May 09, 2025

Ahead of Mother’s Day, Duckworth Discusses Ways to Support Moms and Families

Duckworth also celebrated the opening of Mothers’ Milk Bank’s new facility for which she personally secured $850,000 in federal funding

 

[ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Illinois moms and local leaders to highlight the ways our country can better support moms and families. Ahead of Mother’s Day this weekend, Duckworth—a mom of two daughters herself—met with donor and recipient moms who benefitted from the work of Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes, a nonprofit milk bank dedicated to providing safe, pasteurized donor human milk to premature and critically ill babies throughout Illinois and Wisconsin. Photos of today’s event are available on the Senator’s website.

“Our communities—and our local economies—thrive when we invest in our families, and Mothers’ Milk Bank is a prime example of the positive impacts federal investment can have—especially compared to the damage caused by Trump and Musk’s ruthless efforts to gut federal funding and programs that support nearly every aspect of our lives,” Duckworth said. “Mothers’ Milk Bank plays an important role in the journey of many moms across the Midwest, and it’s one of the many pillars of support in the sometimes scary, often overwhelming moments of becoming a new mother.

Duckworth continued, “Because that’s what supporting new families looks like—not a one-time $5,000 ‘baby bonus.’ That’s how out of touch the Trump Administration is, they think five grand, just once, is enough to support moms. As moms, we know what we actually need is affordable child care. It’s paid family leave. It’s maternal health research. It’s baby gear that’s not 145 percent more expensive thanks to tariffs. It’s access to reproductive care. It’s lower grocery costs.”

Duckworth secured $850,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for Mothers’ Milk Bank’s new facility, which celebrated its grand opening today. The new 15,000 square-foot facility houses a large walk-in freezer, two production labs, a research lab and Poppy's Dream Bereavement Memorial–a special place to honor the babies of families who donate milk after loss. The project was funded by Duckworth’s FY2024 CDS request, an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant sponsored by Illinois State Senator Laura Murphy (IL-SD-28), as well as grants from Illinois Arts Council and donor support.

Duckworth was joined at today’s event by Mothers’ Milk Bank WGL Executive Director Summer Kelly, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Assistant Director Cameron Joost and Mothers’ Milk Bank donor and recipient moms and children.

“The grand opening of Mothers’ Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes is a prime example of the importance of collaboration and prioritizing good public policy,” said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. “This new state-of-the-art facility will have a positive and lasting impact on families throughout the state, ensuring Illinois continues to be the best place for families to live, work, and thrive.”

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