Nicole (Nikki) Budzinski

Nicole (Nikki) Budzinski is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Illinois' 13th Congressional District. Born in Peoria, Illinois, she earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her early career was rooted in the labor movement, where she held leadership and advocacy roles for the Laborers’ International Union of North America, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). She also served as a political strategist for various high-profile Democratic campaigns, including those of Chris Dodd and Hillary Clinton. Before entering Congress, Budzinski served as a senior advisor to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, where she was a key negotiator in raising the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour and chaired the Broadband Advisory Board. She later joined the Biden-Harris administration as the Chief of Staff for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In this role, she helped implement the American Rescue Plan and established the 'Made in America' office to encourage domestic manufacturing and strengthen the national economy. Budzinski was first elected to Congress in 2022 and took office on January 3, 2023. She serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization. Throughout her tenure, she has emphasized her commitment to working families, veterans, and family farmers in her Central and Southern Illinois district.

Budzinski’s policy positions center on economic development for the middle class and labor advocacy. She is a staunch supporter of workers' rights and union protections, frequently citing her experience as a labor organizer. On healthcare, she advocates for the protection and expansion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), specifically emphasizing the importance of maintaining tax credits to lower premiums and ensuring reproductive healthcare access for all, including servicemembers. Regarding the environment, Budzinski promotes a 'Climate Jobs' approach, seeking to reduce carbon emissions while simultaneously creating high-paying union jobs in the renewable energy sector. On the House Agriculture Committee, she focuses on policies that support family farmers, including crop insurance and sustainable agriculture. Her foreign policy and national security stances include support for aid to Ukraine and the implementation of trade policies that prioritize American workers and domestic manufacturing. In immigration, she has expressed support for bipartisan comprehensive reform and protecting the legal status of those under programs like Temporary Protected Status (TPS).