(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . New Faces in Congress: Rep. Nikki Budzinski, the Agricultural Specialist from Downstate Illinois [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-08 How much do you know about where the food sitting on your table comes from? Most Americans don’t give it a second thought. For Rep. Nikki Budzinski, how your food is grown and how it gets from the farm to your table is the raison d’etre for her being in Congress. She has received tons of kudos from more agricultural themed media, especially for launching her Farm Bill 101 social media campaign. This social media campaign is meant to highlight important agricultural issues and generate interest in them. It started out with an interesting fact such as the one below: x Today’s #farmbill101 Lesson: Did you know that <1% of all corn grown in the U.S. goes toward corn on the cob, canned corn or frozen corn? 🌽 pic.twitter.com/K7MJQhOqad — Rep. Nikki Budzinski (@RepNikkiB) August 24, 2023 Lately, it has evolved into interview sessions with people prominent in the Illinois’ agricultural industry. x I loved getting to talk to Colin from @ILSoybean about how the Farm Bill supports our soy farmers in Central and Southern IL. Thanks for joining me for #FarmBill101! pic.twitter.com/lbpRcdTasa — Rep. Nikki Budzinski (@RepNikkiB) September 26, 2023 Today, the spotlight is on a member of Congress that specializes in agriculture — Rep. Nikki Budzinski! Want to help the freshmen members of Congress like Nikki Budzinski? Please donate to the New Faces in Congress Fund on ActBlue! Rep. Nikki Budzinski (Illinois-13) Donate | House Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Budzinski the Agricultural Specialist The committees she is on include the House Agricultural Committee and the Committee on Veteran’s Affairs. Her biggest legislative priority right now is getting the Farm Bill passed, which will benefit Downstate Illinois tremendously. In that capacity, many of the bills she has introduced or co-sponsored in the House involve agriculture or rural matters in some fashion. The Rebuild Rural America Act is intended to make it easier for rural areas to get funding for infrastructure, high-speed internet, and health care amongst other priorities. x The Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities Act is meant to help new farmers obtain enough capital to access land and equipment. It is currently too expensive for new farmers to get into the field unless they inherit those items from someone else. x The Rural Energy Savings Act is meant to improve access to clean energy options for rural residents. x Finally, the America GROWS Act is meant to secure funding for agricultural innovation and research. x Investing in our ag research institutions at home is key to keeping America competitive at the global level. I’m proud to introduce the America Grows Act to ensure that the @USDA has the federal funding to foster innovation and support cutting-edge ag research for years to come. pic.twitter.com/kw2PauQssq — Rep. Nikki Budzinski (@RepNikkiB) August 29, 2023 There are so few Democratic politicians that represent agricultural and rural areas, which means Rep. Nikki Budzinski brings a valuable voice for issues that the party often struggles with. I see her as a future leader in the House Agricultural Committee and perhaps even its chair! Budzinski the Bipartisan Legislator Rep. Nikki Budzinski is different from most of the representatives I have profiled so far. She came to Washington, D.C. not to be an ideological warrior but to get things done. Instead, she is more pragmatic (which is why she is in the moderate New Democratic Coalition). This pragmatism shows even in her early interview about her legislative priorities. Sometimes, in order to get noticed, a representative has to become the media by writing an op-ed. Budzinski did so in April, lauding bipartisanship and advocating for the GOP to focus on bills that can pass Congress instead of performative stunts. On November 8th, I became the first Democrat elected to represent my area of Illinois in nearly a decade. As I reach 100 days serving in Congress, I've been reflecting on why I ran for office, my mission, and the work that Democratic freshmen have already accomplished so far. I was able to flip my seat from red to blue because I ran a campaign focused on reaching across the aisle to find common-sense solutions to the issues facing working families. When I came to Congress, I was glad to find like-minded colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition (New Dems), a caucus with nearly 100 center-left members who share a mission to break through the gridlock and get results for the American people. I hate to link to a Fox News article, but Budzinski did write about her efforts for that news organization. In it, she urged the passage of the Farm Bill ASAP and without any poison pills that have derailed other important bills. Congress has just over 100 days to pass the 2023 Farm Bill — a massive legislative package renewing programs that farmers and families across the country rely on every day. But with all the noise and nonsense in Washington, one of our nation’s most important bills has become an afterthought to too many beyond the walls of our agriculture committees. In fact, rumors are already swirling around Congress that this critical bill could be punted to 2024, with temporary program extensions in a future budget deal. This would create incredible uncertainty for folks who need stability most — our country’s hardworking farmers grappling with the unpredictability of weather and climate and families that are barely getting by with record-high food prices. They deserve better. On the biggest piece of legislation so far, the Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal, Rep. Budzinski was a YES. She lauded that the deal was done in a bipartisan fashion and although not perfect, it was necessary to avoid a default. x Compromise depends on give and take. While the bipartisan debt deal isn’t perfect, I’ll be voting yes to protect our country’s economy and prevent a dangerous default. pic.twitter.com/VaF7oyivL8 — Rep. Nikki Budzinski (@RepNikkiB) May 31, 2023 If you came to this article expecting flashy soundbites or desk thumping speeches, I am sorry to disappoint you. That is simply not the style of Rep. Nikki Budzinski, and it actively prevents her from achieving her goals in Congress. Bipartisanship is the strategy she has adopted in order to champion the issues that she is passionate about. Budzinksi the Labor Leader Rep. Nikki Budzinski has a life completely intertwined with the labor movement. Her campaign website biography shows that her ties to the labor movement began shortly after college. Nikki has spent her entire adult life standing up for working families. After college, Nikki traveled the country fighting to get hardworking people the pay and workplace safety conditions they deserve. She worked for the IAFF Firefighters’ union to help look out for our first responders who put their lives on the line for us every day, making sure they have the equipment, training, and health protections they need. Then she stood with UFCW workers, making sure grocery workers and meatpackers got a fair day’s pay and workplace protections at dangerous processing plants. She also fought to protect workers’ rights to collectively bargain for fair pay, safety protections, and benefits in states trying to attack those rights. Her official House website has some information on her later political endeavors, including working for Gov. JB Pritzker and for the Biden-Harris administration. That’s why she joined the labor movement, and fought to get firefighters, grocery workers and meatpackers better training, wages and workplace safety protections. It’s why she led negotiations to raise Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 an hour and chaired the Broadband Advisory Board to expand internet access to rural communities. And it’s why she helped the Biden-Harris Administration implement the American Rescue Plan and establish the Made in America Office to create jobs and strengthen our economy. She is still in tune with labor issues in Congress. For example, she hosted a Labor Caucus roundtable recently to discuss the labor movement and of course the Farm Bill. x I had a great time hosting this morning’s Labor Caucus Roundtable Meeting with my friend @RepCasar to talk about priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill. Thank you to everyone from @UFCW, @AFGENational, @AFSCME, @steelworkers and @CWAUnion who came out to join the conversation! pic.twitter.com/Zd4QVDK2Ln — Rep. Nikki Budzinski (@RepNikkiB) September 21, 2023 Another instance of her being a leader on labor issues is her early support for the striking UAW workers. She didn’t have to take that political risk in a marginal district, but the labor movement clearly is something extra important to her. x I’m honored to show my support for the striking @UAW workers on Capitol Hill! #StandUpUAW https://t.co/83Vbfy1ZwK — Rep. Nikki Budzinski (@RepNikkiB) September 21, 2023 While she hasn’t yet introduced any legislation regarding labor issues while in Congress, it is clear from her background and her actions that Rep. Nikki Budzinski is a staunch ally of organized labor. Hopefully this is a second issue that she can be a guiding beacon for the party in the future. Biography — How Did Budzinski Get to Congress? Our first pitstop on the way to learning about Rep. Nikki Budzinski is her campaign website, which devotes time to her upbringing and early political activism. 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