November 19, 2021

As Senate Debates National Defense Authorization Act, Duckworth Outlines Her Proposals to Support Military Families, Scott Air Base and Military Readiness in St. Clair County

 

[ST. LOUIS, MO] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today met with St. Clair County Military Affairs Committee leadership to discuss her efforts to improve quality of life and reduce educational as well as spousal employment challenges for military families as well as future funding for C-40 aircraft at Scott Air Force Base. Today’s meeting comes as the Senate nears final passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes several Duckworth-led provisions to support military families and our national security.

“Our country has a duty to support our servicemembers, Veterans and our military families, so I appreciate this opportunity to meet with the St. Clair County Military Affairs Committee about my work in Washington to advocate for our military members and their loved ones,” said Duckworth. “I will keep working to support our servicemembers at Scott Air Force Base, in every corner of our great state and across the country.”

Earlier this week, Duckworth led 12 of her colleagues in sending a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the U.S. House Armed Services Committee (HASC) urging them to include a House-approved provision authored by Duckworth and U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20) that tackles the issue of military hunger in the final version of the NDAA. 

Also this week, Duckworth and U.S. Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA-14), Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, led their colleagues in sending two bipartisan, bicameral letters to the SASC and HASC Chairs and Ranking Members urging them to support parental leave and military child care provisions in the final version of the NDAA. The request by Duckworth and Speier aligns with bills they introduced earlier this year: the Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act, which would make sure that all primary and secondary caregivers in the military can access 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and the bipartisan Military Childcare Expansion Act, which would better equip the Pentagon to help fix the 135 Military Child Development Centers (CDCs) operating in “poor” or “failing” condition. 

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Press Contact

[ST. LOUIS, MO] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today met with St. Clair County Military Affairs Committee leadership to discuss her efforts to improve quality of life and reduce educational as well as spousal employment challenges for military families