U.S. Rep. for IL's 13th District. Proudly serving on @HouseAgDems & @VetAffairsDems for Central & Southern IL. Vice Chair for Policy @NewDemCoalition.
Illinois & Washington, DC
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- Following 1,332
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Corruption is rampant in Washington – and that has to change.
Today, I’m unveiling an Anti-Corruption Agenda, demanding action in Congress to end Citizens United, ban insider trading and hold SCOTUS accountable. Here’s the plan.
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Last night, I joined Champaign County Health Care Consumers for a fireside chat on the issues hitting Central Illinois families hardest right now — Medicaid cuts, SNAP reductions, ACA cancellations, and Social Security. I’m grateful for their partnership and remain committed to fighting back against every one of these cuts.
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A federal judge just ordered the White House to restore press access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Good — they never should have been removed in the first place. Banning journalists because the President doesn't like their coverage is unconstitutional.
A free press is non-negotiable.
nytimes.com/live/2026/09/24/…
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Recent cyberattacks and security incidents involving AI agents, alongside warnings about loss of control from those who have worked in AI, cannot be ignored.
Congress should act now to ensure that this technology is advancing responsibly, within strict guardrails, with the safety of the American people as our top priority.
OpenAI breach of Australian government linked to wider AI hacking campaign ft.trib.al/tODbZeB
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It was a beautiful afternoon at Delight Flower Farm in Champaign yesterday with farmers, conservationists, and advocates from the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and American Farmland Trust. Maggie Taylor built this farm from a backyard operation into a thriving, sustainable business. The policy fights we're in right now with proposed cuts to EQIP funding, local food programs, market consolidation — have real consequences for farms like hers.
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Yet another massive recall — 167,000 pounds of pork, beef, and goat products with fake USDA inspection labels. Americans should be able to trust that the food they buy is safe. That trust requires a fully staffed, fully funded USDA food safety system — not one that's been hollowed out by cuts and firings.
cnn.com/2026/09/24/us/meat-r…
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Rep. Nikki Budzinski retweeted
During ICUL’s Hike the Hill, Illinois #creditunion leaders met with @RepNikkiB to discuss credit union priorities and share firsthand perspectives on how federal policy affects credit unions and their members.
Read the full recap: ow.ly/7Il050ZPliN.
#AdvocacyInAction
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Starting soon — join me live at 6:00 PM CT for a fireside chat on what cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and ACA mean for Central and Southern Illinois families. I'll be taking your questions in real time. Register here if you haven't already: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi…
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80% of people support the Good Energy Jobs Act. If you're receiving federal dollars to fund energy projects, you pay prevailing wages and deliver real benefits to the communities where you build.
The Good Energy Jobs Act would require prevailing wage standards, as well as other labor and community benefits, for energy companies that receive federal funding.
It has support from 80% of voters, including 82% of Independents.
ALT Bar chart of polling data from Data For Progress. Title: Voters Overwhelmingly Support the Good Energy Jobs Act. Description: Lawmakers are currently considering a proposal that would set new requirements for companies that receive federal funding to build energy projects. The proposal would require companies to: Pay workers prevailing wages Create registered apprenticeship programs Submit plans detailing how they will ensure local communities benefit meaningfully from the project Uphold their workers' right to join a union should they so choose Do you support or oppose this proposal? All likely voters — Support: 80%, Oppose: 13% Democrat — Support: 80%, Oppose: 15% Independent / Third party — Support: 82%, Oppose: 10% Republican — Support: 79%, Oppose: 13% July 17–19, 2026 survey of 1,207 U.S. likely voters.
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Americans have spent $107 billion more on fuel since the Iran war began. That's $750 per household. That's more than what the entire country spends on elementary and secondary education in a year. Working families in Central and Southern Illinois can't absorb this much longer.
wsj.com/business/energy-oil/…
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Like every family and business in America, schools and libraries are feeling the squeeze of rising costs. The last thing they need is to lose their internet access. That's why I joined 50 House colleagues in pushing back on FCC Chairman Carr's threat to end or severely restrict E-Rate — a program that connects over 100,000 low-income schools and libraries to broadband.
Like most Americans, schools and libraries are also struggling with rising costs. That's why I'm leading 50 of my House colleagues to fight for continued funding for school and library broadband.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is threatening to end or highly restict E-Rate, a program that funds essential services like internet access to over 100k low-income schools and libraries across the country.
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Congressional Republicans in Washington cut Medicaid, slashed SNAP, and let ACA premiums skyrocket. Central and Southern Illinois families deserve straight answers about what that means for them — and what I'm doing about it. Join me tonight at 6pm CT for a fireside chat. I'll take your questions live. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi…
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The New Broadview Veterans Housing project in East St. Louis is being recognized today by the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition in Washington and it's a moment worth celebrating. Affordable housing means stability, opportunity, and dignity for families in our community. Congratulations to everyone who brought this project to life. My team was honored to present them this national award!
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Earlier this week, my team sat down with local advocates from Bread for the World to talk about the fights that matter most right now — SNAP, the Farm Bill, and WIC. Behind every policy debate is a family trying to put food on the table. These women get that. And they're making sure Washington doesn't forget it.
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The Administration just canceled ACA enrollments covering more than 750,000 people, while providing no details about who lost coverage or how they were notified. ACA enrollment is already down by nearly 3 million people after premiums surged when enhanced Marketplace subsidies expired. People are losing healthcare coverage they depend on. That’s unacceptable.
nytimes.com/2026/09/22/healt…
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Illinois gas prices jumped 41 cents in a single week — now averaging $4.88 a gallon, $1.53 more than a year ago. The Iran war and regional refinery issues are hitting the Great Lakes states especially hard. Diesel is averaging $6.83 a gallon across our state. Central and Southern Illinois families and farmers are absorbing all of this right at harvest season. This is unsustainable.
sj-r.com/story/news/local/20…
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A lot has happened in Washington this year when it comes to healthcare and nutrition programs. Medicaid cuts. SNAP reductions. ACA premium hikes.
I want to talk directly to you about what it means for Central and Southern Illinois families — and what we're fighting to do about it. Fireside chat coming up.
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Register here — bring your questions. I'll be taking them live.
us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi…
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I’m honored to have met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at NYC Climate Week this week. A powerful reminder of the global stakes behind the work we're doing every day.
[📷 credit: UN Photo/ Eskinder Debebe]
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A big week at NYC Climate Week. I delivered the keynote at CAP's Industrial Decarbonization event on how we can advance a strategic, worker-centric industrial policy and spoke with industry leaders at @GlobalBTA about sustainable aviation fuel — one of the most promising tools we have to reduce emissions in one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize. For Illinois corn and soybean growers who can supply the feedstocks, it's also a real economic opportunity. Clean energy and agricultural opportunities go hand in hand.
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A Minnesota farmer put it simply: diesel is nearly double what it was last year — and it takes 8 gallons of fuel per acre just to bring in a harvest. Multiply that across hundreds of acres and you understand what record fuel prices mean for farm families right now. This is the cost of an unresolved war — and working farmers are absorbing every bit of it.
npr.org/2026/09/20/nx-s1-597…
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