Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Discuss COVID-19 Response With Senior Living Facility Representatives
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke with CEOs of numerous Illinois senior living facilities to discuss safety and care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Durbin and Duckworth discussed improving the nation's testing and contact tracing efforts and access to personal protective equipment (PPE) for those working and living in senior living facilities. "Our nation is in the midst of a deadly pandemic that has already killed more than 150,000 … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $38 Million to Support Housing and Community Development in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that cities and counties throughout Illinois have received a total of $38.6 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support housing and community development amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding was provided through the CARES Act and has been distributed by HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDGB) program and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Urge EPA to Conduct Oversight, Testing for Ongoing Sewage Problems in Centreville
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), chair and co-founder of the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do more to address the ongoing flooding and sewage issues in Centreville after years of neglect. In a letter sent today, the Senators urged EPA Region 5 Administrator Kurt Thiede to conduct enhanced monitoring and … Continue Reading
July 28, 2020
Duckworth, Blackburn Advocate for Accurate Data on Access to Prosthetics Following the Amputation of a Limb
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Access to Assistive Technology and Devices for Americans Study Act, or the "Triple A" Study Act, which would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study access to prosthetics after the amputation of a limb. "Americans with limb loss and limb difference face unique challenges in accessing the optimal assistive technologies that would greatly enhance quality of life and … Continue Reading
July 27, 2020
Duckworth Responds to the Republican COVID-19 Proposal
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Republicans announced their proposal for a fourth COVID-19 package: "The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress have mishandled this pandemic from the start-from ignoring the science, to claiming it would magically disappear to re-opening before it was safe to do so. Now their so-called 'relief bill' lends a helping hand to corporations while gutting support for millions of Americans who … Continue Reading
July 27, 2020
Duckworth Blasts Republican Assault on Disability Community in GOP’s COVID-19 Proposal
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement regarding provisions in the Senate Republican's newly announce COVID-19 proposal that attacks the disability community and would gut disability rights: "This offensive proposal is an assault on the disability community. By failing to provide desperately-needed funding for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services, Senate Republicans will be complicit in the mass institutionalization of vulnerable … Continue Reading
July 27, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $700,000 For Housing Programs In Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that three housing authorities across Illinois will receive a total of $696,023 in federal funding to support public housing needs in the community. This funding comes through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Emergency Safety and Security Grant (ESSG) program. "Children and families in need across Illinois rely on investments like these that help improve housing … Continue Reading
July 24, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Illinois Delegation Discuss COVID-19 With Chicago Mayor Lightfoot
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with several members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, spoke with Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot about Chicago's ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and how they can continue to assist her efforts to protect Illinoisans as the state re-opens. The group discussed how federal support can provide Illinois families and businesses with relief from the health and economic consequences of the pandemic, and … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Duckworth Discusses Barriers Faced by Minority-Owned Businesses, Highlights Need to do more to Ensure Equal Access to Capital Especially during COVID-19 Pandemic
[WASHINGTON, DC] - During a U.S. Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing about capital access for minority-owned small businesses, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) discussed the barriers facing minority-owned small businesses and asked what changes Congress should make to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and to traditional lending structures to make sure borrowers of color can access small business loans. Video of Duckworth's questions at today's hearing is available … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Senate Passes Duckworth’s Defense Bill Provisions to Support Servicemembers and Enhance Military Modernization Efforts
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a Purple Heart recipient and one of the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, highlighted several key priorities she authored and successfully included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the U.S. Senate on a bipartisan vote of 86-14 today. The NDAA authorizes funding for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), sets our nation's … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Duckworth Leads Colleagues in Demanding Answers from SBA on Closure of the Program that Promoted Racial Diversity in Boardrooms Across the Country
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, along with seven of her colleagues, sent a letter to Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza inquiring as to why the Open Network for Board Diversity (ONBOARD) initiative has been shut down. The ONBOARD initiative was one of the first of its kind in the public sector to advance the pipeline of individuals from underrepresented … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $10 Million For Head Start Programs In The City of Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families has awarded a total of $10,050,044 to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the City of Chicago. Head Start and Early Head Start provide comprehensive child development programs for low-income children from birth to age five. "Programs like Head Start and Early Head Start are critical to … Continue Reading
July 23, 2020
Duckworth Introduces Bill to Invest in Coal Workers and Revitalize Coal Communities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - With alternatives to coal continuing to gain market share, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced a bill to help ensure that coal workers and coal communities around the country have the resources they need to transition local economies to 21st Century alternatives. When a coal power plant or mine closes, its community loses skilled workers, high-paying jobs and major contributions to local tax revenue, which can result in a negative spiral and threaten the … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Duckworth Joins Harris, Colleagues to Demand Answers on Federal Law Enforcement Presence in American Cities
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and 15 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Matthew Albence demanding answers about the use of federal law enforcement against protestors expressing their constitutional First Amendment rights. "Over the past week, … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Senator Casey & Senate Colleagues in Urging Significant New, Flexible Funding for State and Local Governments
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and 34 of their colleagues to urge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to support the funding amount and proposed funding flexibility for state and local governments that was included in the HEROES Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The funding includes $500 billion for states, $375 billion for local governments and $20 billion each for territories and tribal … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Statement On Expansion Of DOJ Operation Legend To Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) announcing an expansion of Operation Legend to Chicago, Illinois. Operation Legend is DOJ's violent crime reduction initiative with the stated goal to provide support and assistance to state and local law enforcement partners as they work to combat violent crime, and gun violence in particular. Duckworth and Durbin are set to speak … Continue Reading
July 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Senate Colleagues to Introduce John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and 45 of their Senate colleagues in introducing the bipartisan John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bill to restore the landmark Voting Rights Act, end the scourge of minority voter suppression, and help preserve the legacy of John Lewis - one of America's greatest civil rights heroes. In 2013, the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holder decision gutted critical voter … Continue Reading
July 21, 2020
Duckworth Statement on Trump Order to Exclude Undocumented Immigrants from Census Count for Congressional Districts
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement in response to President Donald Trump's memorandum seeking to exclude undocumented immigrants from being counted in congressional districts when district lines are redrawn: "Once again the Trump Administration is attempting to undermine this constitutional requirement, threatening to hurt many vulnerable communities," Duckworth said. "A census that's not fair and accurate means less representation … Continue Reading
July 21, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Call Out President Trump On Reports Of Plan To Send Secret Police To Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following reports that President Donald Trump wants to send federal agents into cities, including Chicago, to conduct policing activities that are traditionally handled by local law enforcement, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to President Trump calling on him to refrain from taking this action, which is opposed by Governor Pritzker, Mayor Lightfoot, and other local leaders. "With the right leadership, federal law … Continue Reading
July 21, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Introduce Legislation to Block Federal Paramilitary Occupations in Chicago or Any American City with Senators Merkley & Wyden
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and 17 of their Senate colleagues to block the Trump administration from deploying federal forces as a shadowy paramilitary against Americans. The Preventing Authoritarian Policing Tactics on America's Streets Act, which was also introduced as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, comes after a week in which heavily armed, unmarked federal … Continue Reading
