In The News
Senators announce more than $2.5 million in funding for airports in Illinois
WASHINGTON D.C. (WIFR) - Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced more than $2.5 million in federal funding from President Biden's American Rescue Plan to improve airports across Illinois. "Making sure airports across Illinois continue to have the support they need during this pandemic is critical to protecting local jobs and enhancing the traveler experience," said Duckworth. "I'm proud to join Senator Durbin in announcing this infusion of federal funding through the American … Continue Reading
August 19, 2021
Duckworth: Let’s Focus on Getting Our People Out of Afghanistan
Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin were in Peoria with Governor J.B. Pritzker on Thursday to celebrate the heroism of the C-130 Aircraft Fleet of the Illinois National Guard. Duckworth was questioned about her opinions of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Duckworth says her attention in the situation is to getting Americans, allies, and one of her constituents out of the country: "Right now, my focus is on getting all Americans out of Afghanistan and getting the thousands of brave … Continue Reading
August 17, 2021
Duckworth highlights importance of Illinois Air National Guard’s 182nd Airlift Wing, secures C-130 aircrafts
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) - A critical resource for the Illinois National Guard 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria is here to stay. For fiscal year 2022, a minimum of 292 C-130 aircrafts nationwide has been established. The provision in the National Defense Authorization Act was secured by Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. While highlighting the aircrafts at the 182nd Airlift Wing on Tuesday, she says they have been used to help fight COVID-19, transport troops to the Capitol following the January … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Duckworth/Durbin: $15 Billion To IL in Federal Infrastructure Bill
Illinois' Senators say that the state will receive $15 billion if the new federal infrastructure becomes law. U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin announced yesterday that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would invest approximately $1.2 trillion in federal resources over the next 5 years, including $567.4 billion in new infrastructure spending and $93.5 billion in additional funding authorizations. Duckworth and Durbin say that Illinois could expect $9.8 billion for … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Senator looks to battle military hunger
Combat veteran and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth looks to fight back the little-seen problem of hunger among military … Continue Reading
August 05, 2021
Senators Duckworth and Durbin announce $8.3 million for Illinois airports, $2.8 million to CIRA
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - United States Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin announced Thursday a total of $8,335,191 will be flying into three Illinois airports. The funds are provided through President Biden's American Rescue Plan and provide monetary relief for airport executives for costs associated with operations, staffing, cleaning, sanitization and combating the spread of COVID-19. "Making sure airports across Illinois continue to have the support they need during this pandemic … Continue Reading
July 29, 2021
Duckworth Re-Introduces Legislation to Improve School Bus Safety
A U.S. Senator from Illinois is re-introducing legislation aimed at improving school bus safety ahead of students going back to school. U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, along with Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee, re-introduced the School Bus Safety Act to help keep students safe, while also helping to prevent accidents involving school buses. Their legislation would implement safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board to make school buses safer by ensuring … Continue Reading
July 27, 2021
ADA 31: Progress And Priorities At The FDR Memorial
Annual celebrations of the Americans with Disabilities Act do more than honor the tireless advocacy and signature achievement of yesterday's the disability community. At their best, ADA observances call attention to work still to be done, and the ever-renewing and strengthening disability community who will take over from those who came before. This Monday, Sen Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and other officials and disabled activists gathered at the … Continue Reading
July 25, 2021
Sen. Tammy Duckworth Wants To Remove Stigma Around Miscarriages
Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling for colleagues on Capitol Hill to support workers who have experienced a miscarriage. This past week, the Illinois Democrat joined with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., to introduce the Support Through Loss Act, which seeks, in part, to require employers to provide three days of paid leave to workers experiencing a pregnancy loss. The bill would also provide three days of leave for parents experiencing unsuccessful attempts at surrogacy, adoption or an assisted … Continue Reading
July 23, 2021
New Bill to Support Families Experiencing Pregnancy Loss, Invest in Research
HANNIBAL, MO (WGEM) -- Chances are you or someone you know has gone through a pregnancy loss. There's new legislation being talked about in Washington, D.C. to help mother's and families that experience a miscarriage. The goal is raise awareness and establish new benefits for working families. Doctors at Hannibal Regional Hospital said pregnancy loss is a real challenge and a lot of families are impacted by it. They believe access and awareness should be talked about regularly, because … Continue Reading
July 21, 2021
Proposed legislation would provide paid leave for women who suffer a miscarriage
ROCKFORD (WREX) - During her 2016 Senate campaign, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth says she suffered a miscarriage and returned to work the same day. "It's unthinkable that after this news many are expected to just show up to work," says Duckworth. She says she, like countless other women who've endured this loss, needed time to process and grieve. Which is why she's proposed a new law to give them that break. "To require employers to provide at least three days of paid leave to process … Continue Reading
July 20, 2021
Duckworth Calls On Congress To Immediately Reimburse National Guard For Jan. 6 Deployment Costs
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth says Congress needs to get the National Guard reimbursed for the half billion dollars it spent responding to the Jan. 6 insurrection and its aftermath on Capitol Hill. Duckworth said it does a disservice to service members to allow the issue to fester in limbo. "I mean, we spend all this time thanking them for their service, and we can't bother to pay them, simply because what happened (was) the United States Senate decided that January 6th didn't happen, and they … Continue Reading
July 20, 2021
Duckworth pushes for paid leave for pregnancy loss
Senator Tammy Duckworth introduced legislation Tuesday that would provide three days of paid leave for women following a pregnancy loss, a failed adoption or surrogacy arrangement, an unsuccessful fertility procedure or a related medical diagnosis. It's a condition the Democratic senator from Illinois has suffered herself; she had a miscarriage during her 2016 Senate campaign. "I found out in the morning I had a miscarriage and had to go back to work in the afternoon, and I really needed … Continue Reading
July 19, 2021
Editorial: Yes, block deportations of immigrants serving in the U.S. military
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth believes most Americans assume that when an undocumented immigrant serves honorably in the United States military, it provides an expedited path to citizenship for them and their families. Count us among those Americans. But where that was once true, apparently it no longer can be guaranteed. According to Duckworth in her June report "Immigrant Veterans: Deported by the Same Nation They Sacrificed to Defend," a path to citizenship exists but the Defense Department … Continue Reading
July 13, 2021
New bill would enable more overseas service members to vote electronically
WASHINGTON - A bill introduced in Congress on Tuesday would enable more active-duty service members to cast votes electronically while they are stationed overseas. The bill, called the Reducing Barriers for Military Voters Act, would establish an end-to-end electronic voting system for troops stationed in hazardous duty zones or on rotational deployments. Depending on their state of residence, some service members voting overseas must currently print out their ballots and mail them. Voting by … Continue Reading
July 07, 2021
Tammy Duckworth on Her Fight to Shield Veterans from Deportation
WASHINGTON - Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois and an Army veteran who lost her legs in the Iraq war, has been pushing hard in Congress in recent weeks to try to end the federal government's practice of deporting undocumented immigrants who served honorably in the military. Ms. Duckworth, who was among the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom and who served alongside undocumented immigrants, recently released a report scrutinizing the practice of … Continue Reading
July 03, 2021
Peoria veterans honored with war memorial dedication ceremony
A small crowd gathered at Peoria County Courthouse Plaza Saturday to honor all local veterans with a memorial. "A Final Salute" featured a granite wall with the names of 233 Peorian veterans who died in combat while serving the United States since World War II. Two statues that resemble soldiers returning to their field base sit behind the wall. The wall sheds light on all of the U.S. wars and conflicts over the past 160 years. A part of the wall also included the unveiling of "Lady … Continue Reading
June 24, 2021
Tammy Duckworth Calls On Congress To Better Protect Immigrant Veterans
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) called on Congress to make it easier for immigrant veterans to gain U.S. citizenship for their service, as well as pass legislation to aid those who have been deported under a complicated system she said often penalizes rather than protects. Duckworth, a veteran of the Iraq War and a Purple Heart recipient, spoke before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety on Wednesday shortly after she released a report detailing … Continue Reading
June 24, 2021
Sen. Tammy Duckworth introduces bills aimed at preventing deportation of veterans
(KFVS) - U.S. Tammy Duckworth has re-introduced legislation she says is aimed at preventing servicemembers and veterans from being deported. The bills include the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, HOPE Act and I-VETS Act. "Far too many men and women willing to wear our uniform have been deported by the same nation they risked their lives to defend due the unnecessary and complex barriers they faced during the naturalization process," Duckworth said. "These important bills would make it … Continue Reading
June 24, 2021
A Senator Seeks To Reverse Trump-Era Policies For Deported Military Veterans
Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth is unveiling a legislative package Thursday that would protect from deportation military servicemembers and veterans who don't have U.S. citizenship, as part of a new effort to reverse Trump-era policies. Duckworth is introducing three new bills that would ban the deportation of foreign-born veterans who are not violent offenders; create a new tracking system for noncitizens who currently or previously served; and allow deported veterans who are … Continue Reading
