Press Releases
Duckworth to Facebook: Stop Advertising Military Gear Next to Posts about the January 6th Insurrection
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following last week's violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years, sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling on him to immediately remove advertisements from companies promoting and selling products that could equip white … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
Duckworth Statement on President-Elect Biden’s new COVID Relief Proposal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement today regarding President-elect Joe Biden's new COVID relief plan, American Rescue Plan: "With the number of daily COVID deaths and jobless Americans still trending up, it's clear that the Federal Government must provide more relief to those in need and do more to hasten the end of this pandemic. President-elect Biden's plan does just that by investing in initiatives to dramatically accelerate the pace of … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
Duckworth Joins Blumenthal, Senators in Calling for Investigation into White Supremacy and Extremism in the Military
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee who served 23 years in the Reserve Forces, joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and 13 Democratic senators in calling for the Department of Defense to investigate and address white supremacy and extremist ideology in the ranks of the military following the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week. In a letter to Department of Defense Acting Inspector General Sean … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Call on President-Elect Biden to Establish 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Monument
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are calling on the incoming Biden administration to declare the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot in Springfield, Illinois, as a national monument to be managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The riot was the catalyst for the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Duckworth and Durbin have been longtime supporters of creating a national monument at the site, … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
Duckworth Meets with Secretary-Designate Lloyd Austin
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today held a virtual meeting with Lloyd Austin, President-elect Biden's nominee to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). If confirmed, Secretary-Designate Austin would be the first Black Defense Secretary in our nation's history. "Secretary-Designate Austin is a crisis-tested leader who served honorably and faithfully for more than 50 years, … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
Duckworth Statement on Trump Administration Decision to Weaken Health Assessment on Water-Contaminating Toxic Chemical
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works and Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement today about the Trump Administration's decision to weaken the health assessment for PFAS, a toxic chemical contaminating the drinking water of thousands of Americans: "It is unconscionable - but not surprising - that in their final days the Trump Administration is once again undermining important … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
Duckworth Statement on the Second Impeachment of Donald Trump
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump on the charge of incitement of insurrection, making him the only President to ever be impeached twice: "Now that the House of Representatives has impeached Donald Trump, the Senate must act immediately to start the trial to convict and remove this dangerous man from office. We must make it clear that there are consequences for … Continue Reading
January 12, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Join Senator Murray, Leader Schumer, Democratic Senators in Demanding Trump Administration to Immediately Address COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Shortcomings
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and their Democratic Senate colleagues in writing to Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Alex Azar demanding the Trump administration take immediate action to fix shortcomings of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution as coronavirus cases continue to climb. In the letter, the Senators call out the administration's failure … Continue Reading
January 12, 2021
Duckworth Praises Gen. Austin While Highlighting Importance of Civilian Leadership of our Military
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after today's U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Hearing on civilian control of the Armed Forces: "General Austin is an excellent officer who served honorably and faithfully for more than 40 years. He broke barriers the entire way and commanded troops with integrity and compassion, and he is certainly capable of leading the Department of Defense. Yet, I can not ignore the fact … Continue Reading
January 12, 2021
Duckworth Leads Group of Senators Asking President-Elect Biden to Take Bold Action to Support Farmers and Rural Communities, Restore RFS Policy
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is calling on the incoming Biden administration to take bold action immediately following the inauguration to support farmers and rural communities by restoring the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) policy. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) joined Duckworth on this request. In part, the Senators wrote: "The outgoing administration undermined the … Continue Reading
January 11, 2021
Duckworth Calls for Investigation and Accountability Over Allegations that Certain Servicemembers and Military Retirees Betrayed the Constitution During Coup Attempt
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, today wrote to the Acting Secretary of Defense to request that the U.S. Department of Defense's criminal investigative organizations cooperate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Capitol Police in investigating whether members of the U.S. Armed Forces and retired members of the U.S. Armed Forces, who remain subject to the Uniform Code of … Continue Reading
January 11, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $843 Million to Support Expanded Testing and Vaccine Distribution in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a total of $843,870,238 in federal funding to support COVID-19 testing and vaccination distribution in Illinois. The funding is being awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as directed by the recently enacted Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. "Our state has now surpassed one million total COVID-19 cases, making it clear that we have more work … Continue Reading
January 07, 2021
Duckworth: Rep. Mary Miller Should Resign After Praising Hitler at Capitol Hill Rally Moments Before Yesterday’s Violent Mob
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today is calling for the resignation of U.S. Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL-15) after Miller said at a rally yesterday that "Hitler was right on one thing" in reference to the genocidal Nazi leader's influence on youths. "It is absolutely repugnant, obscene and unacceptable for any American - let alone a supposed 'leader' serving in Congress - to claim Adolf Hitler was right about anything," Duckworth said. "To say that the perpetrator … Continue Reading
January 07, 2021
Duckworth Meets with Transportation Secretary Nominee Pete Buttigieg
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety, yesterday held a virtual meeting with Pete Buttigieg, President-elect Biden's nominee to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Duckworth and Buttigieg discussed their shared priorities, such as investing in our nation's infrastructure and transportation workers, creating good-paying jobs, reducing … Continue Reading
January 07, 2021
Duckworth Calls for Trump to Be Removed From Office Immediately
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement calling for the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office: "I voted to convict and remove Trump from office because I believed any Commander in Chief willing to abuse his power posed an unacceptable threat to our Republic. "Unfortunately, those fears were validated yesterday as Trump incited a violent mob that sought to block the American people's elected representatives from … Continue Reading
January 07, 2021
Duckworth Statement after Congress Confirmed Biden as 46th President of United States
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Congress certified that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, ensuring he will be sworn in as 46th President of the United States on January 20th: "What happened in the Capitol yesterday was a painful reminder that democracy is fragile and it's up to every one of us-elected officials and citizens alike-to work to keep it. It's time we get back to the work of creating a more perfect Union, spend less … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
Duckworth Statement on Violence at United States Capitol
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after today's violence on Capitol Hill: "In 2004, I packed up my rucksack, laced up my boots and deployed to Iraq, willing to sacrifice whatever was asked of me because I loved this nation and believed in the sanctity of our electoral system, which had declared George W. Bush my Commander-in-Chief. I lost my legs proudly fighting in a war I didn't support, on the orders of a President I didn't vote for, … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
Duckworth Speaks Out Against GOP Attempts to Overturn the Will of the Voters
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke out on the Senate floor today against her Republican colleagues' attempts to overturn the will of the voters and undermine the bedrock principle our nation was founded upon: a government of, by and for the people. In her remarks, Duckworth spoke of what her own military service meant to her and urged her Republican colleagues to remember the oaths they swore to defend and protect the Constitution before further damaging a nation … Continue Reading
January 01, 2021
Duckworth Responds to Senate Vote to Override President Trump’s Veto of NDAA
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a Purple Heart recipient and member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following after voting to override Donald Trump's veto of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the House and Senate with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. The veto was overridden 81-13, meaning the NDAA becomes law without the President's signature. "If the current Commander in … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Highlight Illinois Priorities Included in Major Water Infrastructure Bill Now Heading to President’s Desk
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) as well as Ranking Member on EPW's Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the inclusion of several key priorities that will help Illinois in the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) 2020 Reauthorization, which passed the Senate yesterday as part of the omnibus agreement and now heads to the President's desk … Continue Reading
