Press Releases
Duckworth Introduces Bill to Maintain Integrity of Independent Government Watchdogs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - One year after Donald Trump unlawfully fired 17 Inspectors General (IGs) just days into his second term, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation to help restore public trust in IGs as Trump has worked to replace them with loyalists tied to his Administration. The Inspectors General Independence Act would prevent Donald Trump and future Presidents from appointing their own political allies to serve in the Administration’s “independent” watchdog roles—a … Continue Reading
January 15, 2026
Duckworth Discusses Solutions to Address the National Housing Crisis at CAP Housing Summit
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined the Center for American Progress (CAP), U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) for a policy summit where they discussed common-sense solutions to address our nation’s housing shortage and lower housing costs for middle-class families. As the cost of housing continues to consistently increase more than the rate of wages, Duckworth underscored the urgent need to address issues … Continue Reading
January 15, 2026
Duckworth Pushes to Slash ICE Funding and Block GOP Cuts to Lead Removal Programs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), author of the historic bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Law, today sought to block $125 million in Republican cuts to lead service line replacement projects by redirecting a portion of Trump’s exorbitant $2 billion U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) slush fund that the agency has shown time and again it does not deserve and cannot be trusted with. “ICE isn’t making our communities safer, but … Continue Reading
January 15, 2026
Duckworth, Hoeven Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Protections for Passenger Rail Crewmembers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and John Hoeven (R-ND) introduced the bipartisan Passenger Rail Crew Protection Act to enhance public safety by ensuring passenger rail crew members are provided the legal protections that have been afforded to flight crew members and attendants for decades. Specifically, just as it is a federal crime to interfere with flight crews, the bipartisan Duckworth-Hoeven bill would prohibit interfering with intercity and passenger rail crew … Continue Reading
January 15, 2026
Duckworth, Booker Reintroduce Legislation to Improve Disaster Response and Recovery Plans in Prisons
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today reintroduced legislation that would ensure prison disaster plans protect the health, safety and rights of incarcerated individuals during emergencies. The Correctional Facility Disaster Preparedness Act would require the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to submit annual damage reports after disasters, require the National Institute of Correction (NIC) to hold field hearings on how to better incorporate considerations … Continue Reading
January 14, 2026
Duckworth Statement After Republicans Blocked Venezuela War Powers Resolution
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Senate failed to pass a bipartisan War Powers Resolution—which Duckworth cosponsored—that would have prevented the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. Last week, the same resolution advanced in the Senate by a vote of 52-47. “It is indisputable that Nicolás Maduro was a brutal dictator. But it is not … Continue Reading
January 13, 2026
Duckworth Meets with Growth Energy, Highlights Importance of U.S. Biofuels for Americans and the Economy
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with officials from Growth Energy, the nation’s leading biofuel trade association, to underscore her support for ethanol production, as well as her commitment to helping strengthen our national and energy security, expand year-round E15 sales, drive down gas prices, support our farmers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drive rural economic opportunity in Illinois and across the country. Photos from the meeting can be found … Continue Reading
January 13, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin File Amendment to Appropriations Bill to Restore Funding for Chicago Harbor Lock
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, filed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act to restore to recent funding levels the Chicago Harbor Lock. Currently, the appropriations bill, as well as the President’s proposed budget, only allocates $298,000 for the operation and maintenance of the Chicago Harbor Lock, which is a … Continue Reading
January 13, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues in Urging Administration to Restore Funding for Full-Service Community Schools
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined their colleagues in urging Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to reverse the Department of Education’s decision to discontinue $168 million in Full-Service Community Schools grants across 12 states, including Illinois. In the letter led by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the Senators expressed deep concern that the abrupt cuts to this funding in … Continue Reading
January 08, 2026
Duckworth, Cisneros, Colleagues Introduce the PROTECT Military Families Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Gil Cisneros (D-CA-31), introduced the PROTECT Military Families Act, a bicameral bill that aims to protect military families from deportation and forced separation detrimental to military morale and mission readiness. “There is no higher betrayal to our heroes than to have one of their family members deported by the same nation they sacrificed to defend,” said Senator Duckworth. “In … Continue Reading
January 08, 2026
Duckworth Statement After Senate Advances Bipartisan War Powers Resolution to Block Further Military Action in Venezuela
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Senate advanced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution—which Duckworth cosponsored—that would block the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. “It is indisputable that Nicolás Maduro was a brutal dictator. But it is not America’s responsibility to go around the world using our military to push regime change … Continue Reading
January 07, 2026
Duckworth Cosponsors Kaine’s Bipartisan War Powers Resolution on Venezuela
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is now cosponsoring a War Powers Resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) as well as Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) that would block the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. “Our Constitution requires the American people, through their elected representatives in … Continue Reading
January 06, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Join Gallego to Demand Answers on Harms of Diverting Federal Agents for Immigration Enforcement
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in sending a letter to President Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding answers on the impact of the Administration’s decision to pull thousands of federal law enforcement personnel away from their work keeping dangerous criminals off the streets … Continue Reading
January 03, 2026
Duckworth Reacts to Trump’s Actions in Venezuela
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement regarding Trump’s actions in Venezuela: “The American people believed Donald Trump when he promised on the campaign trail that he would get our nation out of foreign wars, but this morning we awoke to another stark reminder that he is—and has always been—a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises. The Constitution requires the American people, through their elected … Continue Reading
December 29, 2025
Duckworth Highlights Key 2025 Efforts as 2025 Draws to a Close
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As 2025 comes to a close, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) highlighted several key accomplishments she secured over the last year: “Whether helping nearly 2,900 Illinoisans recover more than $13 million the federal government owed them, passing a law making it easier for new parents to travel with critical breast milk supplies, pushing back against Trump and Republicans as they work to jack up costs for everything from groceries to health care, fighting Donald Trump’s … Continue Reading
December 24, 2025
Duckworth Statement on Trump’s VA Abortion Ban That Denies Millions of Veterans the Care They’ve Earned
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Trump Administration quietly implemented a policy banning the VA from providing abortion care to Veterans and their families—including in cases of rape, incest or to protect the health of the mother—despite widespread opposition from advocates and the Veteran community: “Our Veterans risked their lives to safeguard our freedoms. And yet a man who has never served a day in his … Continue Reading
December 23, 2025
Duckworth, Durbin Statement on Supreme Court Ruling Blocking Deployment of National Guard Troops to Chicago
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Supreme Court declined to stay a federal judge’s temporary restraining order that blocked President Trump’s plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago: “It’s long past time for the Trump Administration to back off Chicago. The majority of Americans believe they’ve gone too far, and even the … Continue Reading
December 19, 2025
Duckworth, Blumenthal Demand Investigation into Trump’s Misuse of VA Resources to Help Execute His Extreme Deportation Campaign
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) member Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), today demanded an independent investigation into the Trump Administration’s decision to divert personnel, equipment and financial resources away from serving our nation’s Veterans and toward developing a database to track non-U.S. citizen employees as part of Donald Trump’s inhumane mass deportation campaign. After … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Duckworth-Led Provision to Rein in Trump’s Misuse of the Military Passes Congress, Awaits President’s Signature
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — As the Trump Administration continues to send federal agents and our nation’s servicemembers into American communities to intimidate their fellow Americans, the Senate passed a provision authored and championed by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) that would rein in Trump’s misuse of the military, help strengthen public trust in the military and ensure servicemembers identify themselves as part of the Armed Forces when assisting federal law enforcement in the United … Continue Reading
December 18, 2025
Duckworth-Led Provisions to Protect Rock Island Arsenal, Support Illinois Quantum Technology Research and Safeguard Care for Veterans Passes Congress, Awaits President’s Signature
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — 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), successfully secured several important provisions to support Illinoisans, servicemembers, Veterans and our state’s economy that passed Congress this week and are heading to the President’s desk to be signed into law. Some of the priorities Duckworth secured to help Illinoisans include protecting Rock … Continue Reading