U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, of Illinois’ 13th District, was well aware of the lack of civility shown to politicians and others of all beliefs when she was elected in November.

“Of course, there is some of that,” she said on the latest edition of the “Politically Speaking” podcast. “But I made it a mission of mine in the first 100 days to really reach across the party aisle and work on the issues where I feel like we can still find common ground.”

The amount of bipartisan work that she’s seen and been a part of is maybe the most surprising part of her first days in office, she said.

Before she was elected, Budzinski served as the chief of staff for President Joe Biden’s Office of Management and Budget. The Peoria native worked on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s election campaign in 2018 and later his administration.

She also worked for the United Food and Commercial Workers union in Washington, D.C. She now lives in Springfield.

Here are some of the other topics she discussed on the podcast:

• Her wide-ranging district, which stretches from Cahokia Heights and Alton to Springfield and Champaign on the east side of the state.
• The potential sale of Granite City’s steel plant and what that means for the community. 
• Her work on the House Committee on Agriculture, where she is joined by five members of Illinois’ congressional delegation. The roles low-income food benefits and biofuels play in the Farm Bill are among the most important topics being discussed on the committee, Budzinski said.
• The impending debate surrounding the country’s debt limit and how federal lawmakers plan to solve the problem.