Press Releases
Duckworth Speaks with Illinois Legislative Leaders to Discuss COVID-19 Response & Racial Disparities
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke with Illinois legislative leaders at the state and local level today about the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial disparities that exist in COVID-19 cases and deaths in Illinois and across the nation. Recent reports showed that Black Chicagoans have made up 64 percent of the total deaths in Chicago despite only comprising only about 30 percent of the city's population. Duckworth spoke with Alderman Jason Ervin (Chicago Black Caucus … Continue Reading
April 15, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $70 Million to Support Illinois Airports Amid COVID-19
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that airports throughout Illinois will receive a total of $69,995,370 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address the COVID-19 crisis. These funds - which were authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act - will help airport operators meet ongoing needs and to manage current construction projects as revenues have plummeted. "Making sure our airports across … Continue Reading
April 15, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $376 Million to Support O'Hare and Midway Airports Amid COVID-19
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports will receive a total of $376,743,810 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address the COVID-19 crisis. These funds - which were authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act - will help airport operators meet ongoing needs and to manage current construction projects as revenues have plummeted. "Making sure our … Continue Reading
April 15, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Harris in Calling to Designate April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and 20 of their colleagues in reintroducing a resolution to designate April 11-17, 2020, as Black Maternal Health Week to raise awareness about the black maternal health crisis. The United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality for developed nations. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), black mothers in the United States are … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Colleagues to USDA: Provide Assistance to Specialty Crop Producers During Pandemic
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and 27 Senate colleagues, sent a bipartisan letter calling on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to ensure that specialty crop producers receive financial assistance from losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Illinois is the number one producer of two specialty crops: pumpkins and horseradish. Illinois is also in … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Telehealth Funding Available to Health Care Providers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau is now accepting applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The program will provide $200 million in funding, which was appropriated by Congress as part of the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to help health care providers deliver services to patients at their homes or mobile … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Duckworth Joins Wyden in Calling on SBA to Immediately Issue Emergency Grants to Small Businesses
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and 17 of her colleagues in writing to U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza demanding SBA ensure small businesses receive the new Emergency Economic Injury Grants (EEIGs) within three days of application as required by Congress. The letter follows reports that small businesses across the country are not receiving EEIG advances, despite the fact that they are eligible … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Illinois Delegation Discuss COVID-19 Response with Chicago Mayor Lightfoot
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, 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. The group discussed how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act can provide Illinois families and businesses with relief during the pandemic, and what … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Carper, Foster, Schneider Ask EPA To Improve Communication Of Public Health Risks Of EtO Emissions
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), today called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fully adopt the EPA Inspector General (IG) directive to improve its efforts to communicate the potential health risks associated with ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions to at-risk communities, and submit a corrective action plan that includes … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Duckworth Speaks with Quad Cities Small Business Owners about CARES Act Implementation
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today spoke with small business owners from across the Quad Cities region about the implementation of the bipartisan CARES Act stimulus and additional efforts in Congress to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. During a Quad Cities Chamber conference call, Duckworth spoke about relief available to self-employed individuals and small and micro business that employ fewer than 100 people, difficulties surrounding accessing the Paycheck … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Colleagues Press Trump Administration for Information on Distribution of Critical Medical Supplies
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, today raised serious concerns about the Trump Administration's reliance on private companies to distribute desperately needed medical supplies during the Coronavirus pandemic. Although the President has declared a national emergency and mobilized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Illinois Democratic Congressional Delegation to Trump Administration: Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Cases & Deaths Are Unacceptable
WASHINGTON - Today, the Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar expressing strong concerns regarding the racial disparities that exist in COVID-19 cases and deaths in Illinois and across the nation. The members cited that while black residents make up nearly 15 percent of the state’s total population, they account for 43 percent of all COVID-19 deaths. The situation in Chicago is … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $218 Million For Illinois Colleges To Provide Emergency Aid To Students
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded $218 million to Illinois institutions of higher education for emergency financial aid to students. The funding - which comes from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act - will be used to provide cash grants to students for expenses related to disruptions to their … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Illinois Democratic Congressional Delegation To Trump Administration: Racial Disparities In COVID-19 Cases & Deaths Are Unacceptable
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, the Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar expressing strong concerns regarding the racial disparities that exist in COVID-19 cases and deaths in Illinois and across the nation. The members cited that while black residents make up nearly 15 percent of the state's total population, they account for 43 percent of all COVID-19 deaths. The situation in Chicago is … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Duckworth Speaks with Illinois Small Business Owners about CARES Act Implementation
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today participated in a Small Business Majority (SBM) webinar with small business owners from across Illinois about the implementation of the CARES Act. Duckworth answered questions about the relief available to self-employed individuals and small and micro business that employ less than 100 people, difficulties surrounding accessing the Paycheck Protection Program and increased technical assistance available to small business … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Discuss DOD Coronavirus Response With Defense Secretary Esper
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services committee, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today spoke with Defense Secretary Mark Esper about the military's COVID-19 response efforts. During today's call, Durbin and Duckworth pressed Secretary Esper for military personnel to help staff the field hospital at McCormick Place in Chicago. Five hundred beds are … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Bipartisan Senators Press USDA to Provide Relief for Local Farmers During COVID-19 Pandemic
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and a bipartisan group of Senators in urging the Trump Administration to provide relief for local farmers who are struggling as the nation works to combat the spread of COVID-19. In a letter sent to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, the Senators urged USDA to ensure that a portion of the $9.5 billion they … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Democratic Colleagues Press Trump Administration to Ensure Workers Receive Unemployment Benefits
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in leading 30 of their Democratic colleagues today in pressing the Department of Labor to ensure workers Congress intended to be covered by the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program receive the benefits they deserve. “[P]arts of the guidance appear narrow or ambiguous, which could make states think they need to exclude workers who Congress clearly … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Urge Senate Leadership to Provide Funding to Local Governments Serving Small Communities in Next COVID-19 Relief Package
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to include additional federal assistance to local governments in the forthcoming supplemental COVID-19 relief package. In their letter, Duckworth and Durbin called for the creation of a special FEMA Community Disaster … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $1.2 Billion in CARES Act Funding for Illinois Hospitals & Health Providers
[SPRINGFIELD] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Illinois hospitals and health providers a total of $1,204,103,180 in grant funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide relief and support ongoing treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today's funding is part of the CARES Act's "Marshall Pan," which included $100 billion for … Continue Reading
