In The News
Illinois U.S. senators take Hegseth, other Trump admin. members to task for group chat on military strikes
Both U.S. senators and two members of Congress from Illinois on Wednesday lambasted the Trump administration, and in particular Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, over a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal that included sensitive details about military strikes in Yemen. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, to the chat. Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday called the chats … Continue Reading
May 26, 2025
More Lawmakers Call For Hegseth’s Resignation as Signal Scandal Intensifies
New revelations regarding the disclosure of sensitive military information in an unsecured messaging app by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amplified calls for his resignation on Wednesday, as fallout over the scandal continued for a third day. "Hegseth is doing a great job, he had nothing to do with this,” Trump told reporters late Wednesday, hours after The Atlantic published more of the transcripts from a Signal group chat that included Hegseth, other top Trump officials, and journalist … Continue Reading
May 25, 2025
Pritzker, Duckworth call on Pete Hegseth to resign after group chat controversy
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Gov. J.B. Pritzker have both called on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign after a reporter was included in a text chain detailing plans for an offensive strike against Yemen. Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was reportedly included in that chain, in which several key figures in the Trump administration detailed plans for strikes against Yemen before they were carried out earlier this month. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
Lawmakers Demand Trump Administration Restore Removed Webpages Celebrating Troops
A group of Senate Democrats will be sending a letter Thursday demanding that President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reverse recent policies "that seek to erase records of the historic accomplishments of our troops" amid the administration's removal of online material about women, minority and LGBTQ+ service members and veterans. The four lawmakers signed onto the letter are Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois; Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut; and Mark Kelly and Ruben … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
For Veterans Fired by Trump, the Sense of Betrayal Runs Deep
March 19, 2025
‘On the backs of veterans’: Senators rail against federal workforce purge as vets hit hard by cuts
WASHINGTON — 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 … Continue Reading
March 12, 2025
Sen. Tammy Duckworth introduces bill to rehire fired veterans
As the Trump administration continues its efforts to downsize the federal government with massive staffing cuts, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth is fighting back for veterans. Why it matters: Veterans make up more than 30% of the federal workforce. Illinois is home to 20,900 civilian federal employees who are veterans, spouses of veterans, or spouses of active military personnel, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. The latest: Duckworth has co-authored a bill called … Continue Reading
March 10, 2025
Democrats introduce bill forcing Trump administration to rehire fired veterans
Democrats estimated that several thousand veterans were fired in recent weeks. 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 … Continue Reading
March 10, 2025
Democrats 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 … Continue Reading
March 06, 2025
In Letter Accusing VA Secretary of 'Cover-Up,' Democrats Demand Answers on DOGE-Led VA Firings
March 06, 2025
Sen. Tammy Duckworth wants details on VA dismissals
The Illinois Democrat is pushing for answers about how staff cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs affected the Veterans Crisis Line. Duckworth and four other Democratic senators wrote Thursday to President Donald Trump and VA Secretary Doug Collins requesting details, by job category, on two waves of VA layoffs. The letter specifically asks how many crisis line staff were dismissed and reinstated. Duckworth’s office said at least two employees involved with crisis line operations were … Continue Reading
February 28, 2025
Dem senators call on EPA to reinstate workers at EJ office
Democratic senators are calling on EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to reinstate almost 170 idled employees involved in environmental justice work, saying they are needed to help meet a key Trump administration objective. Without the “specialized expertise” provided by the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, EPA “will be ill-equipped to achieve your stated outcome that ‘every American should have access to clean air, land and water,'" Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and more … Continue Reading
February 27, 2025
Sen. Tammy Duckworth's lived experience a catalyst for change in Illinois, across the country
For Tammy Duckworth, the personal and the political are intertwined. The junior U.S. senator from Illinois has had a life marked by not only overcoming obstacles, but shaping a sharp vision from them. She’s wielded her own life experiences to make history on the Senate floor, speaking up - often with firsthand experience - for the issues she cares about. In 2004, Duckworth was deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the Illinois Army National Guard, where she stood among the … Continue Reading
February 26, 2025
Sen. Tammy Duckworth 'Outraged' By More Staff Cuts Tied To Veterans Crisis Line
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said she found out Wednesday that more people were fired from their jobs tied to the Veterans Crisis Line, a week after she pushed VA Secretary Doug Collins to reinstate veterans' jobs with the hotline that were cut as part of Trump's purge of federal employees. "I’m outraged to learn that more VCL workers were caught up in the latest firings -- and worse yet, that Secretary Collins continues to double down and deny that he ever inflicted any damage on the … Continue Reading
February 20, 2025
Scoop: Senate Dems squeeze GOP on Trump's IVF promise
Senate Democrats want to force Republicans to vote on mandating insurance coverage of IVF as part of a debate over the GOP's budget resolution, Axios has learned. Why it matters: President Trump signed an executive order meant to expand access to IVF this week, but Democrats say the directive is toothless. Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) plan to offer their Right to IVF Act as an amendment to the Republican budget resolution on Thursday evening. Trump's executive … Continue Reading
February 20, 2025
Democratic lawmakers warn axing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will leave troops vulnerable to fraud and scams
Shuttering the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will leave service members who rely on the agency’s accountability initiatives less guarded from career-ending scams and financial crimes, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and other Democratic lawmakers said in a letter Thursday to the bureau’s new acting head. Three members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs urged Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to restart CFPB operations nearly two weeks after he issued a dozen … Continue Reading
February 19, 2025
Democratic senators want answers about Veterans Affairs dismissals
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said she is seeking answers about how last week’s layoffs of more than 1,000 probationary employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs affected efforts to prevent suicide through the confidential Veterans Crisis Line. In a call with journalists, the Illinois Democrat said her staff heard from VA employees who worked for the crisis line or supported the VA claims process. She said two from Illinois may have been reinstated after she intervened, “but they’re still … Continue Reading
February 18, 2025
Democrat Dismisses Trump's IVF Executive Order As 'Lip Service'
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), whose "Right to IVF" bill remains blocked by Republicans, dismissed Trump's executive order on IVF as "just lip-service from a known liar." “Don’t be fooled. Donald Trump’s executive order does nothing to expand access to IVF," she said in a statement. "In fact, he’s the reason IVF is at risk in the first place. But if he is actually serious about taking real action to accomplish his own campaign promise to make IVF free for everyone, there’s a simple way he can … Continue Reading
February 08, 2025
Some Head Start programs still having trouble accessing federal money after Trump funding freeze
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As President Trump continues making cuts to federal programs and funding, Democratic leaders in Illinois are warning about how this is affecting families involved with the Head Start early childhood education program. Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth were at Two Rivers Head Start in Elgin on Saturday, and said ever since Trump ordered a federal funding freeze last week, they've had difficulty accessing federal money, even though courts have blocked the … Continue Reading
February 06, 2025
Duckworth won’t vote for remaining Trump Cabinet nominees
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) will vote “no” on all of President Trump’s remaining Cabinet nominees in protest against the president’s sweeping and disruptive actions in the first few weeks of his administration, she indicated Thursday. While she and all other Senate Democrats voted to confirm Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the opening hours of Trump’s term, the bipartisan cooperation has soured quickly. Duckworth in the last week flipped her “yes” vote to a “no” on Trump’s … Continue Reading