St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Budzinski has managed to notch some wins in her first year as an elected official — not by grappling in the culture-war battles and grabbing headlines but instead by working with colleagues to address nuts-and-bolts needs in her district.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is highlighting how Nikki Budzinski has successfully hit the ground running after just a year in Congress.
From passing funding for apprentice programs in construction, manufacturing, and health care, to securing hundreds of millions in public transit funding, to helping hundreds of constituents access their hard-earned benefits, Budzinski is working across the aisle to get things done for Illinois.
Somehow, Budzinski has managed to notch some wins in her first year as an elected official — not by grappling in the culture-war battles and grabbing headlines but instead by working with colleagues to address nuts-and-bolts needs in her district.
“You have to do that intentionally,” Budzinski said of her steak-over-sizzle approach. “There are important things like infrastructure and jobs that need to get done, even in a divisive environment.”
Budzinski noted that the first bill she introduced, which provides money for apprentice programs in construction, manufacturing and health care, was the result of partnering with U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, an Ohio Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee.
“I knew my bill would have to get through that committee, so I sought some help,” Budzinski explained, calling the bill’s passage “a real win in a divisive environment.”
Budzinski said she also works closely with U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, a Republican who also represents parts of the Metro East and, more importantly, chairs the House Agricultural Committee.
“I sought out (seats on) the Agricultural and Veterans Affairs committees. They’re historically considered to be the most bipartisan” House committees, she said.
With no small amount of satisfaction, Budzinski points to her ranking as a “champion“ with the nonpartisan group Common Ground, which grades legislators on their ability to work with other parties on important issues.
“You have to ignore the political noise and walk across to the other side of the aisle,” she said. “That’s literally what I’ve done, walked across the aisle.”
Budzinski also made clear that she sees constituent service as a crucial component of her job.
She pointed to her role in helping secure $196 million for new MetroLink cars and $28 million to repair portions of the system damaged by flooding; getting more money and federal involvement in alleviating flooding problems in Cahokia Heights; and funding programs to help young farmers, through student loan forgiveness, pursue careers in agriculture.
As she talked about farm programs and forgiving loans, she also dovetailed into her work to improve rural health care, in which she has joined with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a fellow Democrat.
Along that line, she has introduced a bill that would provide loan reductions for physicians, nurses and dentists who agree to work in underserved communities.
One example of bipartisan teamwork between Budzinski and Bost, literally of the boots-on-the-ground variety, came to fruition in September.
Thanks in part to the pair sponsoring a bill to encourage domestic production of U.S. military gear, the Belleville Shoe Co. was awarded a two-year $7.8 million contract to supply the Army with a temperate-weather combat boot.
Along the way in her first year in office, Budzinski said her office handled more than 26,000 calls and pieces of mail from constituents, proudly noting that she and her staff resolved about 700 problems that people she represents had with Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits.
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