In The News
Politicians Roll Out New Legislation to Aid LGBTQ Veterans
New legislation in Congress aims to address health care disparities for LGBTQ veterans. Filed by U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., the LGBT VA Advocacy Inclusion Act would include LGBTQ individuals in the Department of Veterans Affairs' definitions of minority group members, according to the Military Times. "We owe all veterans who have defended our nation access to the health care and benefits we promised, and they have rightfully earned - regardless of their … Continue Reading
June 28, 2019
Senators Durbin, Duckworth Call for MLB to Mandate Extended Netting in Stadiums
Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are calling for extended netting to be installed in all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums after a string of high-profile incidents involving fans being hit by foul balls. In one of the most discussed incidents, Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. hit a foul ball that struck a 2-year-old girl at Houston's Minute Maid Park last month. The girl suffered a fractured skull and is currently on anti-seizure medication, according to her … Continue Reading
June 27, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth send letter to commissioner Rob Manfred urging MLB to expand protective netting
After a series of incidents in which fans have been struck by foul balls, ballpark safety has become a key concern. Now, two United States senators representing Illinois are joining the discussion by sending a letter to Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred calling for all 30 teams to extend protective netting down the right- and left-field corners. The letter - obtained exclusively by the Chicago Sun-Times - comes one day after new details emerged on the injuries suffered by a … Continue Reading
June 26, 2019
Duckworth: Trump Must Bring Military Action Before Congress
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth says the Trump Administration should come to Congress before it authorizes any military action against Iran. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) Photo Credit: U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth's office Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, the Illinois Democrat accused the Trump Administration of trying to manufacture a war. She says that decision should be left to the House and Senate. "They must bring their case to Congress, and give the American people … Continue Reading
June 25, 2019
Senators want Springfield’s 183rd to get flying mission again
Springfield's 183rd Wing, a unit of the Illinois Air National Guard, would receive a flying mission once again under an amendment proposed by Illinois' two U.S. senators. The amendment, made to the National Defense Authorization Act, which the U.S. Senate is currently debating, would allow the U.S. secretary of the Air Force to transfer A-10, F-16, F-15E/X or F-35 aircraft to the local Guard unit, which is housed at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. The 183rd Wing flew F-16s until the … Continue Reading
June 14, 2019
U.S. farm state senators introduce bill to overhaul biofuel waiver program
Two Midwest senators said Friday they had introduced a bill to reform the Environmental Protection Agency's biofuel waiver program, which the corn industry says helps oil companies at the expense of farmers here by threatening ethanol demand. The bill, introduced by Democrat Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Republican Deb Fischer of Nebraska, would impose a June 1 deadline for refineries to apply for the waivers that exempt them from blending ethanol into gasoline, so the EPA has time to … Continue Reading
June 13, 2019
Duckworth Pushes McDonald's Again On Sexual Harassment Policies
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Wednesday that new sexual harassment policies at McDonald's don't go far enough because franchise locations are not required to follow them. Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, and seven other senators sent a letter to McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook this week about the issue. They said "it is imperative that the McDonald's Corp. require all franchise locations to adopt the updated policies to guarantee that all workers will be covered by the new protections … Continue Reading
May 24, 2019
Duckworth secures $10M for Scott Air Force Base project in defense spending bill
Scott Air Force Base is in line to receive money for a new joint operations center under a spending bill that was approved by a Senate Committee earlier this week. The Senate Armed Services Committee included $10 million in the 2020 fiscal year National Defense Authorization Act so Scott Air Force Base can have a new joint operations center. The center would "assist the joint force commander's planning, monitoring and guiding the execution of decisions," according to a news release from U.S. … Continue Reading
May 24, 2019
Sen. Tammy Duckworth: Now is not the time to leave Iraq
First, it was the familiar weight of my body armor. Then, as I approached the helicopter the feeling grew. The growl of the engine, the smell of hydraulic fluid and JP-8 fuel, the communication traffic in my headset - it was as if I were no longer in 2019 but was back with my crew in 2004, in the thick of the war. It had been 14 years, five months and 10 days since I'd last been in Iraq, since the afternoon when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded in the Black Hawk helicopter I was piloting, … Continue Reading
May 18, 2019
Tammy Duckworth: We cannot leave work in Iraq unfinished
The recent video of Islamic State terror leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reasserting his presence was a jarring reminder of a grim reality: The battle against terror, in Iraq and Syria and worldwide, is evolving - not over. Contrary to some public perception, ISIS is diminished, but not yet defeated. Moving forward, it is vital that America's resolve and commitment to the Iraqi people remain strong. Iraq has the potential of establishing itself as a self-sustaining, sovereign nation that can be a … Continue Reading
May 15, 2019
Why we formed the Senate’s first Environmental Justice Caucus
As a series of trucks headed toward Warren County, North Carolina, a crowd of residents gathered together to lie down in the middle of the road. It was September 1982, and as they got down onto the ground, a movement rose up. The residents were protesting North Carolina's decision to dump 6,000 truckloads of toxic soil into their poor, predominantly African American community. They cried foul after officials brushed aside concerns that the toxic chemicals could bleed into their … Continue Reading
May 12, 2019
More women in Congress could be a good thing for family leave legislation
At just 10 days old, my daughter Maile made history. Last April, swaddled in blankets, nestled in my arms, she became the first child allowed onto the Senate floor - sleeping peacefully as I cast a vote, unaware of the milestone moment. As a mother, I'll never forget that day, and I'm endlessly grateful that my colleagues changed chamber rules to allow me and all future parents in the Senate to fulfill our responsibilities to both the Constitution and our newborns. I also don't understand … Continue Reading
May 01, 2019
Let’s pay preschool educators a worthy wage
I know firsthand the difference a teacher can make in a student's life. When I was a child, my dad lost his job-and all too quickly, my family was forced to depend on food stamps to survive. My English teacher must've known we were struggling because every so often, he'd make up an excuse for me and a few other hungry kids to stay after the final bell-then would apologize for keeping us late by giving us a few dollars for a meal, helping me focus on my education and not my empty … Continue Reading
April 30, 2019
'The emotions snuck up on me': U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth recounts first trip to Iraq since being shot down in 2004
The last time she heard the whirring staccato of helicopter blades, took in the fumes from hydraulic fluid or felt the blowing dust - all at once - Tammy Duckworth was a soldier in Iraq. As an Army pilot, Duckworth left there 15 years ago on a stretcher. She lost both legs after her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade. Last week, Duckworth returned for the first time to the place that forever altered her life - this time as the junior U.S. senator from Illinois … Continue Reading
April 22, 2019
'We have a nation which has stunning injustices': Senate Democrats start new environmental push
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate will soon have an Environmental Justice Caucus, to be chaired by three Democrats: Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Tom Carper of Delaware and Cory Booker of New Jersey, who is also competing for the 2020 presidential nomination. In an interview with Yahoo News, Duckworth said that the aim of the caucus will be to approach environmental issues with attention to matters of race and class. "Oftentimes, black and brown communities are the ones that suffer the biggest … Continue Reading
April 17, 2019
Tax Preparation Services Hit Low-Income Filers With Added Fees
Tax season is over, except for those who didn't file on time (you know who you are). But issues with the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service never die. Among those are how "tax-time financial products" hit low-income taxpayers. What are tax-time products? Generally, they are offered by banks, pushed by tax preparation services and include items such as refund advances, refund anticipation loans and refund transfers. For example, with refund transfers, a bank account is opened to … Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Duckworth Legislation Would Help Deported Veterans Return To The U.S.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth reintroduced three bills to help deported veterans on Thursday. One of the bills is the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, which would ban the deportation of veterans. The bill would also create a visa program for veterans that have already been deported, allowing them to return to the U.S. as a legal permanent resident and providing them assistance to become U.S. citizens. Currently, veterans who are legal permanent residents can be deported, if they are convicted … Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Tammy Duckworth Forced Airlines to Report When They Break Wheelchairs. Hers Ended Up on the List.
In December, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) caught a flight back to Washington after surveying tornado damage in her home state only to discover that, for at least the third time in three years, the wheelchair she relies on had been broken while it was stowed in the plane's hold during transit. The damage was relatively minor, but it still made the chair difficult to use. This is a common problem for people with disabilities, many of whom complain that their motorized wheelchairs and scooters … Continue Reading
March 29, 2019
Senator Tammy Duckworth on Climate Change and National Security
Last week, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) became one of 10 members of the newly formed Senate Democrat Special Committee on the Climate Crisis. As a former Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army and a Purple Heart recipient, Senator Duckworth brings an important perspective to this committee: that climate change is a direct threat to our national security and to our troops serving around the world. Her staff was kind enough to share a transcript of her remarks during the press conference … Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
‘Left in the lurch’: Airlines break an average of 25 wheelchairs a day
WASHINGTON Airlines damaged at least 701 wheelchairs and motorized scooters in a single month - an average of more than 25 a day, according to the first such data reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation under a new law championed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Among the hundreds of wheelchairs damaged between Dec. 4 and 31 last year was one belonging to Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and combat veteran and double amputee. She pushed for the law after her own wheelchair was damaged … Continue Reading
