Rep. Budzinski. U.S. House bill proposes grant program for food and farm worker stabilization

The new bill authored by U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski in the U.S. House aims to create a grant program supporting food and farm workers during natural disasters and other emergencies, according to the U.S. Congress.

H.R.7938 was introduced on March 16, 2026 during the 2026 regular session of the 119th Congress. The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Grocery, Farm, and Food Worker Stabilization Grant Program to provide funding for stabilization payments to eligible entities, which include labor unions and membership organizations representing farmworkers, meat processing workers, and grocery workers during natural disasters or other designated incidents. The Secretary is required to create the program through the Agricultural Marketing Service and submit a report to Congress within four years evaluating its outcomes and impacts. The bill authorizes appropriations of $50 million to support the program, with funds remaining available until expended.

The bill was introduced only by Rep. Nikki Budzinski (Democrat-IL-13th District).

Since the beginning of the current session, Rep. Budzinski has introduced another 17 bills.

A related bill, S.4101, was also introduced in the Senate on March 16, 2026. Congressional records list it as a related bill to H.R.7938.

Congressional bills can originate in either the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate, except for revenue-related measures, which must begin in the House. After introduction, bills are assigned to committees for review, hearings, amendments and debate before they can advance to a vote in each chamber. If both chambers approve identical versions, the legislation is sent to the president, who may sign it into law or veto it. Congress operates in two-year terms, with each term numbered sequentially and divided into two annual sessions. The legislative process and official bill records are maintained by the U.S. Congress and published through Congress.gov.

Nikki Budzinski is a Representative from Illinois, having been elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Eighteenth and to the succeeding Congress, serving since January 3, 2023. She holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, obtained in 1999, and has served in various roles, including senior advisor to the Governor of Illinois J.B. Pritzker from 2019 to 2020 and chief of staff in the Office of Management and Budget in 2021.