In The News
Duckworth: Trump making Americans weaker, sicker, less secure
DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - One hundred days into Trump’s second term lawmakers are split on where the country is headed. Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth said in Trump’s first 100 days he made Americans weaker, sicker and less secure. “Middle-class families, service members, veterans are all paying the price for his disastrous policies. Not only are grocery prices high, but we’re also seeing that all the veterans that he’s fired from their jobs, all the federal workers, have been fired … Continue Reading
April 22, 2025
Senate Democrats press Hegseth for answers on Trump order to ban transgender troops
More than a dozen Senate Democrats have signed onto a letter demanding a status update from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over the military's treatment of transgender servicemembers. The letter, drafted by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and first obtained by NPR, calls for Hegseth to explain to lawmakers how the Pentagon is complying with two separate federal court rulings blocking President Trump's executive order attempting to ban transgender troops from military service. Duckworth, an … Continue Reading
April 21, 2025
Duckworth: Hegseth endangering troops with ‘singular stupidity’
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot and combat veteran, said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “singular stupidity” is putting troops in harm’s way and demanded his resignation — after a new report alleges the secretary shared detailed military plans in a group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. “How many times does Pete Hegseth need to leak classified intelligence before Donald Trump and Republicans understand that he isn’t only a … Continue Reading
April 17, 2025
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth hammers President Donald Trump over veterans’ care in 'The Daily Show' interview
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, put jokes aside when she appeared on the political satire The Daily Show this week as she criticized the Trump administration’s treatment of veterans. The Trump administration last month sent out a memo that revealed plans for a reorganization of the Department of Veterans Affairs which included cutting more than 80,000 jobs. Duckworth, who herself is a veteran who served in the Iraq War, said the cuts would impact health care for veterans and their … Continue Reading
April 15, 2025
“It’s My Turn on the Line”
When she spoke to Chicago in late March, a couple of months into the second Trump administration, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth was frank about her state of mind. “I’ve been having a hard time,” she said. “I keep being disappointed by people that I thought would stand up.” But disappointment does not equal resignation. The former army pilot is first and foremost a soldier, and her commitment to the so-called warrior ethos — to always placing the mission first and to never accepting defeat, … Continue Reading
April 13, 2025
Why Trump's pattern of purging our highest-performing military officers is dangerous
"Our standards will be high, uncompromising and clear." --Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s Message to the Force, January 25, 2025 President Donald Trump’s pick for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine (retired), possesses an extraordinary record of service—in Iraq, in special access programs and in the National Guard. There is no question of his capacity to lead, devotion to our country, character, courage or competence. But those aren’t the qualifications … Continue Reading
April 11, 2025
Public Health Service officers would receive military leave benefits under bipartisan bill
Commissioned officers of the U.S. Public Health Service and their beneficiaries could be eligible for expanded leave benefits under a bicameral bill that Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is reintroducing — this time with bipartisan support in the Senate and House. “I just think that people don't understand what the Public Health Service does,” Duckworth said in an interview with Government Executive. “They are a uniform service. They are the people that when there's a disaster, when there's a … Continue Reading
April 07, 2025
St. Clair County members talk farm bill, E15 with Duckworth
St. Clair County Farm Bureau members recently met with U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth to discuss pressing issues including the need for a farm bill, Proposition 12 fix, year-round E15 and expansion of ag trade markets. “One of the most immediate things that we can do that is already well on its way is the year-round sale of E15,” Duckworth, D-Hoffman Estates, told RFD Radio Network’s Jim Taylor following the March 30 meeting. She discussed her work with Sen. Debbie Fischer, R-Neb., on getting … Continue Reading
April 01, 2025
Democrats renew push to expand IVF access for military service members
Congressional Democrats are renewing their push to expand in vitro fertilization access for military service members by introducing legislation that would require the Department of Defense's health care program to fund access to IVF for military service members. The legislative effort, being led in the Senate by Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth and in the House by Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs, would bring IVF access afforded to military service members in parity with the services available to … Continue Reading
March 27, 2025
Illinois U.S. senators take Hegseth, other Trump admin. members to task for group chat on military strikes
Both U.S. senators and two members of Congress from Illinois on Wednesday lambasted the Trump administration, and in particular Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, over a group chat on the encrypted messaging app Signal that included sensitive details about military strikes in Yemen. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, to the chat. Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday called the chats … Continue Reading
March 26, 2025
More Lawmakers Call For Hegseth’s Resignation as Signal Scandal Intensifies
New revelations regarding the disclosure of sensitive military information in an unsecured messaging app by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amplified calls for his resignation on Wednesday, as fallout over the scandal continued for a third day. "Hegseth is doing a great job, he had nothing to do with this,” Trump told reporters late Wednesday, hours after The Atlantic published more of the transcripts from a Signal group chat that included Hegseth, other top Trump officials, and journalist … Continue Reading
March 25, 2025
Pritzker, Duckworth call on Pete Hegseth to resign after group chat controversy
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Gov. J.B. Pritzker have both called on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign after a reporter was included in a text chain detailing plans for an offensive strike against Yemen. Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was reportedly included in that chain, in which several key figures in the Trump administration detailed plans for strikes against Yemen before they were carried out earlier this month. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
Lawmakers Demand Trump Administration Restore Removed Webpages Celebrating Troops
A group of Senate Democrats will be sending a letter Thursday demanding that President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reverse recent policies "that seek to erase records of the historic accomplishments of our troops" amid the administration's removal of online material about women, minority and LGBTQ+ service members and veterans. The four lawmakers signed onto the letter are Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois; Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut; and Mark Kelly and Ruben … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
For Veterans Fired by Trump, the Sense of Betrayal Runs Deep
March 19, 2025
‘On the backs of veterans’: Senators rail against federal workforce purge as vets hit hard by cuts
WASHINGTON — Marine Corps veteran Andrew Lennox was wrapping up his last day of online orientation as a newly hired administrative officer at Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System in Michigan, when his cell phone pinged alerting him to incoming email. As a supervisor in primary care services at the medical center run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 35-year-old former staff sergeant certified staff hours, handled equipment purchases and reviewed performance evaluations. “I’ve loved my new … Continue Reading
March 12, 2025
Sen. Tammy Duckworth introduces bill to rehire fired veterans
As the Trump administration continues its efforts to downsize the federal government with massive staffing cuts, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth is fighting back for veterans. Why it matters: Veterans make up more than 30% of the federal workforce. Illinois is home to 20,900 civilian federal employees who are veterans, spouses of veterans, or spouses of active military personnel, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. The latest: Duckworth has co-authored a bill called … Continue Reading
March 10, 2025
Democrats introduce bill forcing Trump administration to rehire fired veterans
Democrats estimated that several thousand veterans were fired in recent weeks. Democrats want to force President Donald Trump's administration to rehire veterans who were laid off as part of large-scale efforts by Trump and Elon Musk to reshape the federal government and its workforce, ABC News has exclusively learned. Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Andy Kim of New Jersey plan to introduce the Protect Veteran Jobs Act in the Senate on Monday. The bill would compel the Trump … Continue Reading
March 10, 2025
Democrats introduce bill forcing Trump administration to rehire fired veterans
Democrats want to force President Donald Trump's administration to rehire veterans who were laid off as part of large-scale efforts by Trump and Elon Musk to reshape the federal government and its workforce, ABC News has exclusively learned. Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Andy Kim of New Jersey plan to introduce the Protect Veteran Jobs Act in the Senate on Monday. The bill would compel the Trump administration to reinstate veterans impacted by recent mass layoffs, according to a copy … Continue Reading
March 06, 2025
In Letter Accusing VA Secretary of 'Cover-Up,' Democrats Demand Answers on DOGE-Led VA Firings
March 06, 2025
Sen. Tammy Duckworth wants details on VA dismissals
The Illinois Democrat is pushing for answers about how staff cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs affected the Veterans Crisis Line. Duckworth and four other Democratic senators wrote Thursday to President Donald Trump and VA Secretary Doug Collins requesting details, by job category, on two waves of VA layoffs. The letter specifically asks how many crisis line staff were dismissed and reinstated. Duckworth’s office said at least two employees involved with crisis line operations were … Continue Reading