By Joe Holleman

Copyright stltoday

Last week was a winning one for U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, a Democrat who represents part of the Metro East area.

Not only was she able to bring good news to Granite City-area steelworkers, but two of Budzinski’s bills to help military veterans passed out of the U.S. House and now move to the Senate for approval.

One of the bills aims to establish scholarships to help veterans pursue degrees in science, health care, and technology.

The other legislation would address staffing shortages at Veterans Health Administration facilities by requiring the VA to offer participants in its health scholarship program an employment contract within 90 days of completing their courses.

Budzinski said the proposal could reduce shortages of medical officers and nurses.

On the steel front, Budzinski was in Granite City this weekend to help announce that U.S. Steel will continue processing steel slabs at its Granite City Works mill.

The announcement, a reversal of a decision announced earlier this month, is positive news for the roughly 800 workers still employed at the facility.

In 2023, the mill stopped producing raw steel but still processes slab steel to make sheet steel for the construction and automotive industries.