In The News
One Illinois Senator has introduced a bill to improve airline evacuations
Sen. Tammy Duckworth introduced legislation Wednesday to set standards for the Federal Aviation Administration to test how quickly passengers can escape a plane during an emergency. Some lawmakers aren't sure modern planes can be evacuated in 90 seconds, as federal rules require. Duckworth says FAA tests a few years ago were unrealistic because they only used able-bodied adults under 60 - no children, seniors and those with disabilities took … Continue Reading
May 22, 2023
Tuberville Draws Fire For Holding Hundreds Of Military Promotions ‘Hostage’ Over Abortion
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) sharply criticized her colleague Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on Sunday for his continual blockade of military nominations, saying the Alabama Republican is "holding the entire nation's national security hostage." Tuberville has for months refused to support about 200 promotions for military officers over a Pentagon policy that provides travel reimbursements and leave for service members to seek abortions out-of-state, which was updated after the Supreme … Continue Reading
May 19, 2023
Corps of Engineers breaks ground for new Mississippi River lock
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers broke ground Thursday on a new lock chamber adjacent to - and twice as long as - the existing lock at Winfield near Batchtown, Illinois. The lock chamber will be 1,200 feet long and 110 feet wide. It will be constructed next to the current lock chamber built in 1939 that is 600 feet long and 110 feet wide. "[The] groundbreaking was what the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was all about - bringing new life into our existing infrastructure while … Continue Reading
May 14, 2023
First US senator to give birth in office offers heartfelt Mother’s Day message: ‘You’re what keeps this country strong’
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the first sitting US senator to give birth while in office, offered a heartfelt Mother's Day message on Sunday, celebrating moms nationwide for "growing the next generation for our nation." "Hang in there, sister. We're in this together, and nobody has perfect work-life balance, everybody struggles, and so do the best that you can," the Democrat told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union." "You're what keeps this country strong." Duckworth and her husband, … Continue Reading
May 05, 2023
Duckworth: DoD needs to think ahead in the Indo-Pacific
As worries about Chinese aggression toward Taiwan increase, Sen. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-Ill.) wants the Defense Department to do what it hasn't always done well enough in the past: coordinate with allies so that everyone is prepared for global conflicts. "I am deeply, deeply concerned about our logistics capabilities and that we often don't plan enough," Duckworth, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told NatSec Daily. On Wednesday, she … Continue Reading
April 25, 2023
Cook County Health to receive over $860,000 to help premature babies at Stroger Hospital
CHICAGO (CBS) - Some big money is coming for some of Cook County Health's tiniest patients. On Monday, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth announced $863,000 in federal funding to help premature babies at Stroger Hospital. "We need to make sure that these babies have everything that they need initially to be healthy and to grow and it should not be dependent on your income level, the neighborhood you live in or the color of your skin," Duckworth said. The funding will be spent on high-tech equipment … Continue Reading
April 25, 2023
IVF would be covered for federal employees under proposed bipartisan bill
One in every eight couples face challenges while conceiving, according to survey data from Resolve, the National Fertility Association. With more than 9 million people eligible, the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program, administered by the government, is the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the world. Yet, there is not a single FEHB carrier that offers a nationwide plan covering assisted reproductive technology, which includes all fertility treatments in which … Continue Reading
April 12, 2023
How Chicago Landed the 2024 Democratic National Convention
It's an event nearly 30 years in the making: After hosting the Democratic National Convention in 1996, the event will return to the city of Chicago in 2024, officials on Tuesday confirmed. "The DNC is returning to the Midwest," a news release from the Democratic National Committee read. "A critical Democratic stronghold: Illinois along with Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota - part of the "blue wall" - were crucial to the 2020 victory of President Biden and Vice President Harris and to … Continue Reading
April 10, 2023
Long Covid Help Gets Funding Push From Biden HHS, Lawmakers
Hundreds of millions of dollars would go toward efforts to diagnose and treat people suffering long-term Covid symptoms under funding plans put forth by the Biden administration and lawmakers. The proposals would aid Americans still struggling with fatigue, brain fog, and other ailments of long Covid, and come as the health system prepares to exit the pandemic state. Health and policy experts say long Covid is still a daily burden for an estimated 10 million to 35 million working-age adults, … Continue Reading
April 05, 2023
'Historic' $6.5 Billion funding for Drinking Water Infrastructure Upgrades Across the Country
Tuesday in Rockford, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced $6.5 billion in funding for drinking water infrastructure upgrades throughout the country. The spending represents the largest federal investment in water infrastructure in the nation's history. The money will be available to states, Tribes and territories. Regan says $3 billion is dedicated to lead service line replacement across the U.S. "Getting the lead out of drinking water is a top priority … Continue Reading
April 04, 2023
U.S. EPA, Congressional Leaders Visit Rockford To Announce Funding For Drinking Water Improvements
ROCKFORD - The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and congressional leaders stopped in the city Tuesday to announce more than $332 million in funding to improve water infrastructure in Illinois and ensure access to safe drinking water. That funding, in part, will help replace lead service lines to prevent the toxic metal from filtering into the water system. When consumed in large quantities, lead can cause kidney and cardiovascular issues and otherwise harm the nervous system. … Continue Reading
April 04, 2023
Japan to increase access to U.S. ethanol
A rule proposed by the Japanese government could open the gate for more imports of American ethanol, according to U.S. officials. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on March 30 released proposed language related to its Act on Sophisticated Methods of Energy Supply Structures that calls for improving the carbon-intensity score of corn ethanol produced in the U.S. If approved, the rule would remain in place through 2028 and largely allow the U.S. ethanol industry to fully access … Continue Reading
March 31, 2023
Duckworth introduces bill to build out ‘imperative’ tech skills in military
WASHINGTON - A new bill introduced by a key lawmaker on the Senate Armed Services Committee aims to build out the Defense Department's "human capital infrastructure" in tech and cyber operations by formalizing how the military organizes and takes advantage of service members' technical skills, from coding to artificial intelligence. "Absent strategy implementation and investment, the Department of Defense and each of the military departments currently lack the human capital infrastructure to … Continue Reading
March 30, 2023
Sen. Duckworth secures $750K for Sesser sewer improvements
Sesser is getting $750,000 from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency to help the community rehabilitate its aging sanitary sewer system. The funds were secured by Sen. Tammy Duckworth as part of Congressionally Directed Spending funding allocations within the federal infrastructure bill. Mayor Jason Ashmore said he expects to receive the funds in the coming weeks and added that his goal is to have the project completed by the end of the year. He said the project will allow the … Continue Reading
March 27, 2023
Tammy Duckworth is asking the FTC to investigate a pharmaceutical wholesaler over its abortion pill plans.
What's happening: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate reports that the pharmaceutical wholesaler AmerisourceBergen will not be distributing abortion pills in more than two dozen states. The move comes after POLITICO reported that the company - the sole U.S. supplier of the abortion pill mifeprex - told senators they would not supply pharmacies with the drug in 29 states, including some, like Nevada, where abortion and the medication are … Continue Reading
March 26, 2023
Crenshaw, Duckworth look back on military service in Iraq on war’s 20th anniversary
Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Sen. Tammy Duckworth are reflecting on their past military service in Iraq on the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion there. Both lawmakers recently sat down with ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz for a segment that aired Sunday, looking back at the fighting and what they've learned. Crenshaw, who lost an eye serving in Afghanistan but had previously deployed to Iraq, and Duckworth, a former helicopter pilot who lost both of her legs when her aircraft was hit … Continue Reading
March 25, 2023
‘A horrible vote’: Congress revisits one of its gravest mistakes, the Iraq War
In 2002, while working at Rotary International, now-Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) watched congressional hearings and administration presentations making the argument for the Iraq War, never convinced that Saddam Hussein's forces posed a serious threat. But two years later, she joined her unit from the Illinois Army National Guard during its tour of duty, becoming one of the first few women to pilot combat missions in Iraq. In 2004, a rocket-propelled grenade hit her Black Hawk helicopter. … Continue Reading
March 22, 2023
Duckworth fears for an East Palestine-like freight derailment in Chicago
Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Wednesday expressed concerns that Illinois was at risk of being the next locale of a dangerous freight rail accident like the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio. "Illinois sits at the center of our nation's freight rail network," the Illinois Democrat said during the nearly five-hour hearing of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee examining the East Palestine incident. "All seven Class 1 … Continue Reading
March 20, 2023
Marking 20 years since the U.S. invasion of Iraq
It's been 20 years since the start of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. More than 4,400 U.S. service members and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed during the conflict. That's according to the Department of Defense and Brown University's Cost of War Project. Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth was deployed to Iraq in 2004 as a member of the Illinois Army National Guard. She was a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. And in November of that year, she lost both her legs and partial use of … Continue Reading
March 16, 2023
The cost of war: Senator Tammy Duckworth on what we owe Veterans
The true cost of war is a lot more than tanks, helicopters, and ammunition, according to US Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who joins GZERO World to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. Duckworth was a helicopter pilot who lost both her legs in Iraq, one of thousands of veterans who returned home wounded, and intimately understands that the costs of war go far beyond the conflict ending. Is the United States fulfilling its obligation to provide adequate services for … Continue Reading
