August 26, 2022

Duckworth Meets and Greets Families, Students and Stakeholders in Southern Illinois

 

[CARBONDALE, IL] – During the final day of her RV tour across Illinois, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today visited the Eurma C. Hayes Center to meet with parents, students, teachers, administrators and staff at Tri County Special Education (TCSE) and answer students’ questions about being a U.S. Senator. After the meet and greet, Duckworth held an open house with local electeds and stakeholders where she discussed her efforts to help working Illinoisans keep more money in their pockets, as well as her support for economic development and updated infrastructure in the region. Duckworth continued by underscoring how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will help create jobs, lower energy costs, cut inflation, save Americans money, reduce the deficit and help make sure megacorporations finally pay their fair share in taxes. Photos of today’s meet and greets are available here.

“It’s a great feeling to end my RV tour with one of the best parts of my job—talking with working families,” said Duckworth. “Spending a morning with children from Tri County Special Education was another reminder that these students are our state’s future and they deserve all of the resources needed to thrive. It was also good to meet with local Southern Illinois officials about the work I’m doing in Washington to show up for their communities. My number one priority will always be looking out for Illinoisans to help make sure folks don’t have to choose between paying for rent and for groceries—or between paying for rent and paying their employees. I’m so proud we got the Inflation Reduction Act done. It’s a huge win for working families—not special interests—across Illinois, and I’ll keep working to do more to ensure our economy works for everyone in the weeks and months ahead.”

During the stakeholder meet and greet, Duckworth was joined by Illinois First Circuit Judge Christy Solverson, City of Murphysboro Mayor Will Stephens, City of Carbondale City Manager Gary Williams, Southern Illinois University (SIU) President Daniel Mahony, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) Chancellor Dr. Austin Lane, SIUC Chancellor’s Office Chief of Staff Matt Baughman, SGI Transportation General Manager Patrick Scates, Jackson County Sheriff Robert Burns, Carbondale Police Chief Stan Reno, Tri-County Special Education Executive Director Zeppelyn Brewer and Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) Government Relations representative Clark Gyure.

For the last two weeks, Duckworth has touted her and other Democrats’ efforts to make the Inflation Reduction Act law during her RV tour across Illinois. Among the many stops along the way, Duckworth visited Marquis Energy in Hennepin and One Earth Energy in Gibson City to highlight the importance of ethanol production and the federal government’s support of homegrown biofuels—including in the IRA—as well as her commitment to helping drive down gas prices, support our farmers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen our energy security and drive rural economic opportunity in Illinois.

Additionally, Duckworth visited both the family-owned Curry’s Family Pharmacy in Riverton and the family-owned Illini Clinic Pharmacy in Silvis to discuss how the IRA will help thousands of Illinois’s seniors afford life-saving prescription drugs and how, for the first time ever, will allow Medicare to negotiate for lower medication costs.

-30-