Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Join Senate Colleagues in Pressing DOD for Answers on the School Bombing and Civilian Casualties in Iran
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) were joined by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and 39 of their Senate colleagues today in pressing the Department of Defense for answers on the airstrikes on a school in Minab, Iran, that reportedly killed at least 168 people and the civilian … Continue Reading
March 11, 2026
Duckworth Helps Lead Bipartisan Push to Increase Veterans’ Access to Benefits, Encourage Participation in Apprenticeship Programs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) in leading a bipartisan push to increase access to Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for Veterans pursuing apprenticeships. The Senators’ Reducing Arbitrary Barriers to Apprenticeship Act would allow Post-9/11 GI Bill beneficiaries pursuing On-the-Job Training (OJT) or Apprenticeship (APP) programs to have access to the full monthly housing … Continue Reading
March 10, 2026
Duckworth Receives Valerie Biden Owens Woman of Power & Purpose Award
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Last week, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) received the Valerie Biden Owens Woman of Power & Purpose Award from the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware. The award recognizes one woman each year whose transformational leadership makes a difference across the country. Photos from the event are available on the Senator’s website. “I’m honored to be recognized by the Biden Institute as a woman whose leadership and service has helped inspire others and make … Continue Reading
March 09, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin, Warnock, Booker and Blunt Rochester Introduce Resolution Honoring the Late Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) today introduced a resolution honoring the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. The resolution recognizes his significant leadership during the Civil Rights Movement and his decades of advocacy in pursuit of justice, equality and human rights. Duckworth and Durbin attended … Continue Reading
March 06, 2026
Duckworth, Schmitt, Bennet-Led Bipartisan Bill to Promote Space Exploration, Strengthen U.S.-Taiwan Relations Passes Committee
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) marked the committee passage of their bipartisan legislation that would help the United States counter threats from China and address current gaps in NASA’s ability to cooperate with Taiwan’s space efforts, including satellite programs, space exploration initiatives and atmospheric and weather research. After passing the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST), … Continue Reading
March 06, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Call for Greater FAA Investment and Efficiency at Chicago O’Hare Airport
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford about the urgent need for greater FAA investment and efficiency at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Specifically, the Senators’ letter urged the FAA to prioritize ORD for Air Traffic Control (ATC) staffing and technology, to allow full use of ORD’s runway capabilities and to give full and fair … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Duckworth Reacts to Trump Removing Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Donald Trump removed Kristi Noem from serving as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary: “Kristi Noem should've been fired a long, long time ago. Next, the Trump Administration needs to work with Democrats to enact the commonsense DHS reforms that the American people are crying out for. “Helping prevent more Americans from being executed by their own government is the very least they … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Duckworth Leads Colleagues in Demanding Secretary Rubio Ramp Up Crisis Efforts to Safely Evacuate Americans Left Stranded by Trump’s War of Choice Against Iran
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A day after Donald Trump admitted that there was no evacuation plan for Americans in the region when he launched his reckless, needless and unconstitutional war of choice against Iran, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is leading her Senate Democratic colleagues in demanding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio immediately ramp up communication and efforts to safely evacuate American citizens who have been left stranded in a crisis of Trump’s own making … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Join Merkley to Demand Independent Probe of Funds to Carry Out Trump’s Cruel Mass Deportation Scheme
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in calling on the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to probe the cost of President Trump’s violent escalation of federal immigration enforcement. The Senators are requesting a comprehensive assessment and accounting of the supplemental funds, including the roughly $75 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and … Continue Reading
March 04, 2026
Duckworth Statement on Senate Republicans Choosing Fealty to Trump Over Our Troops’ Lives and their Constitutional Duty by Blocking Iran War Powers Resolution
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Senate Republicans shamefully blocked U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) bipartisan War Powers Resolution that would’ve blocked Donald Trump’s illegal war of choice against Iran that has tragically already taken the lives of six U.S. servicemembers and wounded many others: “I would never wish another needless, endless, unjustified war like the one I served in on anybody else. In the days following … Continue Reading
March 03, 2026
Duckworth: Trump’s Illegal Iran Campaign is a Gift to Our Adversaries that Makes Americans Less Safe, Undermines American Readiness and Puts Security in the Indo-Pacific Region at Risk
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As the Trump Administration continues its illegal military campaign against Iran, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called out Donald Trump for once again breaking his promise to get our nation out of foreign wars—making Americans less safe while providing a gift to our adversaries like Russia and China who wish us harm. At today’s U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, Duckworth underscored that by pushing American servicemembers into … Continue Reading
March 02, 2026
Duckworth Excoriates Trump for Launching an Illegal Attack Against Iran, Putting Our Servicemembers and National Security at Needless Risk
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services (SASC) and Foreign Relations Committees (SFRC)—excoriated Donald Trump for launching an illegal attack against Iran without Constitutionally-required authorization from Congress, without any known imminent threat to our national security and without a plan to mitigate the instability that will come next. In her remarks on the Senate floor, Duckworth pleaded with her Republican … Continue Reading
February 28, 2026
Duckworth Statement on Trump’s Illegal Attack on Iran
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Donald Trump launched an illegal military campaign against Iran without Constitutionally-required authorization from the democratically-elected Congresspeople who represent both the troops whose lives Trump is risking and the American people who he may be forcing to fund yet another forever war in the Middle East: “Donald Trump cannot stop breaking his promises to the American people. Too many … Continue Reading
February 26, 2026
Duckworth Statement on Secretary Collins Abandoning his Ambush Rulemaking That Threatened to Prevent Veterans from Seeking or Accessing the Health Coverage They Earned
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) quietly rescinded its horrendous new interim final rule (IFR) that put millions of Veterans’ disability ratings and care at risk and shockingly disincentivized our nation’s heroes from both seeking earned coverage for service-connected disabilities and following recommended medical treatment plans. The VA’s announcement comes just … Continue Reading
February 26, 2026
Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Duckworth Statement on Reports that Trump’s DoD Shot Down CBP Drone in Texas
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator and Ranking Member of the Senate’s Aviation Subcommittee Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement regarding reports that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) accidentally shot down a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone in Texas: “The Trump Administration’s incompetence continues to cause chaos in our skies. “On the heels of the NTSB confirming that the failure of DoD and FAA to effectively communicate resulted in the tragic loss … Continue Reading
February 26, 2026
Duckworth Grills Top DoD Nominee for Refusing to Commit to Prevent Military Being Stationed Near Polling Places
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) pressed a top U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) leader, Mr. Mark Ditlevson, to assure the American people that the Trump Administration would not station troops near polling places in future elections, which is against the law and against our nation’s fundamental democratic values. When Mr. Ditlevson refused to provide that assurance at his nomination hearing today, Duckworth pressed further asking him what the American … Continue Reading
February 24, 2026
Duckworth SOTU Guest Delivers Powerful, Emotional Testimony Detailing How His Health Insurance Bill Quadrupled After Trump Let ACA Tax Credits Expire
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (D-IL) State of the Union guest, Jeremy Schumacher of Carbondale, Illinois, delivered powerful testimony about how the Trump Administration’s devastating health care cuts—combined with the rising costs of groceries and other everyday necessities—have made it nearly impossible for his family to make ends meet. Mr. Schumacher, the primary source of income for his household, saw his health insurance deductible increase by $11,000 after … Continue Reading
February 24, 2026
Duckworth Reacts to House Republicans Defeating Bipartisan ROTOR Act That Could’ve Prevented the DCA Crash
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator and Ranking Member of the Senate’s Aviation Subcommittee Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Speaker Mike Johnson and 131 House Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to defeat the bipartisan Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act, which already passed the Senate with unanimous support last December and would have implemented critical safety enhancements to prevent deadly tragedies like … Continue Reading
February 24, 2026
Duckworth After VA’s Disability Compensation Rule Change: “It’s Clear the End Goal is to Privatize—and Eventually Dismantle—the VA”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - At today’s joint Senate (SVAC) and House (HVAC) Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing with Veterans Service Organization (VSOs), combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called out the Trump Administration for once again attacking our Veterans and failing to consult Congress or VSOs before they ushered in an interim final rule that effectively disincentivizes our nation’s heroes from both seeking earned coverage for service-connected disabilities and following … Continue Reading
February 23, 2026
Duckworth Announces Jeremy Schumacher as Her State of the Union Guest
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that Jeremy Schumacher of Carbondale, Illinois, will be her personal guest to President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address. Schumacher’s story is all too common across our state and country: this year his family’s health insurance costs jumped 288%—an $11,000 increase for deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs—after Trump and Republicans refused to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits. He has been … Continue Reading