s imperative that our flagship airport matches the growth that this district deserves. Wesley helped bring home millions of dollars in federal support to modernize St. Louis Lambert International Airport. These upgrades will keep flights on schedule, grow our economy, protect our environment, and better connect our great city and state to the rest of the country and the world.

Delivering Justice for Coldwater Creek Families.

For decades, families in North St. Louis County suffered cancers and illness from radioactive contamination linked to the federal government's own actions. Wesley fought to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to finally deliver the compensation and health care that all affected families deserve, and he'll keep pushing until every eligible family gets what they're owed.

Supporting St. Louis After the 2025 Tornadoes.

When devastating tornadoes destroyed over 5,000 structures in our community, Wesley pressed for a federal disaster declaration and fought to make sure families got the housing assistance, health care, and rebuilding support they urgently needed. While there’s more work to do, these resources are already helping our region recover stronger and faster.

People in Missouri’s First District are working harder than ever and still falling behind. If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to afford a decent life. In Congress, he's fighting every day to make that a reality for families in St. Louis. 

Lowering Energy Costs.

Every family deserves to keep the lights on and the heat running without having to choose between that and putting food on the table. Utility bills have skyrocketed in recent years, and Trump's energy policies are making things worse. Wesley has pushed for federal relief to help households manage rising energy costs and opposed Republican policies that have driven those costs higher.

Bringing Down Grocery Prices.

No family should have to worry about whether they can afford to eat. The cost of feeding a family has skyrocketed, and Washington has to be part of the solution — not make it worse by cutting food assistance programs. Wesley has fought against Republican budget cuts to food assistance and pushed for policies that crack down on price gouging and put money back in the pockets of working families.

Lowering Prescription Drug Costs.

No one should have to ration their medication or skip a doctor's visit because they can't afford it. Drug companies are making record profits while families in MO-01 struggle to afford the medications they need to survive. Wesley has been a consistent voice for capping drug prices, taking on Big Pharma, and ensuring that life-saving medications are affordable for every family in St. Louis. 

Making Higher Education Affordable.

Everyone who works hard should have access to an education without being saddled with a lifetime of debt. The rising cost of college and vocational training is putting opportunity out of reach for too many families, and the Trump administration is making it worse. Wesley supports expanding access to affordable higher education, including four-year universities, community colleges, and trade programs, and will keep fighting to make sure cost is never a barrier to opportunity for St. Louisans.

Government should work for everyone, not just those at the top. But Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are slashing health care and food assistance programs, and giving even more tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. Trump used ICE as his own unaccountable paramilitary to terrorize immigrants and separate families. And when Congress passed bipartisan legislation to release files exposing Jeffrey Epstein's criminal network, this administration fought transparency every step of the way. In Congress, Wesley Bell is standing up to this reckless and dangerous administration at every step.

Defunding and Dismantling ICE.

Immigrants are our neighbors, our coworkers, and part of the fabric of St. Louis, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Donald Trump unleashed ICE to terrorize immigrant communities, harass people, and separate families. They shot and killed American citizens who were exercising their First Amendment rights to peaceably assemble. This agency cannot continue to function. Wesley believes ICE needs to be stripped for parts, and ICE agents who broke the law need to be fully prosecuted. In Congress, he has voted several times to defund ICE, and introduced legislation to stop taxpayer dollars from funding ICE propaganda. 

Fighting Government Corruption.

The Trump administration is the most corrupt in American history. From the president on down, barely a day goes by without a new abuse of power, conflict of interest, or attempt to use the federal government to reward allies and punish enemies. As a member of the House Oversight Committee, Wesley has pushed for transparency at every turn, fighting to make sure government works for us, not the other way around.

Preserving Medicaid.

Everyone deserves access to quality health care, regardless of their income or ZIP code. Trump's One Big Ugly Bill slashed $800 billion from Medicaid, effectively stripping coverage from thousands of Missourians, forcing hospitals to close, and leaving families driving hours for basic care — all to pay for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans that they don’t need. Wesley voted against gutting Medicaid, and has been one of the loudest voices in Congress demanding that these dangerous cuts be reversed. 

Fighting for Affordable Health Care.

No family should have to choose between keeping their health insurance and paying their bills. But MAGA Republicans let Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, causing premiums to jump as much as 75% for working families in MO-01, and resulting in a devastating blow to people who are already stretched thin. Wesley has fought at every turn to extend these subsidies and keep health care affordable for the people of St. Louis.

Protecting Voting Rights and Democracy.

Every eligible American should have the right to vote and have their voice heard. But since Day One, Trump and his allies have been illegally gerrymandering districts, rolling back voter protections, and assaulting our very system of democracy. Wesley strongly supports making the John Lewis Voting Rights Act into law in order to fully fight back against voter suppression, protect the rights of all voters, and ensure fair and equitable access to the ballot box. As John Lewis once said: “Some of us gave a little blood for the right to participate in the democratic process.”

Releasing the Epstein Files.

The American people deserve to know the truth about who was connected to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes. When Congress passed bipartisan legislation requiring the full release of the Epstein files, the Trump administration dragged its feet and fought transparency at every turn. Wesley signed the discharge petition that forced the vote, helped get the law passed, and has continued demanding the administration fully comply with what the law requires.

Strengthening America’s Standing in the World.

America is strongest when we lead with diplomacy, stand by our allies, and show the world the power of a vibrant democracy. But Trump has spent his time in office doing the opposite: insulting and threatening our closest allies like Canada and Denmark, gutting foreign aid that was saving lives and preventing diseases, and stumbling into conflicts that the American people never asked for and don't want. Wesley believes war should always be a last resort, not a first option. He will fight to restore America's credibility on the world stage, strengthen our alliances and expand trade, while keeping our country safe and our partners close.

Making real progress means building a St. Louis where everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from, can live with dignity, safety, and opportunity. These are the fights that define what kind of community we want to be. 

Protecting Abortion Rights.

The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor, not the government or politicians. Missouri has one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to roll back reproductive rights, putting women as well as their families in danger. After Roe v. Wade was struck down, Wesley was one of the first prosecutors in the country to pledge not to prosecute those who seek or provide abortions. Wesley supports codifying abortion rights at the federal level, so that everyone, regardless of what state they live in, can access necessary and life-saving health care.

Fighting for LGBTQ+ Equality.

Every person deserves to live, work, and go to school without fear of discrimination or harm. But our LGBTQ+ neighbors, including the transgender community, are facing relentless attacks and discrimination from Trump and MAGA Republicans, who are rolling back federal protections and emboldening those who want to write discrimination into law. Wesley will always fight to ensure everyone is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, and that they have access to medical care, shelter, safety, and security. That’s why he helped introduce federal legislation to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights.

Reforming Our Criminal Justice System.

Real public safety means addressing the root causes of crime. As Prosecuting Attorney in the largest county in Missouri, Wesley overhauled how the office approached public safety: he created a Community Outreach Division to build trust between residents and law enforcement, hired social workers to address mental health and behavioral issues, and diverted over 2,500 non-violent offenders struggling with addiction and mental illness into treatment programs, with a 96% success rate. He built a Violence Reduction Strategy, launched a restorative justice center, and worked alongside 55 police departments to make St. Louis County safer for everyone. In Congress, Wesley has continued that work, introducing major reforms to the pretrial detention system, launching the Congressional Diversion and Rehabilitation Caucus, and fighting for a justice system that prioritizes prevention and rehabilitation over punishment. 

Preventing Gun Violence.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death of children in the United States, and for too long Washington has failed to act. Wesley is fighting for commonsense reforms, like universal background checks, red flag laws, and keeping weapons of war off our streets. In Congress, Wesley has championed gun buyback programs, helping cities like St. Louis protect neighbors and communities before gun violence strikes. As a member of the Congressional Gun VIolence Prevention Task Force, he is making sure Washington is listening to families here in St. Louis asking for change.

Delivering Environmental Justice.

Climate change is a crisis, and here in Missouri, the effects are already making an impact on our way of life and the safety of our most vulnerable communities, from extreme weather events to deteriorating air and water quality. Wesley believes that confronting the climate crisis and growing our economy are not in conflict. The transition to clean energy should create good-paying union jobs right here in the First District. He has fought to protect clean air and water standards, hold polluters accountable, and ensure that the federal government lives up to its obligations to communities like those along Coldwater Creek and the Westlake Landfill that have suffered from decades of environmental neglect and contamination.