In The News
DHS has Arrested people filming their agents, and Sens. Duckworth, Durbin say those arrests must stop
U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin are demanding federal immigration agents stop arresting people filming them. In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the senators requested that she keep federal agents from arresting people exercising “a core First Amendment right.” “Failure to do so would be an admission that you are purposefully seeking to suppress free speech and impede government accountability through malicious, unlawful arrests intended to … Continue Reading
October 28, 2025
Democrats slam FCC’s decision to ‘gut’ prison phone call price caps
Senate Democrats are urging the Federal Communications Commission to enforce a rule that would lower the price of prison phone and video calls. In a letter led by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), several Democrats, including Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), among others, criticize FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s efforts to “effectively gut” a final rule to implement a cap on exorbitant fees. The letter comes just hours before the … Continue Reading
October 24, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth blast Trump for playing ‘political games’ in denying Illinois disaster assistance
U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth on Friday urged President Donald Trump to stop playing “political games” with disaster assistance after the president this week denied disaster funding for Illinois. Trump on Wednesday approved major disaster declarations for Alaska, Nebraska, North Dakota and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. But he also denied requests from Illinois, Maryland and Vermont. Several other states are awaiting decisions. Illinois and Maryland are led by Democratic … Continue Reading
October 24, 2025
Senators demand Linda McMahon ask DHS to stop immigration enforcement near schools
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and at least a half a dozen other senators are calling on the U.S. Department of Education to pressure immigration authorities to refrain from carrying out immigration enforcement within 1,000 feet of any school property, citing recent classroom disruptions in the Chicago area. On Friday, they sent the letter, first provided to NBC News, to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, demanding that she step in and ask the Department of Homeland Security to curb its … Continue Reading
October 17, 2025
Sen. Tammy Duckworth calls for inspector general probe into federal agents’ tactics in Chicago immigration enforcement
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is calling for federal government watchdogs to launch an investigation into immigration agents' tactics amid an ongoing enforcement operation in the Chicago area, citing "troubling patterns" of excessive force and unlawful arrests. Duckworth sent a letter to the inspectors general for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security calling for a joint investigative task force into federal agents' use of force amid Operation Midway Blitz, and to … Continue Reading
October 10, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth denied access to Broadview ICE facility amid legal disputes
BROADVIEW - The Village of Broadview has reached an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to remove fencing that blocked a street outside an ICE detention facility by Tuesday night. The agreement was filed in court after a federal judge ruled in favor of Broadview officials, who argued the fencing was illegal. Four people were arrested on Friday in connection with protests in Broadview. What we know: Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said her biggest concern was that the fence … Continue Reading
October 10, 2025
Duckworth, Durbin demand feds not use Chicago Harbor Lock on river as backdrop for social media videos
In a letter to top federal officials, U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin are demanding federal immigration officials stop using the Chicago Harbor Lock after armed agents took to the Chicago River to film videos for social media. In a letter obtained by the Sun-Times, the senators demanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem refrain from using the Chicago Harbor Lock “as a staging area to demonstrate force in pursuit of partisan ends instead of … Continue Reading
October 08, 2025
Trump’s domestic troop deployments betray our military and nation
One of the proudest moments of my life was the first time I ever laced up my boots, put on my uniform and raised my right hand to swear my oath to the Constitution as a member of the Illinois Army National Guard. I cherished every day that I got to wake up and call myself a United States soldier. And it is precisely because I love our military so deeply that I refuse to let a five-time draft-dodging coward abuse it for his own gain and to our country’s detriment. At Quantico last week, … Continue Reading
October 05, 2025
Duckworth slams Hegseth: ‘Military could not do its job’ without ‘the women who serve’
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Sunday went after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying the military “could not do its job” without “the women who serve.” “Well, this is the least qualified secretary of Defense in our nation’s history, and he’s questioning the ability of the women who actually qualified to their — to do their jobs. The female Rangers, the females that graduated from SEAL school, have met those highest standards,” Duckworth, an Army veteran, told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan … Continue Reading
October 05, 2025
Veteran Senator Shreds Hegseth For Trying to ‘Push Women Out of the Military’
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said the military “could not do its job” without “the women who serve” while taking aim at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s controversial speech about the impending revamp of the military under the Trump administration. “Well, this is the least qualified secretary of defense in our nation’s history, and he’s questioning the ability of the women who actually qualified to ... to do their jobs,” Duckworth, an Army veteran, said of Hegseth while appearing on CBS … Continue Reading
October 01, 2025
Duckworth says Hegseth's views on women in combat show he's unfit as Defense Secretary
Women veterans are denouncing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech to senior military leaders, specifically his agenda for military fitness. Hegseth told hundreds of military commanders at a hastily called gathering in Virginia that there would be new directives to ensure that the requirement for every position in combat "returns to the highest male standard." He said that "if that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it," while stressing that the military will continue to … Continue Reading
September 30, 2025
Sen. Duckworth on Hegseth's Quantico speech
President Trump defended the use of troops in U.S. cities while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told military commanders about new physical fitness and grooming requirements for uniformed personnel. President Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, both addressed hundreds of senior generals and admirals at a base outside of Washington, D.C., today. The meeting itself was highly unusual as military gatherings go, but the message was usual for the Trump administration. President Trump … Continue Reading
September 29, 2025
Democrats question ‘contingency plans’ for meeting of top US military leaders
Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) in a Saturday letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for transparency regarding the meeting he will hold Tuesday with top military leaders. The meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, will include hundreds of generals and admirals stationed around the world. President Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he plans on attending the gathering at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va. Duckworth and Hirono, both … Continue Reading
September 18, 2025
There’s a new push to save child care on college campuses
Child care is so expensive for parents in college that it often exceeds the cost of their education. For years, one federal program has been helping lower those costs, until this year when the program has faced cuts under the Trump administration. Now, Democratic lawmakers are leading a push to save it. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Sen. Tammy Duckworth are reintroducing a bill Thursday to dramatically grow the $80 million Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) … Continue Reading
September 18, 2025
Senator Tammy Duckworth demands ICE to stop using Hines VA Hospital parking lot in letter to secretary
U.S. Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth has penned a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, opposing the use of Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital property as staging for immigration enforcement agents. Duckworth says the hospital has been ordered to "surrender" parking spots for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to use as a staging area, amid the Trump administration's "Operation Midway Blitz" immigration crackdown in the Chicago area. According to a spokesperson for … Continue Reading
September 17, 2025
Sorensen and Duckworth announce funding to help create jobs in Rockford
ROCKFORD, Ill. — Two Illinois lawmakers just announced a major donation of money to the community. Congressman Eric Sorensen and Senator Tammy Duckworth said on Wednesday that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded $70,000 to the Region 1 Joint Planning Commission in Rockford. They were given the money to bring jobs to families in the area. “I want my neighbors in Rockford to be able to stay and raise their families in my hometown, but that means we need to continue bringing … Continue Reading
September 17, 2025
Democrats on Senate Armed Services Committee call for hearing on use of military in American cities
Every Democratic member of the Senate Armed Services Committee has joined to ask its Republican chairman to convene a hearing with Pentagon leaders about the Trump administration’s growing use of members of the U.S. military on the streets of American cities. In a letter to Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the 13 Democratic senators argue that the committee and the American people deserve answers on the cost of deploying personnel and equipment to U.S. cities, the impact on military readiness … Continue Reading
September 17, 2025
Sen. Tammy Duckworth wants ICE agents out of Hines VA Hospital parking lot
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is demanding Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins abandon his plan to use 12 parking spots at Edward Hines, JR. VA Hospital as a “staging area” for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — a complaint the department is calling “baseless.” Duckworth’s letter to Collins asks for “swift, decisive action to remove ICE from VA property and facilities.” The use of the parking lot prompted a protest at the west suburban hospital on Monday. “It is … Continue Reading
September 16, 2025
What Trump priorities, EPA firings mean for sewage spills in metro-east city
Cahokia Heights is facing some new challenges to fix failing infrastructure that regularly causes sewage to spill out of city pipes, according to two of the community’s representatives in Congress. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski recently traveled to the metro-east to meet with residents, state and federal agencies, elected officials and the media to discuss completed infrastructure projects, next steps and obstacles posed by President Donald Trump’s … Continue Reading
September 11, 2025
Officials demand answers from Noem, Hegseth on Naval Station Great Lakes' use for immigration arrests
In a letter to top federal officials, U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin are demanding the federal government lay out parameters for using Naval Station Great Lakes for its immigration operation and that federal agents properly identify themselves while operating in Illinois. The letter, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, demands answers in writing from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on how the base … Continue Reading