In The News

May 03, 2020

Sen. Tammy Duckworth deplores use of Nazi slogan at Chicago stay-at-home protest

by Lynn Sweet

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., on Sunday deplored the use of an infamous Nazi slogan at a Chicago protest against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order. And she continued to slam President Donald Trump for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis and for ordering West Point cadets back to campus for his graduation speech. Duckworth, during an interview on MSNBC’s “AM Joy” with host Joy Reid, was asked about Trump’s upcoming West Point address and the protesters … Continue Reading


April 30, 2020

Sen. Duckworth: Trump recalling West Point cadets is a ‘failure in his role as commander in chief’

by Staff

Sen. Tammy Duckworth tells Lawrence O'Donnell that Trump is "needlessly exposing" West Point cadets to coronavirus by forcing them to return to New York for his address that could impact military readiness if they get sick: "It's the ultimate in narcissistic behavior by this president who can't seem to sink low enough when it comes to how he treats our … Continue Reading


April 29, 2020

Sen. Tammy Duckworth Says Trump Values TV Ratings Over Health Of West Point Cadets

by Sebastian Murdock

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) blasted President Donald Trump's decision to bring 1,000 West Point cadets back to campus during the coronavirus pandemic so that he can give a speech to the graduating class. "Trump's reckless decision to gather 1,000 Cadets at West Point for a speech puts our future military leaders at increased risk - all to stroke his own ego," Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, said in a statement Wednesday. "Our troops need stable, consistent … Continue Reading


April 24, 2020

Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos sound alarm about federal inmate transfer after outbreak at Chicago facility

by Lynn Sweet

Three Illinois lawmakers sounded an alarm Friday over the transfer of at least 20 inmates from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, grappling with a COVID-19 outbreak, to a federal prison in northwest Illinois which has no confirmed cases. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, and Rep. Cheri Bustos - all Illinois Democrats - said the Federal Bureau of Prisons should not have sent the prisoners to the facility in Thomson, Ill., without taking more safeguards. The prisoners … Continue Reading


April 20, 2020

Iowa and Illinois senators named to Trump's task force to reopen economy

by Sarah Hayden

U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have been asked to serve on President Trump's task force advising him on when and how to reopen the economy. Last week the Trump administration assembled a bipartisan group of lawmakers consisting of 97 members of Congress to analyze the best way to restart businesses in the middle of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Sens. Duckworth and Durbin commented on their appointments to the task … Continue Reading


April 17, 2020

RI Arsenal making ventilator and face shield parts

by Sarah Hyden

The Rock Island Arsenal is playing a critical role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing parts for respirators and frames for face shields desperately needed as medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies across the country are depleted. The loud hum of Fortus 900 printers and smaller 3-D printers filled the massive warehouse of the Arsenal's Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (JMTC) Friday afternoon, as U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., U.S. Sen. Dick … Continue Reading


April 16, 2020

Duckworth discusses stay at home order, hazard pay for frontline workers

by Jakob Emerson
Source: WRSP

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) - Sen. Tammy Duckworth spoke with us about many topics related to COVID-19, including the stay at home order, hazard pay for frontline workers, the next economic stimulus package, and President Donald Trump withdrawing funding from the World Health … Continue Reading


April 13, 2020

Durbin, Duckworth, other Dem senators: End ‘ambiguity’ over jobless benefits for gig workers

by Kimmy Yam

A group of Democratic senators, including Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, implored Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia on Monday to "eliminate ambiguity" and make sure self-employed gig workers qualify for newly available COVID-19 jobless benefits. The letter, signed by 32 Democratic senators, notes part of the guidance issued by the Labor Department dealing with eligibility "appear narrow or ambiguous, which could make states think they need to exclude workers who Congress clearly … Continue Reading


April 06, 2020

If Trump wants to be seen as a 'wartime president,' he should start acting like one

by Tammy Duckworth
Source: USA Today

In the time it takes you to read this, dozens more Americans will probably have been diagnosed with COVID-19. By the time you finish it, there's a good chance another American will have died from the disease. Many of those diagnoses will probably come in New York; some in California; others ranging from Louisiana to Florida. While we don't know everything about this virus just yet, what we do know is that it is spreading exponentially. Young, old, rich, poor, black, white, Asian, Latino, you … Continue Reading


March 30, 2020

The Spin: Politics, parenting and Sen. Duckworth’s hot mic moment

by Lisa Donovan

Sen. Tammy Duckworth's work-from-home 'hot mic' moment With schools closed and work-from-home orders for so many still in place, parenting and professional worlds are colliding - sometimes in stressful or hilarious ways - and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth experienced that firsthand. In the run-up to a vote on the relief bill last week, she was home and on a conference call with the Democratic caucus when she thought her phone was on mute. "My daughter was there ... and I (said) 'honey you need … Continue Reading


March 28, 2020

Bernard Schoenburg: Duckworth calls $2.2 trillion bill a ‘down payment,’ Trump ‘incompetent’

by Bernard Schoenburg

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, of Hoffman Estates, was among senators who voted unanimously for the $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package. She thinks more will be needed, and is not happy with the way the health crisis has been handled by President Donald Trump. "I think it was a good bill," Duckworth said Thursday. But, for example, she said $100 billion in emergency funding for hospitals won't cover all costs. "That's across the whole country, and that's more (of) really a down … Continue Reading


March 26, 2020

Durbin, Duckworth release Illinois particulars on Senate-passed coronavirus relief bill; state and local governments to split nearly $5 billion

by Rick Pearson

The $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by the Senate includes $4.9 billion in direct assistance to Illinois' state and local governments, Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said Thursday. The measure, which awaits final House action, would give Illinois state government $2.7 billion, while providing $2.2 billion to local governments, according to estimates from the National Conference of State Legislatures. In addition, the Illinois senators said state health care … Continue Reading


March 25, 2020

Durbin, Duckworth join Pritzker in urging Trump to issue Illinois coronavirus disaster declaration

by Lynn Sweet

Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth on Wednesday bolstered Gov. J.B. Pritzker's request for a federal disaster declaration in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Illinois has requested assistance for all 102 counties in the state. The federal declaration would give Illinois access to more federal benefits. The Democratic senators said in a letter to President Donald Trump, "Pritzker has indicated that this pandemic is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is … Continue Reading


March 25, 2020

Crusader Health receives $99k in federal funding to help with the COVID-19 outbreak

by WIFR Staff

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) -- Nearly $100,000 is coming to Crusader Health Clinic in Rockford to help with its COVID-19 response, all thanks to a federal grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services. US Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced Wednesday that Illinois received $3.6 million in federal grants to support 45 community health centers. The funds come from the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. The centers will use the funds to … Continue Reading


March 25, 2020

Support grows to federally fund all 10,000 National Guard members fighting coronavirus pandemic

by Rose L. Thayer
Source: Stars and Stripes

The call to approve federal funding for all of the more than 10,000 National Guard members activated to combat the coronavirus pandemic is growing among governors and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "Thousands of National Guard troops have been activated under [state active-duty] status and state governments are already struggling to cover the costs of emergency response operations required by the ongoing [coronavirus] crisis," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., wrote in a letter Tuesday to … Continue Reading


March 24, 2020

State of IL Receives Medicaid Waiver To Administer More Healthcare Services

by Benjamin Cox
Source: WLDS

"The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have approved the State of Illinois' Medicaid waiver allowing for the expansion of access to health care services. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth had sent a letter to CMS earlier this week asking for the waiver to be accepted so the state could administer more healthcare coverage during the COVID-19 response. Durbin and Duckworth said in the letter that the state would be facing a surge of patients in the coming weeks because of the virus. … Continue Reading


March 16, 2020

US lawmaker to Trump: Get the military ready to fight coronavirus

by Joe Gould

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling on the Trump administration to prepare the National Guard to fight the new coronavirus pandemic. Guard personnel can potentially relieve the burden on civilian hospitals by setting up drive-thru testing sites in communities across the country, she said. As the administration has scrambled to broaden testing for the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19, Duckworth predicted the federal government will have to use Guard units that support chemical, … Continue Reading


March 15, 2020

Duckworth: Senate should pass Bipartisan COVID-19 Response Act immediately

by Staff
Source: WAND

WASHINGTON D.C (WAND) - Democrats are calling on the Senate to pass the Bipartisan Coronavirus aid package immediately. U.S Senator Tammy Duckworth called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to immediately call up and pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The U.S House of Representatives passed the bill late Friday night. The package includes free testing, paid emergency leave and other resources intended to help stem the crisis. The Senate was expected to vote on it early … Continue Reading


March 13, 2020

U.S. Senators Durbin and Duckworth want answers from Alden over plans for Tribune Publishing

by Robert Channick

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth sent a letter Thursday to Alden Global Capital requesting the New York-based hedge fund disclose its plans for Tribune Publishing after an ownership standstill agreement expires in June. The letter, addressed to Alden President Heath Freeman, expressed concerns over the hedge fund's "practices of mass layoffs" at other newspaper properties and a "lack of transparency" surrounding its investors, among other issues. "We are deeply concerned that Alden … Continue Reading


March 11, 2020

Senators press Trump deputy EPA pick at confirmation hearing

by Rachel Frazin
Source: The Hill

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle pressed President Trump's pick for the No. 2 position at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a range of issues during an at times contentious Senate hearing Wednesday. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) pressed Douglas Benevento about ethanol requirement exemptions for small refineries after a federal court ruled that the EPA would have to reconsider certain waivers. The EPA has the option to appeal the court's decision. "Can … Continue Reading

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