Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $12 Million In Funding For Southern Illinois Truck Parking Improvements
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a total of $12,645,145 in federal funding for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to support the Southern Illinois Truck Parking Expansion Project. This funding, from U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) FY26 INFRA Track 2 program, will support the reconstruction and expansion of the Green Creek Southbound and Post Oak Southbound rest areas on Interstate 57 … Continue Reading
October 19, 2026
Duckworth, Senate Democrats Call on HHS Secretary to Reverse Plans for Trump Administration Lawyers to Represent Unaccompanied Children in Immigration Court
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) urged Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to reverse the decision for HHS attorneys to represent unaccompanied children against the Trump Administration’s own deportation machine and restore independent legal counsel immediately. In the letter to Secretary Kennedy, the Senators … Continue Reading
October 16, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Join Bicameral Coalition in Pressing Trump Administration on Illegal Reallocation of Funding for Minority Serving Institutions
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono and a bicameral coalition in pressing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on the Administration’s illegal decision to redirect funding from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to other institutions. In a letter to Secretary McMahon, the members emphasized that while increasing funding for those institutions is important, the additional investments … Continue Reading
October 16, 2026
Duckworth Joins Colleagues to Demand Answers on Childhood Vaccines EO, Measles Deaths and Delayed Vaccine Access
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and U.S. Representative Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA-08) along with 29 colleagues in a letter to Dr. Erica Schwartz, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to call out efforts to reject settled vaccine science and demand answers about the CDC’s efforts to implement President Trump’s childhood vaccine Executive Order (EO), underreport measles-associated deaths and delay … Continue Reading
October 16, 2026
Duckworth Statement on Attempted Mass Shooting on Hindu Place of Worship in Aurora
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement in reaction to police arresting and charging a man with felony crimes for an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu place of worship in Aurora, Illinois: “This horrific attempted attack in Aurora goes against everything America stands for. I’m deeply grateful to both the suspect’s coworkers who alerted law enforcement and to the heroic first responders who acted swiftly to save lives. While … Continue Reading
October 12, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Urge Amtrak to Put Community Input over Private Interests
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding Amtrak’s plans to relocate its current 14th Street maintenance facility to what is presently Union Pacific’s Canal Street Yard, citing concerns about the lack of constructive community engagement on the project and the impact the facility could have on the surrounding area. In August, Duckworth and Durbin requested additional information from the … Continue Reading
October 09, 2026
Duckworth, Sorensen Demand the Trump Administration Reinstate the Collective Bargaining Agreement of 30,000 Bureau of Prison Employees
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) issued the following statement, calling out the Trump Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for failing to reinstate the collective bargaining agreement with the National Council of Prison Locals, Council 33 (CPL-33), despite a federal judge’s order requiring them to do so, stalling efforts to restore worker protections and ensure prison safety. On September 29, 2026, a … Continue Reading
October 09, 2026
Duckworth Demands Independent Legal Representation for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Being Targeted in Trump’s Mass Deportation Machine
[CHICAGO, IL] - After President Trump announced plans to handpick the lawyers who would represent the children his Administration is seeking to deport, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), advocates and families to demand that the Trump Administration reverse this heinous decision and restore the federal legal aid the President cut, which helped provide thousands of immigrant kids with independent legal representation. At the press … Continue Reading
October 08, 2026
As USS Lincoln Returns Home, Duckworth Renews Her Call for Public Hearings to Investigate Toll of Trump’s Illegal War on Servicemembers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As the USS Lincoln finally returns to port today in San Diego after over 300 days at sea, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is renewing her call for public hearings to investigate the toll that Trump’s illegal war against Iran has had on our servicemembers, including the brave troops aboard the Lincoln, other ships and across bases in the region who suffered deteriorating conditions, rationed meals and dwindling supplies. Last month after Duckworth joined SASC Ranking … Continue Reading
October 08, 2026
Duckworth Reacts to Army Report on DCA Crash, Reiterates Calls for FAA and DoD to Implement Urgently Needed Safety Recommendations to Prevent Next Tragedy
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation—today released the following statement after the U.S. Army released its report that detailed numerous systemic failures leading up to the deadly DCA mid-air collision between a commercial aircraft and a Blackhawk helicopter that claimed the lives of 67 people: “Ever since the tragic DCA midair collision stole 67 lives, the families of Flight 5342, the National … Continue Reading
October 05, 2026
Duckworth Announces Illinois Native and Longtime Advisor Kelsey Becker as Chief of Staff
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that her Deputy Chief of Staff Kelsey Becker has been promoted to Chief of Staff following Kalina Thompson’s departure from the role. Becker, a Schaumburg native, has served Duckworth’s team since 2012 in a range of leadership roles in both the Senator’s House and Senate offices as well as her campaigns. “For over a decade, Kalina Thompson has been a kindred public servant, a true force for good, and beyond it all, a … Continue Reading
October 05, 2026
Duckworth Join Colleagues in Pressing EPA, AI Companies on Rollback of Public Input Rules for Data Center Air Permits
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-chair of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, joined U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and other members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, in sending two letters opposing the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to eliminate the 30-day mandatory public notice period that allows communities to provide input on proposed facilities, like data centers, that may affect the … Continue Reading
October 05, 2026
Duckworth, Schumer, Matsui Lead Bipartisan Call Requiring FAA to Guarantee Every Emergency Medical Kit Aboard Flights Include Life-Saving Epinephrin
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation—U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA-07), Co-Chair of the Congressional Food Allergy Research Caucus, led a group of 20 bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers in calling on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to guarantee that emergency medical kits (EMK) on every commercial aircraft include epinephrine, a … Continue Reading
October 02, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $300,000 in Funding for Jersey Community Hospital District
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $300,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Jersey Community Hospital District, specifically for rural emergency medical service training. The funding, which was created through Durbin’s Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, will go toward supporting EMS agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting … Continue Reading
October 01, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Call for Pause on 183rd Wing Deactivation, Push for Replacement Mission
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) prepare to negotiate the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), today urged SASC and HASC leadership to add language into the final bill to temporarily halt any plans to deactivate the 183rd Wing’s Central Repair … Continue Reading
October 01, 2026
Duckworth Calls for a Decisive U.S. Response to the PRC’s Weaponization of Air Travel to Help Protect Safety of Global Flying Public
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—stressed the urgent need for the U.S. to support Taiwan amidst the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) desperate attempts to isolate the island and pressure countries across Africa to violate international rules, norms and safety standards in the process. At the nominations hearing for Marc Dillard to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar, Duckworth informed Mr. Dillard that … Continue Reading
October 01, 2026
Duckworth Rips Trump’s Arch Project, Advocates for Veterans Over Vanity Alongside Activists
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today at a protest rally held by Public Citizen, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation—slammed Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth for invoking national security as an excuse to push through the president’s “Triumphal Arch” pet project, highlighting how using the arch as a military installation complete with snipers and drones would not make anyone safer and would only add further risk to the … Continue Reading
September 30, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin, Padilla, Schiff Introduce Legislation To Protect Regional National Archives Facilities From Closure
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) along with U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), today introduced the National Archives Protection Act, legislation that would require congressional approval before the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) can close or significantly restrict access to existing regional facilities. In June 2026, NARA announced plans to close its regional archive facilities … Continue Reading
September 30, 2026
As U.S. Forces Withdraw from Iraq, Duckworth Calls on Trump to End His Illegal War in Iran
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) who served in the Iraq War—issued the following statement after the Trump Administration announced that the United States has officially withdrawn our military forces from Iraq: “For an entire generation of combat Veterans, the weight of this moment as our nation withdraws U.S. forces from Iraq is hard … Continue Reading
September 29, 2026
Duckworth Leads Senate Democrats in Renewed Push to Help Prevent Police-Involved Deaths and Provide Justice for Families
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - On the 29th birthday of Laquan McDonald, an Illinoisan teen who was shot and killed at the hands of a Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer with a recorded history of excessive force, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is leading her Senate Democratic colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would help restore trust between law enforcement officials and the communities they serve by helping prevent police-involved deaths and encouraging independent, impartial … Continue Reading