In The News
Senate votes down Israel arms sales ban, despite growing Democrat support
The Senate on Wednesday voted down a resolution to bar U.S. arms sales to Israel, exposing new divisions among Democrats and highlighting rising frustration with the country’s conduct in Gaza. The first of two votes pushed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders — which came to 27-70 — renewed efforts to halt American weapons transfers in protest of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Democrats split on the vote, with 12 new supporters who previously backed arms … Continue Reading
July 25, 2025
Local Leaders Commemorate Emmett Till's Birthday, Preservation of Church Building Where Funeral Was Held
Ollie Gordon described her older cousin Emmett Till as her protector growing up. “I can remember he was like our guardian angel,” Gordon said. “He can do whatever, but nobody on the street better do anything because they were going to have to answer to him.” Gordon was 7 years old when Till was murdered. She was living in a house with Till and his mother at the time Till was abducted. For all the talk about his death, Gordon said she wants people to remember that Till was also a fun, loving, … Continue Reading
July 16, 2025
Duckworth additions to National Defense Authorization Act to benefit Rock Island Arsenal
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week and it now goes to the full Senate for consideration. Several provisions added by committee member Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) will benefit workers at the Rock Island Arsenal. Duckworth spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to explain how the bill helps the Arsenal. “Overall, brave Illinoisans need to know, when they serve our nation at home and overseas, that … Continue Reading
July 16, 2025
Senators Demand Answers After Case Dropped Against Navy Federal for Charging Troops Overdraft Fees
A group of senators says they have "profound alarm" and are demanding answers over the unprecedented decision by the government's consumer watchdog to drop its case against Navy Federal Credit Union for charging its members -- almost exclusively service members, veterans and their families -- millions in illegal overdraft fees. "This decision appears to prioritize financial institutions over the very service members the bureau is charged with protecting," the five Democratic senators wrote in … Continue Reading
July 15, 2025
Mike Waltz faces post-Signalgate 'brutal' grilling from Dems in UN ambassador hearing
Former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is poised to face members of the Senate Tuesday to get the ball rolling on his nomination to represent the U.S. at the United Nations. Waltz’s appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee comes months after he exited his job at the White House amid controversy surrounding his role in a Signal group chat with other top administration officials. Waltz is expected to call for reforms at the U.N. and is expected to say that it's time to … Continue Reading
July 14, 2025
Can female crash test dummies improve safety? A bipartisan group of senators push for equality in testing
Women make up more than half of U.S. drivers, but are 73% more likely to suffer serious injuries in a crash than men, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They are 17% more likely to be killed, data shows. A group of bipartisan women senators is pushing for more diversity in crash test dummies, hoping it will help solve the problem. "Whether driving or as passengers, we wanna make sure that women are safe when they get in a vehicle," said Republican Sen. Deb … Continue Reading
July 10, 2025
Trump's S'pore ambassador nominee grilled during Senate hearing over knowledge of region
U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for Ambassador to Singapore, Anjani Sinha was grilled by Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in a Senate confirmation hearing on Jul. 9. In a video of the hearing posted on Duckworth's YouTube channel, she criticised his apparent lack of knowledge about Singapore and called him not "particularly qualified for the role". Senate confirmation hearings in the U.S. are held as a review of a president-nominated ambassador or other official candidates … Continue Reading
July 10, 2025
Tammy Duckworth Torches 'Unqualified' Singapore Ambassador Nominee: 'Do Some Homework!'
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) absolutely tore into President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to Singapore, scolding him as “unqualified” after he appeared unable to answer questions about the nation and its relationship with the U.S. The questioning by Duckworth on Wednesday was contentious from the jump, as she grilled Dr. Anjani Sinha, a Florida orthopedic and sports injury surgeon, about tariffs, Singapore’s role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and its … Continue Reading
July 10, 2025
'You need to shape up': Trump's pick for Singapore envoy grilled in Senate
The nominee for the US ambassador to Singapore, Anjani Sinha, drew criticism during his Senate confirmation hearing when he struggled to answer questions about the island-state. On Wednesday Dr Sinha was grilled by Senator Tammy Duckworth on the US's relationship with Singapore and the island-state's role in South East Asia. At one point Ms Duckworth told him he was "unqualified" for the posting, and that he needed to "shape up and do some homework". The exchange has since gone viral in … Continue Reading
July 09, 2025
Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Singh has a rough day at Senate hearing
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump’s ambassador-nominee to Singapore, Dr Anjani Sinha, struggled to defend America’s tariff policies during an unexpectedly tough Senate confirmation hearing. The two-hour-long hearing on July 9, which featured four other hopeful nominees, kicked off cordially with an opening statement by Dr Sinha but turned into a testy back-and-forth with Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth when it came to question time. “This is not a role you can just pick up on a whim, or … Continue Reading
July 02, 2025
Lawmakers want all troops wearing American-made boots
WASHINGTON — All service members would wear combat boots manufactured entirely in America and made with U.S.-sourced materials under a new bill introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. The legislation aims to ensure troops are equipped with “high-quality, safe and reliable” footwear and seeks to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains that have flooded the market with cheap, imported boots. Defense Department regulations now allow troops to purchase foreign-made boots that have the … Continue Reading
July 02, 2025
All US military boots should be made in America, lawmakers contend
New bipartisan legislation reintroduced in the Senate this week aims to ensure all combat boots worn by U.S. service members are manufactured entirely in the United States. The Better Outfitting Our Troops, or BOOTS, Act has united a diverse coalition of lawmakers across the political spectrum in proposing that all U.S. military boots are produced from only American-manufactured components. That includes optional combat boots, which are authorized by commanders as an alternative to the … Continue Reading
July 01, 2025
Duckworth asks IRS why on-time taxpayers are getting late notices
You filled out the tax forms and wrote the Internal Revenue Service a check by April 15. Painful, but done. Not so, apparently for some Illinoisans who’ve received late notices and been assessed fees even though they paid their taxes on time. The glitch is causing “confusion and panic throughout Illinois,” U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and colleagues wrote IRS Director William Long on Friday. “To make matters worse, the late notices also include penalties and fines, which further heightens the … Continue Reading
July 01, 2025
Democrats deride Senate passage of Trump bill, as activists target GOP lawmakers ahead of House vote
From “catastrophe” to “nothing ‘beautiful,” Illinois Democrats on Tuesday slammed the Senate passage of President Donald Trump’s tax bill that would lead to 500,000 Illinoisans losing their health care coverage. As the measure heads back to the House for approval, Democratic activists are now focusing their efforts on the three Republican members of the Illinois delegation, despite their allegiances to Trump: Reps. Mary Miller, Darin LaHood and Mike Bost. House leaders have said they still … Continue Reading
June 27, 2025
OPINION: Senate Republicans are hiding shameful downgrades to veterans’ SNAP benefits
Congress is hurtling toward a budget deal that will have devastating consequences for millions of low-income people across the country. Many Americans, and perhaps even some policymakers, have no idea how destructive it really is. Both the House and Senate budget reconciliation bills are filled with harmful provisions that would decimate the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. In addition to hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to “SNAP,” as it is known, Senate Republicans quietly … Continue Reading
June 27, 2025
K-leather ban reintroduced in US Senate
K-leather has been used to manufacture high-end soccer cleats for decades. However, its use has fallen out of favor in recent years as information about the commercial harvesting of kangaroo hides created a backlash. In the statement announcing the bill, Duckworth’s office said the legislation was designed to protect kangaroos from the largest commercial slaughter in the world. “When I first learned how widespread and brutal the kangaroo hunt is, I could hardly believe my ears,” Duckworth … Continue Reading
June 26, 2025
Duckworth, Other Congressional Lawmakers Want Answers From Irs on Bills Being Sent for Taxes Paid
Congressional lawmakers are calling out the IRS for notices the agency sent out telling taxpayers they didn't pay their taxes — even though those taxpayers did, in fact, do so. CBS News Chicago has reported on this problem, and it turns out we are not the only ones having a hard time getting answers from the IRS. U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) said their offices are also both dealing with delays in responses from the IRS about the issue. Duckworth said cuts made by … Continue Reading
June 26, 2025
Illinois Senator introduces bill to limit Trump from using armed forces on civilians
Combat Veteran and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced a bill Thursday that aims to curb the president’s power to deploy the armed forces to police citizens. According to the news release from Senator Duckworth’s Office, the bill aims to curb what she believes is a misuse of the military for civilian law enforcement means. The press release states that the core mission of the armed forces is to protect and defend Americans from foreign threats. The name of the bill is the Military in … Continue Reading
June 26, 2025
As Military Helps More with Law Enforcement, Senate Democrat's Proposal Seeks Guardrails
The U.S. military would be able to help civilian law enforcement only in narrow circumstances under a bill being introduced Thursday by a Democratic senator to close what she described as a loophole in existing law that could allow more domestic troop deployments. The bill from Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., would amend an existing law by specifying that troops can assist civilian law enforcement only for a humanitarian crisis, natural disaster, public health emergency or major public event … Continue Reading
June 25, 2025
Tammy Duckworth Shreds Trump and Allies Over Medicaid Cuts: 'The Party of We're All Going to Die'
Appearing on Jake Tapper’s CNN show Wednesday afternoon, Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth gave a blunt assessment of Donald Trump and Republicans for the draconian Medicaid cuts they’re attempting to make to Medicaid, dubbing them the “we’re all going to die anyway” party. She also mocked the GOP’s attempt to mitigate one of the more serious effects of those cuts, comparing them to an arsonist who then calls for the creation of a fire department. At issue is the Senate budget bill … Continue Reading