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May 13, 2025Duckworth, Murray, Blumenthal Introduce Resolution to Celebrate VA Researchers and to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Veteran-Focused Research at VA
To honor our nation’s Veterans Affairs (VA) researchers and commemorate the 100th anniversary of Veteran-focused research beginning at what is now known as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S Senators Murray (D-WA) and Blumenthal (D-CT)—member and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC), respectively—introduced a resolution to designate May 12th to 16th as Veterans Affairs Research Week. Her resolution … Continue Reading
May 12, 2025Duckworth, McClain, Delaney, Moylan Introduce Legislation to Expand Leave Benefits for Military Families
Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Armed Services (SASC) and Veterans’ Affairs Committees (SVAC)—and U.S. Representatives April McClain Delaney (D-MD-06) and James Moylan (R-GU-AL) introduced legislation to modernize the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in order to help ensure that military caregiver benefits are available to more people who selflessly care for their servicemember or Veteran family member in medical need. The Making … Continue Reading
May 09, 2025As Trump and DOGE Destroy AmeriCorps, Duckworth, Durbin Meet with Illinois Members to Discuss Impact on Local Communities
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of Illinois AmeriCorps to discuss the impact of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) reckless cuts, which ripped away at least $12 million from 26 of the state’s 33 grantees. Duckworth also spoke about how these cuts reduce or even eliminate so many of the essential services AmeriCorps members perform in communities around the state, including caring for Veter… Continue Reading
In The News
March 20, 2025For Veterans Fired by Trump, the Sense of Betrayal Runs Deep
Jacob Bushno has spent his entire adult life serving his country. He enlisted in the military straight out of high school. After two tours in Iraq as part of the Army’s air assault division, he transitioned into civilian service in the federal workforce. Last month, just seven days before finishing his one-year probationary period with the U.S. Forest Service, he was abruptly fired. This week, he was rehired. Like many of the thousands of federal workers caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce, Bushno has spent the last few weeks frustrated and confused. But as a veteran, he views his treatment by the new Administration with a different lens. “I feel very betrayed. All I’ve done my whole life since getting out of high school was serve this country,” says Bushno, 40, who worked in the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. “I feel like, who's fighting for me, you know?” Bushno’s rehiring came after a federal judge on Monday ruled th… Continue Reading
March 19, 2025‘On the backs of veterans’: Senators rail against federal workforce purge as vets hit hard by cuts
— Marine Corps veteran Andrew Lennox was wrapping up his last day of online orientation as a newly hired administrative officer at Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System in Michigan, when his cell phone pinged alerting him to incoming email. As a supervisor in primary care services at the medical center run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 35-year-old former staff sergeant certified staff hours, handled equipment purchases and reviewed performance evaluations. “I’ve loved my new job at the V… Continue Reading
March 10, 2025Democrats introduce bill forcing Trump administration to rehire fired veterans
Democrats want to force President Donald Trump's administration to rehire veterans who were laid off as part of large-scale efforts by Trump and Elon Musk to reshape the federal government and its workforce, ABC News has exclusively learned. Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Andy Kim of New Jersey plan to introduce the Protect Veteran Jobs Act in the Senate on Monday. The bill would compel the Trump administration to reinstate veterans impacted by recent mass layoffs, according to a copy of… Continue Reading