U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski held a town hall meeting Wednesday night at Glenwood High School in Chatham to share how she is pushing back against recent actions by theTrump administration and to hear directly from constituents. Nearly 400 people attended the event, which at times was marked by outbursts from some attendees.
Budzinski said executive orders and policy changes coming out of Washington are already harming communities in central Illinois.
She pointed to the more than 100 executive orders signed by President Trump since January, and said freezing federal funding for projects in her district is both wrong and illegal. “It shows that Trump and Republican leaders have no intention of supporting the projects local communities were promised,” she said.
She also pledged to fight cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and veterans’ benefits. Budzinski said many towns in her district depend on these programs, with some seeing 60% to 70% of residents relying on Medicaid.
During the question-and-answer portion of the event, Chatham resident Angela Try asked what people at home can do in the face of concerning news out of Washington. “Every single day, we only need to read the newspaper, turn on the radio, or watch television for all of these alarming things,” she said. “What can we do here at home? Because we sort of feel helpless.”
Budzinski encouraged residents to stay engaged. “What we should be doing is checking on our neighbors and being involved locally,” she said and added that the best accountability measure is going to come inNovember of 2026.
Another attendee, Emily Miller of Chatham, shared her frustrations with the current political climate and what she sees as a lack of strong response from Democratic leaders. “Right now, every day is something else that’s coming out that is just creating more panic, more confusion, more anxiety, more fear,” she said. “And honestly, the silence amongst the Democratic Party, except for a few, is maddening right now.” That comment was met with applause from the audience.
