Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $1.18 Million for CTA Safety Improvements
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $1,183,091 in federal funding to support safety improvements for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), will support CTA's Station Third Rail Safety Enhancement Pilot Project, which would add additional safety features on the third rails in the vicinity of station platforms, including non-conductive side boards on both sides of the … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
Duckworth, Hirono, Colleagues Introduce Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), along with six of their colleagues introduced the Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act, legislation that will allow all federal workers to carry over the leave they have accrued when a national pandemic prevents employees from taking time off of work. "Over the past six months, communities across the nation have relied heavily on federal workers who have often been on the front lines of the COVID-19 … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
After Trump’s Hospitalization, Duckworth Tells GOP Colleagues: Your Actions Now Can Set an Example and Save Lives
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement urging her Republican colleagues to do more to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, stop denying the reality and seize this difficult moment to set an example for the American people: "From day one, Trump and too many of my Republican colleagues' focus has been politicizing this pandemic rather than protecting Americans from it. Trump lied that it would magically disappear even as he was privately … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues In Calling For Investigation Into Political Interference With Coronavirus Information
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gary Peters (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in leading 24 of their colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General calling for an immediate investigation into allegations of political interference with public health information at the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $3.2 Million in FEMA Reimbursement for Flooding Recovery
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois has been awarded a total of $3,248,722 in federal funding to offset costs related to the historic flooding that occurred from February 24 to July 3, 2019. The funding, awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will go to the Illinois Department of Transportation to help cover the costs of emergency response and flooding prevention efforts in Springfield. "These … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Duckworth to GOP Senators Who Applauded Her Daughter’s First Visit to the Capitol: Reconsider Whether You Can Vote for a Supreme Court Nominee Who Supported an Organization that Believes My Daughter Shouldn’t Exist
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following reports that show Amy Coney Barrett's past support of a radical organization that believes life begins at fertilization and that steps in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process should be criminalized, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to her Senate colleagues today urging them to consider what a vote for this nominee would say to the millions of Americans hoping to start a family using IVF therapy. Duckworth used IVF to get pregnant with both of her … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth’s Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act Passes House of Representatives
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)'s bipartisan Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Improvement Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives today and is now headed to the President's desk to be signed into law. The legislation, which passed the Senate in July, will ensure that small airports across the country support nursing moms and promote breastfeeding-friendly environments by providing accessible, clean and convenient lactation rooms for travelers. The bill builds … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth, Bustos, Loebsack, Durbin, Grassley and Ernst Lead Bi-Partisan, Bicameral Modernization Effort to Utilize Unused Army Property
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) released a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to urge the authorization for the United States Army to launch a pilot program that certain users could access for details about Army real estate. This tool could resemble a … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Cosponsor Legislation To Build Core Public Health Infrastructure Needed To Save Lives, Fight Threats Like COVID-19
WASHINGTON- This week, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 16 of their Democratic Senate colleagues to introduce the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA). The legislation would establish a new core public health infrastructure program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with up to $4.5 billion in annual funding to bolster the nation's efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthen its … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth Statement on the Passing of Former Rockford Mayor John McNamara
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement on the passing of former Rockford, Illinois, Mayor John McNamara: "I'm saddened to hear of the passing of former Mayor John McNamara. His dedication to the people of Rockford and to improving his city was impressive, and I know he will be missed. Through his leadership, he worked to make his community and Illinois a better place. My thoughts are with his loved ones, friends and the people of Rockford." … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Federal Funding For Gun Violence Prevention Research
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Northwestern University has been awarded more than $500,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the effects of gun violence. This is the first time in more than 20 years that federal funding has been appropriated for research related to firearm violence prevention at the CDC after Congress passed the Dickey Amendment in 1996, which … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Duckworth Introduces Bill to Improve Disaster Response and Recovery Plans in Prisons
WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation that would ensure prison disaster response and recovery plans protect the health, safety and civil rights of incarcerated individuals during a presidential disaster declaration. Duckworth's legislation follows reports of health and safety violations within the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and state prisons during recent major disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Correctional facilities must be … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Brown, Baldwin to Blast Trump Administration for Failing to Protect Workers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and 18 of their Democratic colleagues, calling on the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Eugene Scalia to take immediate action to protect workers from COVID-19 exposure, illness and death on the job. In their letter, the Senators urge Scalia to instruct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an Emergency Temporary … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Duckworth Statement on the Continuing Resolution to Fund the Government
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11, 2020. "I'm glad that Democrats and Republicans came together to avoid shutting down the federal government in the midst of a global pandemic. With that said, I'm deeply disappointed that Republicans continue to refuse to come to the table to address our country's most dire need: comprehensive relief from the COVID-19 public … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Duckworth, Murkowski Urge Senate Leadership to Include Head Start Funding in Next COVID Relief Package
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sent a bipartisan letter to Senate leadership requesting that any future COVID-19 relief package include emergency funding for Head Start programs that have experienced an uptick in operational costs due to expanded programming and services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Head Start programs deliver high-quality, evidence-based education and comprehensive services to children across the country and during this … Continue Reading
September 29, 2020
Duckworth Speaks To Illinois VFW On Its 121st Anniversary
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today on the 121st anniversary of the founding of The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW), combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke with VFW Department of Illinois's Legislative Committee Director Jay Hoffman to discuss the organization's legislative priorities. They also discussed the Senator's efforts on important issues impacting Veterans in Illinois and across the nation, including Veteran access to full benefits and high-quality healthcare. … Continue Reading
September 28, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $8 Million For COVID-19 Vaccine Preparedness In Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $6.2 million to the Illinois Department of Public Health and $1.9 million to the Chicago Department of Public Health to help prepare for an eventual distribution of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, upon regulatory review from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The funding, which is from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and … Continue Reading
September 26, 2020
Duckworth Statement Following Trump’s Announcement of his Nominee for the Supreme Court
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. "With barely a month before Election Day, Americans across the country are already casting their ballots to select our next President, the majority of whom think the person elected on November 3rd should select the next Supreme Court nominee. The deadly COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 200,000 Americans … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
With Application Deadline Approaching, Duckworth Seeks Additional Student Applications for U.S. Military Service Academies
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - The application period for high school students to request a nomination to a U.S. Military Service Academy for the Class of 2025 from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) will close one week from today, on Friday, October 2. Duckworth's office has been accepting applications from high school students seeking a Congressional nomination to one of the four Military Service Academies through her website since March. Each year Duckworth, with the assistance of a nomination … Continue Reading
September 25, 2020
Duckworth Speaks with Acclivus to Discuss Efforts to Help Underserved Communities in Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today spoke with Acclivus President LeVon Stone and Program Director Bamani Obedele to discuss the work and services provided by the organization. Acclivus is a community health organization that focuses on the health and well-being?of individuals living in Chicago's most vulnerable neighborhoods. "Far too many people in Chicago and across our country have been forced to deal with the harmful impact of violence in their communities and … Continue Reading