The most surprising thing 13th District Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski found during her first year in office is that there are many more people like her in Washington, D.C.

"There are a lot of us who want to get things done and we work together to accomplish that," said Budzinski, a Democrat from Springfield. "We see a lot of common interests and common goals and work together to find solutions."

When the newly elected Budzinski last sat down with the Illinois Times (Freshman class, April 27, 2023), she was just a few months into her two-year term and expressed a strong desire to work with her fellow representatives from both political parties. She’s been able to do that, she said, by ignoring the partisan political rhetoric that seems to grab the headlines.

"I think the extremes within both of our parties exacerbate the polarization of our politics today," Budzinski said. "If more of us come together and listen less to the extremes we would find more compromise and collaboration and much more of a functional federal government."

Budzinski pointed to several Springfield-benefiting accomplishments as evidence that she’s able to work with both sides of the aisle. The Springfield Rail Improvements Project has received $98.1 million in federal grant funding, including $19.8 million that came from recently passed bipartisan infrastructure legislation, although the last $138 million for the project has been delayed for one year, postponing a lot of construction planned for Springfield.

"I’m disappointed that the Springfield Rail Improvements Project did not receive the federal resources necessary in 2023 to keep the project on track," Budzinski said. "In 2024, I’ll continue working closely with project leaders, Senators Durbin and Duckworth and the Department of Transportation to deliver the resources required to keep this vital project moving."

Springfield’s Moving Pillsbury Forward project has received $787,000 in federal funding, with more on the way, Budzinski said, if a bipartisan federal budget agreement can be reached. She and Republican Illinois Congressman Darin LaHood also cosponsored a bill to make the downtown site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot a national monument.

Budzinski is also optimistic that a bipartisan solution can be found to the number one issue currently on her central Illinois constituents’ minds. Of the 26,000 calls, letters and emails her district offices have received this past year, immigration and the security of the United States’ southern border seem to be top concerns.

"The immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed in a bipartisan way. That’s not just about securing our border, but also giving a legal pathway to citizenship," Budzinski said. "I’ve been working with my colleagues on additional funding for more officers and technology investments to detect illegal drugs."

The 2018 federal farm bill expired Sept. 30, 2023, and many central Illinois residents are anxious about when a new farm bill might be enacted and what it might contain. Budzinski serves on the House Agriculture Committee and understands the bill’s importance. But she said there can be no farm bill until a federal budget is passed.

"We need a Republican leadership that is going to listen to the majority of us who want a pragmatic, bipartisan solution to getting a budget done," Budzinski said. "I think once we get that done, then we can continue to focus on the farm bill."

Budzinski is advocating for the inclusion of crop insurance and nutrition program support in a new farm bill. She also has bipartisan pieces of agricultural legislation that she hopes to get passed this year, laws that would help young and beginning farmers with student loan forgiveness and provide access to land-purchasing capital. Budzinski cites her bipartisan work with Congressman Zach Nunn, an Iowa Republican, in pushing those measures forward.

Investments in further agricultural research at the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and other area institutions are also on Budzinski’s agenda, as are bipartisan efforts to promote biofuels produced using Illinois crops.

"Biofuels and sustainable aviation fuels reduce our carbon emissions and can become carbon-neutral if you partner them with technology centering on carbon capture sequestration," Budzinski said. "We are also reducing the price of fuel at the pump, and the Next Generation Fuels Act would support year-round sales of an E-15 blend" in key Midwestern states, including Illinois.

The federal debt ceiling is also on the minds of many 13th District constituents. The debt ceiling is the legal limit on the total amount of debt that the federal government can accrue. The U.S. National Debt Clock lists the current national debt at $34 trillion, or more than $101,000 for every person in America. The current U.S. debt ceiling is $31.4 trillion, far short of what the government owes, and debate continues about what should be done about the situation.

"The debate around the debt ceiling is false in some ways because these are all programs and initiatives that have already been appropriated. The debt ceiling is about paying the bills," Budzinski said. "I have supported a bipartisan measure that would freeze spending for two years. We should be having spending conversations before we spend the money. Then when we say we are going to spend the money, we need to pay the bill."

Then, of course, there is the elephant (and the donkey) in the room – the 2024 presidential election. This is one issue on which Budzinski is sticking with her party, and she agrees with many Democrats’ assessments that the future of our democracy is at stake in November.

"When somebody tells you who they are, you should believe them. Every day former President Trump says who he is, someone who is not inclusive or welcoming, that we should abandon our allies and partners around the world," Budzinski said. "Someone who has challenged the basic principles of a free and fair election and not honoring the results simply because he did not like the results. That’s not a democracy."

Budzinski will be ready if the vote tally certification in Congress foments another insurrection reminiscent of the one in January 2021.

"I have a constitutional duty to be there and be a part of that process, to stand up for what’s right and to stand up for our democratic values," Budzinski said.

Budzinski addressed concerns about 81-year-old President Joe Biden’s age as he seeks re-election.

"People should move away from looking at a number to looking at his accomplishments and what that has meant for them in their daily lives," Budzinski said. "We have a strong economy today, he has capped insulin costs, and passed an infrastructure bill that has allowed critical investments in central and southern Illinois."

Budzinski will attend this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago and hopes the gathering will provide an opportunity to promote downstate Illinois.

Budzinski handles constituent inquiries through her regional offices in Springfield, Belleville, Champaign and Decatur. During her first year in office, Budzinski introduced 15 bills and cosponsored an additional 298, including "bipartisan legislation that supports working families, improves access to rural health care, expands critical veterans’ benefits, grows markets for our family farmers and addresses the mental health and substance use crises impacting too many of our loved ones," she said.

But Budzinski’s biggest point of pride during her first year in office has been her ability to work with her congressional colleagues.

"One of the things that has served me well in this first year is bipartisanship," Budzinski said. "This has to be more than just a slogan; it has to be something you’re practicing."