Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Applaud More Than $21.6 Million in Full-Service Community Schools Grants for Illinois Institutions
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the U.S. Department of Education for awarding $21,632,950 in Full-Service Community Schools grants to education institutions and community organizations in Illinois. Funding for full-service community schools has increased five-fold, from $25 million in 2020 to $150 million in 2023. The grant funding allows schools to partner with community organizations and institutions of … Continue Reading
December 01, 2023
Duckworth, Klobuchar, Colleagues Call on FDA to Swiftly Address High Levels of Toxic Heavy Metals in Food for Babies and Young Children
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following the recall of three brands of cinnamon applesauce pouches linked to elevated blood lead levels reported in over 50 children, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), along with U.S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29), Katie Porter (D-CA-47), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23), called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use the authority of … Continue Reading
December 01, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Statement on United, American Commitment to O'Hare Terminal Area Project
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation, and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding a recent report that United Airlines and American Airlines want to “slow down, dramatically scale back, or indefinitely ground” the Chicago O’Hare International Airport Terminal Area Project (TAP), on which they signed an agreement with the City of … Continue Reading
November 30, 2023
Duckworth Announces $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to Boost Workforce Development in Chicago and East St. Louis
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $500,000 she secured through a Fiscal Year 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending Request will be sent by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration to Illinois’s Revolution Workshop to help support its 12-week pre-apprenticeship construction job training program. This Duckworth-secured federal funding will help grow Revolution Workshop’s programs that offer skills training for good-paying jobs … Continue Reading
November 30, 2023
Duckworth, Booker Statement on EPA’s Proposed Strengthening of the Lead and Copper Rule
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), co-founders of the new U.S. Senate Lead Task Force and the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed strengthening of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), which would lower the lead action level to better protect human health and require water systems to replace old and deteriorating lead pipes within a decade. “We applaud the Biden … Continue Reading
November 30, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Statement on Proposed Strengthening of EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), author of the historic Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed strengthening of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), which would lower the lead action level and require water systems to replace all their old and deteriorating lead pipes within the decade, following the Senators’ continuing calls for these … Continue Reading
November 29, 2023
Duckworth Joins Durbin, Collins to Introduce Legislation to Address Uptick in Attacks on Letter Carriers on the Job
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today in introducing bipartisan legislation to address the steep increase in armed robberies against postal workers, who are often targeted for their arrow keys. The Postal Police Reform Act would ensure that Postal Police Officers may be assigned to duty outside of Postal Service real property to offer protection to letter carriers on their … Continue Reading
November 28, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Announce CMS Funding to Address Physician Shortage in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded new Medicare Graduate Medical Education funding to support an additional 23 residency slots for hospitals in Illinois. With this new federal funding, eight Illinois hospitals will be able to expand their medical training opportunities for new doctors, in order to help address the nation’s physician shortage. “Doctors and … Continue Reading
November 22, 2023
Duckworth Reacts to Agreement Temporarily Pausing Fighting in Gaza, Releasing Hamas-held Hostages
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator and member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after an agreement was reached to pause hostilities in Gaza for four days and release 50 hostages who have been held by Hamas since their terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7th, enabling the delivery of much more humanitarian aid to innocent civilians suffering there: “While my heart breaks for every single innocent soul lost in the violence we’ve … Continue Reading
November 20, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Baldwin, Colleagues in Calling for Immediate Steps to Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Gaza and Protect Civilians
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), led their colleagues in urging President Biden to work with Israel and international partners to implement a plan that will protect innocent civilian life in Gaza, deliver sustained humanitarian aid and work toward the long term goals of ending Hamas’s threat, bringing hostages home and … Continue Reading
November 17, 2023
Duckworth Reacts to Agreement Allowing More Fuel into Gaza to Support Lifesaving Services
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tammy Duckworth reacted to news that an agreement has been reached to allow 140,000 liters of fuel into Gaza every other day to help restore critical lifesaving services, issuing the following statement: “This week, I hosted several Senators for a conversation with physicians who have colleagues on the ground in Gaza doing amazing work trying to provide care for innocent civilians under unimaginable … Continue Reading
November 17, 2023
Duckworth Demands Answers from Manufacturers of Pediatric RSV Immunization Regarding Shortage Supply So We Can Better Protect Children’s Health in the Future
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As parents across the nation continue to be frustrated by a short supply of a new FDA- and CDC-backed immunization that can be used to prevent severe disease from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in babies, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is demanding answers from two major pharmaceutical manufacturers. Sanofi and AstraZeneca, who manufacture the immunization known as nirsevimab (Beyfortus), seem to have vastly underestimated the amount of vaccine needed to help … Continue Reading
November 17, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues to Introduce Legislation to Protect Domestic Abuse Survivors from Gun Violence
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) to introduce the Lori Jackson - Nicolette Elias Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act to protect domestic violence survivors from gun violence. “Domestic violence is all too common across this nation, and every survivor deserves to feel safe and protected,” said Duckworth. “This means closing the senseless loopholes … Continue Reading
November 17, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Send Recommendations to be Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division to the White House
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a list of names for the White House to consider for Federal District Court Judge vacancies in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division. Based on recommendations made by the screening committee the Senators established, Duckworth and Durbin have forwarded the names of the following individuals to President Biden for … Continue Reading
November 17, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Schneider Release Statement on CDC Report on Public Health Impact of Sterigenics
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), founder of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Ethylene Oxide Task Force, today issued the following statement on the report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease … Continue Reading
November 16, 2023
Duckworth Meets with Chicagoland Predominately Black Institutions to Discuss Importance of Higher Education for All
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Chicago State University President Zaldwaynaka Scott, Prairie State College President Michael Anthony, South Suburban College President Lynette Stokes and Olive-Harvey College Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives Aziza Darwish to discuss her work to make higher education more affordable, increase federal support for higher education institutions and help create more pathways for Illinoisans to jumpstart their … Continue Reading
November 16, 2023
Duckworth: I Will Not Lose Focus on Safe Release of All Hostages Held by Hamas
[WASHINGTON, DC] - After meeting with American families of hostages being held by Hamas including the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American who has not been heard from since he was taken hostage after losing his arm in the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7th despite clearly needing immediate medical attention, U.S. Senator and member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tammy Duckworth underscored the need for all parties to remain laser-focused on the safe return … Continue Reading
November 16, 2023
Duckworth Statement on Senate Passing Bill to Keep Government Open for Working Families
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Senate passed a continuing resolution that would keep the government open and spare working families from the pain of a shutdown: “Last night, I’m relieved the Senate was able to consider a clean bill and pass it with a strong bipartisan vote to keep our government open for working families. From the beginning, Democrats made it clear our priority was avoiding a government shutdown that would … Continue Reading
November 15, 2023
Duckworth Discusses Importance of RSV Vaccine Access, Improving Maternal Health Outcomes with Blue Shield of Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois President Stephen Harris to discuss how the insurance provider can ensure the drug to help prevent RSV in babies is available with no cost-sharing, as well as the Senator’s priorities of reducing negative maternal health outcomes and health inequities, especially for Illinoisans of color and Illinoisans with disabilities, who too often experience barriers to care. “It was good to meet … Continue Reading
November 15, 2023
Duckworth Reiterates Need to Pass Her Bipartisan Bill to Codify Boots to Business Program, Support Entrepreneurship Among Veterans, Servicemembers and Military Spouses
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) once again pushed to better support Veterans, servicemembers and military families as they transition from military service to civilian life by reiterating the need to codify the highly popular and successful “Boots to Business” (B2B) program, a small business education and training program that has already served more than 194,000 participants since its inception. During today’s Senate Small Business and … Continue Reading
