In The News
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
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
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 23, 2021
Senate must pass bill to enable the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices
Every time I hear a constituent struggling to afford next month's medications, wondering whether they'll have to choose between paying for a lifesaving prescription and paying rent, the same question - the same frustration - rushes through my mind. In the year 2021, how are we still allowing Big Pharma to have such a stranglehold on our country? How are we still letting the health care industry force the people whose health it's supposed to care for to count pennies in order to give themselves … Continue Reading
June 22, 2021
MILITARY TIMES: DoD should reinstate programs granting citizenship through service, Army Veteran senator says
There was a time not so long ago when immigrants could enlist in the military and earn expedited U.S. citizenship. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is leading a crusade to bring that back. In a report sent to the Democratic caucus on Tuesday, Duckworth lays out the history of a handful of policies administrations have used to grant citizenship to immigrant service members, including their suspension and degradation toward the end of the Obama administration and into Donald Trump's term, when … Continue Reading
June 22, 2021
DoD should reinstate programs granting citizenship through service, Army veteran senator says
There was a time not so long ago when immigrants could enlist in the military and earn expedited U.S. citizenship. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is leading a crusade to bring that back. In a report sent to the Democratic caucus on Tuesday, Duckworth lays out the history of a handful of policies administrations have used to grant citizenship to immigrant service members, including their suspension and degradation toward the end of the Obama administration and into Donald Trump's term, when … Continue Reading
June 10, 2021
Senators urge EPA to act in Cahokia Heights, citing possible Clean Water Act violation
U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to force Cahokia Heights to fix flooding issues in the former Centreville area. Duckworth and Durbin sent a letter to the EPA Thursday, urging the agency to assist the city in an effort to avoid possible penalties that may be enforced under the Clean Water Act. Those actions could include issuing an administrative order of compliance, an administrative penalty order, or pursuing judicial civil or … Continue Reading
June 08, 2021
Sen. Duckworth talks water infrastructure, Hate Crimes Act and vaccines to Taiwan
(WSIL) -- U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D- Illinois) is hoping to gain more support for a bill she's sponsoring, aimed at revamping the nation's water infrastructures. Duckworth co-sponsored the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden last month. The law aims to make reporting hate crimes easier. Duckworth says the bill 'does very benign things'. COVID-19 HATE CRIMES ACT That law came in the wake of a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders … Continue Reading
June 06, 2021
Illinois US Sen. Tammy Duckworth announces vaccine donation while visiting Taiwan
The United States will donate 750,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, one of three U.S. senators who made a brief visit to the island Sunday morning as it battles its worst coronavirus outbreak of the pandemic. Duckworth, D-Ill., arrived in Taiwan with Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, as part of a larger trip to the region. Although the United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, it is the … Continue Reading
May 27, 2021
Feds Will Study If Pollution From Site Of Planned Southeast Side Metal Scrapper Poses Health Hazards To Neighbors
EAST SIDE - A federal health agency will launch a probe into the potential health risks of pollution emanating from two Southeast Side metal scrappers, which are near where their owner plans to open another scrapper over the objections of neighbors. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will review the "hazards posed by the emissions from industrial metal shredding" at Reserve Marine Terminals and South Shore Recycling at 11600 S. Burley Ave., the agency announced … Continue Reading
May 25, 2021
Senator Duckworth Advocates For Paid Family Leave
Senator Tammy Duckworth is advocating for paid family leave in the US. Duckworth, who was the first US Senator to give birth while in office, says while COVID-19 has highlighted the difficulties parents face, the lack of paid leave is not a new problem. "Even before the pandemic nearly 80 percent, think about that, nearly 80 percent of private sector workers did not have access to paid family leave through their job to care for a new child or a sick loved one," she said. Duckworth says the … Continue Reading
May 21, 2021
Tammy Duckworth, Sherrod Brown and Bob Casey introduce new bill to make public transit more accessible
Nearly 20% of all transit stations in the U.S. aren't accessible to people with disabilities and don't fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities act, according to the Federal Transit Administration. It's a problem Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, says she knows too well. "Oh my goodness, yes. I tried accessing the subway in New York once and could not get on because the elevator wasn't not working, and the next one didn't have an elevator - or the one after that," she … Continue Reading
May 20, 2021
Interview: Tammy Duckworth Insists Every U.S. Transit Station Must Be Accessible
A groundbreaking bill would help make every transit station in America accessible to those with disabilities - and stop critical accessibility improvements from being put off. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), with Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), introduced the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Act of 2021, which would establish a $10 billion grant program to help transit agencies and commuter-rail providers retrofit stations to meet the needs of people with physical, … Continue Reading
May 18, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin ask Biden’s EPA to improve oversight of ethylene oxide probes
Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to fix the way the agency investigates and informs the public about harmful air emissions after an internal report last month found a Trump Administration political appointee suppressed an inquiry of cancer-causing gases in the Chicago area. Last month, the agency's inspector general reported that a senior political appointee in former President Donald Trump's Administration suppressed attempts by … Continue Reading
