In The News
Senator Tammy Duckworth visits the Rockford Rescue Mission
Rockford, Ill (WIFR) -- Senator Tammy Duckworth made an appearance at the Rockford Rescue Mission earlier today to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and commend Rockford for its work with the homeless community. During her visit, Duckworth addressed the success the city has seen through its focus on fighting the issue of homelessness. One of the ways being the adoption of federal grant programs designed to provide federal funding for various needs, including finding housing for veterans and … Continue Reading
January 18, 2019
Free property for veterans? Tammy Duckworth has a new law for that
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is hoping veterans who operate small businesses take advantage of a new law giving them access to surplus government property. The measure that she sponsored, which was signed into law earlier this month by President Donald Trump, adds those veterans onto the list of eligible groups to get federal surplus personal property for free. "You'd be surprised at how much stuff the federal government owns and how much it's costing to warehouse it," Duckworth said in a phone … Continue Reading
January 17, 2019
Durbin and Duckworth back bill to raise federal minimum wage
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined fellow Senate Democrats in introducing a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024 to help more families make ends meet, expand economic opportunity, and help build an economy that works for all families, not just the wealthiest few. The Raise The Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 in 2024, index future minimum wage increases to median wage growth, and ensure all workers are paid at least the full … Continue Reading
January 08, 2019
Legislation would expand Lincoln National Heritage Area to Freeport
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WREX) - Bi-partisan legislation would expand the National Heritage Area in Illinois that honors the life and legacy of America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. The legislation would add Livington County, the City of Freeport in Stephenson County, and the City of Jonesboro in Union County. It would ensure all sites of Lincoln's legal career and the Lincoln-Douglas debates would be included. The existing Lincoln National Heritage Area was established in 2008 and preserves … Continue Reading
January 07, 2019
Concerns grow about impact of shutdown on airport safety; Duckworth warns of long lines to come
The security lines at O'Hare International Airport have been normal in recent days, airport officials say, despite reports that Transportation Security Administrationworkers have been calling in sick in greater numbers because of the government shutdown. However, U.S. pilots have expressed concerns about the ongoing impact of the shutdown on airport safety, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, told reporters at O'Hare on Monday that she envisioned "long, long lines" if the … Continue Reading
December 27, 2018
Airlines Will Begin Reporting How Often They Break Wheelchairs, Thanks to Tammy Duckworth
In the closing weeks of the Obama administration, the Department of Transportation completed a yearslong effort to begin holding airlines accountable for damaging passengers' motorized wheelchairs and scooters. Then Donald Trump took office. Advocacy groups for people with disabilities say this happens routinely, but there have never been firm numbers on how often these expensive items are broken during airline travel. That was set to change in early 2018, when a new regulation was to take … Continue Reading
December 19, 2018
'It's very much a matter of dignity': Tammy Duckworth pushes through rule requiring airlines to disclose how many wheelchairs they break
Beginning as early as January, airline passengers will be able to search the U.S. Department of Transportation website to determine an airlines' record of handling wheelchairs and other mobility devices. "It's very much a matter of dignity," U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told me Tuesday. As part of the five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration that Congress passed recently, air carriers have to begin providing monthly reports, accessible to the public, detailing … Continue Reading
December 19, 2018
I’m a combat veteran. We cannot allow our country to be turned into a war zone.
Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat, represents Illinois in the U.S. Senate. Josephine Gay loved to spend her summers running her own lemonade stand. Siretha White's mother called her "Nugget" because she brought her family more joy than a nugget of gold. Peter Wang had his heart set on serving his country in uniform one day. Josephine was 7 when she was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Siretha was 10 when she was gunned down at her birthday party in Chicago. Peter was 15 … Continue Reading
December 13, 2018
Sen. Duckworth to serve on the Senate Armed Services Commitee
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) - Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth will be serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee in the next Congress. In a statement, Duckworth said in part, I'm eager to get to work on the many critical national security issues our nation faces as well as to ensure our troops have the resources...support and moral authority they … Continue Reading
December 10, 2018
New rule will require airlines to report damaged wheelchairs and all mishandled luggage
After a lengthy flight, most passengers are poised to spring into action when their airplane lands. But what if, during the flight, the airline damaged your "legs"? That's how passengers who use wheelchairs like U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth feel when their means of independent transportation are broken by carriers' mishandling. The problem sparked a new federal rule requiring airlines to declare how many wheelchairs or motorized scooters are damaged or lost. It goes into effect this month … Continue Reading
December 06, 2018
Senator Calls on VA, credit bureaus to prevent lasting consequences from GI Bill delays
WASHINGTON - Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., on Thursday urged the Department of Veterans Affairs and major credit reporting agencies to intervene on behalf of student veterans who could experience long-term financial repercussions from not receiving their monthly housing stipends on time this semester. Citing information technology failures, the VA missed a deadline in August to implement part of the new "Forever" GI Bill, which Congress approved last year. The issue resulted in thousands of … Continue Reading
December 04, 2018
Here's How Women Are Changing the Most Important Workspace in America
Many homeowners know the experience of moving into an outdated space and planning some much-needed renovations. For the 102 women elected to Congress during the 2018 midterm elections (a record, by the way), they may not be able to gut the place but they could influence some major building changes. Now that nearly one in five legislators on Capitol Hill will be a woman, the building needs to prepare for these leaders and their teams. For decades, Capitol Hill was a man's world and they … Continue Reading
November 30, 2018
Duckworth hosts roundtable on Sterigenics concerns
DARIEN, Ill. -- U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth visited DuPage County Friday morning to hear from Willowbrook area residents affected by the release of a cancer causing chemical from a local plant over more than 30 years. Sterigenics uses ethylene oxide to sterilize medical equipment and instruments. During a closed door roundtable discussion with residents, the Democratic lawmaker said several members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation are promising action. They will demand the EPA release … Continue Reading
November 21, 2018
Thankful for Americans Who Serve, Both In and Out of the Military
Fourteen years ago this month, I spent Thanksgiving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. A rocket-propelled grenade had torn through the cockpit of my Black Hawk helicopter two weeks prior, costing me both my legs, partial use of my right arm and nearly my life, too. I'd only survived thanks to the unbelievable heroism of my crew, so from the moment I woke up in the hospital, my conception of gratitude was forever changed. I was grateful to breathe. To cry. To have my husband by my … Continue Reading
November 16, 2018
Duckworth: Trump failed in supporting troops
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said that President Donald Trump has "failed miserably when it comes to supporting our troops and their … Continue Reading
November 12, 2018
Sen Duckworth: Race Riot site should be declared a national monument
Illinois is poised to celebrate its bicentennial next month. But as we mark this important milestone in our state's history, we must also memorialize the 110th anniversary of the deadly 1908 Race Riots. During the Race Riots, a mob of white residents murdered at least six African-Americans, burned black homes and businesses and attacked hundreds of citizens. Vitriol and hate reigned, as person after person was killed for no reason other than the color of their skin. For having the nerve to … Continue Reading
November 11, 2018
Chicago Veterans Honored at City Hall, with help from Sen. Duckworth
Chicago honored veterans in a ceremony at City Hall Sunday, on the 100th anniversary of the unofficial end of World War One. Brigadier General Mark C Jackson said the Illinois National Guard has been activated several times over the years to help in not only that war, but wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, as well as to aid with flooding at home in 1993. US Sen.Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, said she doesn't think the country is that much better at taking … Continue Reading
November 11, 2018
I Owe My Life to the Warrior Ethos of My Fellow Troops
"I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade." I can still recite the lines of the Warrior Ethos -- but I'm alive today because when it mattered most, when the stakes were highest and everything seemed to go wrong, my crew didn't just remember the Ethos. They embodied every word of it. I'm able to write this because 14 years ago tomorrow, my buddies refused to leave me behind when a [rocket-propelled grenade] tore … Continue Reading
November 02, 2018
Durbin, Duckworth, Foster want probe of Trump EPA response to Sterigenics cancer Risks
Both U.S. senators from Illinois and a Chicago-area congressman are calling for an independent investigation of the Trump administration's response to federal research that found the Sterigenics plant in west suburban Willowbrook is responsible for some of the nation's highest cancer risks from toxic air pollution. People living near the sterilization plant deserve to know more about why political appointees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency delayed releasing the findings to the … Continue Reading
October 18, 2018
Senator Duckworth Educates Congress on Impacts of Military Decisions
When you walk into the office of Senator Tammy Duckworth, on display are symbols of the many roles she represents. To the right, the Soldier's Creed hangs above her desk just as it hung above her bed when she was recovering at Walter Reed. On the left side of the room sits a bassinet adorned with white and pink plush for the newest member of her family, baby Maile. The senator always knew she would serve her country in some way, but she thought it would be in a different capacity. She says … Continue Reading