In The News
Duckworth: Unlike anything I’ve ever seen on domestic soil
WASHINGTON - Thousands of violent protesters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday as Congress was in session to count the Electoral College vote confirming the 2020 election for President-elect Joe Biden. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke with CBS News. "It is unlike anything I've ever seen on domestic soil," Duckworth said. Duckworth told CBS News that a staff member grabbed the electoral vote ballots before evacuation. Police declared the Capitol secure about four hours after the … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
Sen. Duckworth: ‘These protestors will not stop me from carrying out my duty’
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KWQC) - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D - IL) spoke with NBC News Wednesday afternoon regarding the protests at the U.S. Capitol. "My entire adult life, I have defended people's rights to protest." Sen. Duckworth said, after protesters supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, clashing with police and forcing a delay in the constitutional process to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's win. "This is no way to be running our country, and really … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
'We're Just Astonished That This Is Happening,' Sen. Tammy Duckworth Says
As pro-Trump rioters began storming the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Tammy Duckworth was heading to the Senate floor. "I was actually in the tunnels under the complex when the breach occurred and Capitol Police told me to barricade myself in a secure location, which I did," the Illinois Democrat told NPR's All Things Considered. Speaking early Wednesday evening from an undisclosed location within the Capitol complex, Duckworth said she was in a room full of her Republican and … Continue Reading
January 04, 2021
Women in the US military may finally get body armor that actually fits
I live my life in a state of cautious optimism, so bear with me when I say this: Women in combat could maybe, finally get body armor that fits them properly. A provision in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act - which was passed when the Senate voted on Jan. 1 to override President Donald Trump's veto of the legislation- lays out a series of requirements and initiatives that could move women closer to having body armor that actually fits. I say "cautiously optimistic" because the … Continue Reading
December 23, 2020
Frontline workers soldier on in battle against COVID-19. The rest of us must do the same.
As a bedside nurse, Christina's job has always been difficult, but since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been both intense and surreal. Every day, at her hospital in Chicago, she experiences things most of us could never imagine. She sees terror in the eyes of patients as they're intubated. Through layers of protective equipment, she holds their hands when they're scared and alone, disconnected from their family. She watches as they grab the handrails of their hospital beds and … Continue Reading
December 21, 2020
The military designed aircraft with only men in mind. Now they are working to change that.
As a helicopter pilot in Iraq in 2004, now-Sen. Tammy Duckworth stopped drinking water hours before she climbed into the cockpit of her Army UH-60 Black Hawk for combat missions. Even in Iraq's heat, she'd purposefully dehydrate herself because there was not a safe way for her to use the restroom in her one-piece, zip-up flight suit. "I would have to take off my side arm. I wore a shoulder holster, so I would have to take off my shoulder holster. Then I would have to take off my flight vest, … Continue Reading
December 21, 2020
Military May Be Required to Report on Injuries Caused by Ill-Fitting Body Armor
With the passage of the sprawling fiscal 2021 defense policy and budget bill all but inevitable, one U.S. senator is looking forward to a new measure that will require the military to provide properly fitting body armor for female service members, and to develop centralized reporting on the injuries caused by years of requiring women to wear wrong-sized ballistic protection. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and helicopter pilot who served in … Continue Reading
December 14, 2020
National defense bill pushes Pentagon to buy body armor for women in the military
WASHINGTON - The Senate is prodding the Pentagon to buy body armor designed for women troops and to track injuries caused by ill-fitting gear. The Pentagon has made uneven progress in outfitting women for training and fightingsince every combat job was opened to them in 2015. The Air Force began issuing women in its security forces body armor tailored to their bodies that allows freedom to move and shoot. The Army developed a helmet that can accommodate a hair bun and a bomb-disposal suit … Continue Reading
December 11, 2020
Duckworth fighting to keep Illinois restaurants alive through federal relief plan
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Restaurant owners across the country are pleading for financial assistance from Capitol Hill. That's why the Illinois Restaurant Association hosted a town hall discussion Friday with one of their champions - Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois). Nearly 60% of restaurant owners in Illinois say they'll have to permanently close their doors in the next four months without federal relief. "The restaurant food service industry - including restaurants, bars, caterers, and everyone … Continue Reading
December 11, 2020
Duckworth offers hope to restaurant industry workers, says relief bill ‘very close’
In a video town-hall meeting sponsored by the Illinois Restaurant Association, Sen. Tammy Duckworth gave hope to the restaurant industry, saying that a relief bill that would provide immediate financial assistance was "very close to the finish line." "I'm not leaving town until we get federal relief out the door," she said Friday, speaking from Washington. The news cheered the restaurant industry members who participated in the call, who also reiterated that restaurant owners and … Continue Reading
December 10, 2020
Sen. Duckworth spoke with Rock Island-Milan Superintendent Lawrence about COVID-19 relief bill
A massive COVID-19 relief bill has been introduced in Congress that would help families with child-care assistance and school districts with education needs. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is a co-sponsor of the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act, which would support education and child care by providing $430 billion to students, families, teachers and schools. Duckworth had a virtual meeting Wednesday with Rock Island-Milan School District Superintendent Dr. … Continue Reading
December 08, 2020
Online grocery shopping is growing, but millions of Americans on food stamps are being left behind
New York (CNN Business) -- Richard Smith wishes he could buy his groceries online and get them delivered right to his door in the pandemic. It's not so easy. Smith, 74, is retired and has COPD, a chronic lung disease. He has trouble breathing from his years of smoking cigarettes. In September, he was hospitalized for his condition. Twice a month, Smith, who doesn't have a car, goes with an aide in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Market Basket, a local supermarket chain, to pick up food and … Continue Reading
December 07, 2020
US senator seeks update on contractor taken in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Democratic senator is calling on the State Department to prioritize the return of Mark Frerichs, an American contractor believed to have been taken by a Taliban-linked militant network in Afghanistan earlier this year. The letter from Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois comes weeks after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held what are likely his last meetings with the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators trying to hammer out a peace deal. It is unclear to what extent … Continue Reading
December 07, 2020
U.S. Senator Duckworth says military hunger issues uncovered in FOX4 investigation must be addressed
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A FOX4 investigation that exposed widespread food insecurity among active-duty service members in Missouri has sparked concern and outrage by Iraq War Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth. FOX4's investigation revealed that 30% of Missouri students whose parents serve in the military qualified for free or reduced lunches this year. FOX4 also discovered there are food pantries and food distribution programs on or near every military base in the … Continue Reading
December 01, 2020
Duckworth calls for ‘compassionate resolution’ for vets facing GI Bill problems
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling on the military to show "compassion" in addressing bureaucratic mistakes that have led to the children of long-serving veterans losing out on Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for college and, in some cases, being forced to repay money the government already has paid on their behalf. "I am concerned about the overarching trend that bureaucratic error and complex calculations are preventing well-meaning veterans from transferring benefits they've earned" to their … Continue Reading
November 30, 2020
Duckworth calls for ‘compassionate resolution’ for vets facing GI Bill problems
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling on the military to show "compassion" in addressing bureaucratic mistakes that have led to the children of long-serving veterans losing out on Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for college and, in some cases, being forced to repay money the government already has paid on their behalf. "I am concerned about the overarching trend that bureaucratic error and complex calculations are preventing well-meaning veterans from transferring benefits they've earned" to their … Continue Reading
November 23, 2020
Duckworth Introduces Legislation To Keep Non-Vet Presidents, VPs From Arlington
Senator Tammy Duckworth is sponsoring legislation that would bar non-veteran presidents and vice presidents from being buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Illinois Democrat is an Iraq War veteran. The Defense Department is drawing criticism for a proposal that would allow the practice. Some veterans believed that the proposal was an effort to ensure President Trump's burial at the Virginia cemetery. The Pentagon denies the … Continue Reading
November 21, 2020
The Future of Breastfeeding Is No Longer Over Toilets—Thanks to Sen. Duckworth's Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act
"If we don't support our children, how did they grow up to be productive adults?" Sen. Tammy Duckworth told Ms. "If they don't get enough prenatal care, if they don't get the health care support that they need, if they don't get the breast milk when they are growing in their most formative months of life. We can and should do better." Kristin Debreaux has always loved traveling, so when she gave birth to her son Levi, it was a passion she knew she wanted to share. To date, they've been to six … Continue Reading
November 20, 2020
Donald Trump is Endangering National Security for His Ego
At the height of a global pandemic and in the depth of a national recession, Donald Trump has endangered our national security by forcing the Pentagon into his latest culture war. Since the moment it was clear he was going to lose the election, Trump has spent his time spewing conspiracy theories so baseless they've been debunked by his own officials. He has used these lies as rationale to refuse to accept the results of what his own Administration has called "the most secure [election] in … Continue Reading
November 19, 2020
Sen. Tammy Duckworth warns of troops in 'body bags' due to Trump's reductions in Iraq, Afghanistan
Sen. Tammy Duckworth said President Trump's decision to reduce troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan may result in more of them in "body bags." The Illinois Democrat, who is also an Iraq War veteran, blasted Mr. Trump for a move that will bring troop levels to 2,500 in both nations by mid-January. "All of the military commanders have spoken up and say this is the wrong thing to do," she told reporters Tuesday. "We want our troops home, but let's not bring them home in body bags," Ms. … Continue Reading
