Press Releases
Duckworth Statement on the Beginning of the Senate Impeachment Trial of President Trump
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after being sworn in as a juror for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump: "Today I raised my right hand to once again to swear an oath to this nation: to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws," Duckworth said. "What I hope for in this trial is to see witnesses, documents and evidence, and then I will deliberate. Trials have witnesses, cover-ups don't. We need a transparent … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Duckworth Meets with Iraqi Ambassador to the United States
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Iraq's Ambassador to the United States, Fareed Yasseen, today in her Capitol Hill Office. Following the Trump Administration's erratic actions in Iraq, Duckworth and Yasseen discussed the impact these actions have had on regional stability and the U.S. - Iraqi partnership. Duckworth also asked Yasseen what she and her Senate colleagues can do to help repair any damage that has been done to this partnership over the past … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth Discusses FVL Program & Logistics Infrastructure with Army Under Secretary Nominee
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today met with U.S. Army Under Secretary Nominee James McPherson in her office on Capitol Hill. Duckworth and McPherson discussed the Army's efforts to accelerate the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, as well as the importance of investing in the Army's logistics and transportation infrastructure and focusing on logistics during the DEFENDER 2021 military training … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Senator Duckworth Meets with U.S. Ambassador to Thailand
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after meeting with Michael DeSombre, who was recently confirmed by the Senate to be U.S. Ambassador to Thailand. The two discussed economic issues, U.S. national security, American interests in the Indo-Pacific region and countering Chinese influence in Southeast Asia. "As a Thai-American, I feel strongly that whoever takes on the post of U.S. Ambassador understands the long-standing relationship … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth to Support Bipartisan U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today during a Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke in support of the bipartisan U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Key quotes from her remarks are included below and a full clip can be found here. The agreement was reported out of the committee with Senator Duckworth's vote. As of this morning, all other Senate committees of jurisdiction have also approved the agreement and it will now head to the Senate … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $300,000 to Help Minority-Owned Businesses in Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $312,750 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to help provide business consulting and development services to minority-owned businesses in Chicago. The Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council will use this funding to help provide resources to help minority-owned business generate increased financing, job creation and retention, … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Call On Army To Review Illinois Army Reserve's Handling Of Sexual Assault Claims
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the U.S. Army to review reported mishandling by leaders of the Illinois-based Army Reserve unit, the 416th Theater Engineer Command, of multiple sexual assault claims. In a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Duckworth and Durbin called for a comprehensive review of the troubling charges brought to light by a recent Associated Press article into handling of sexual assault claims by the … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth and Durbin Join Colleagues to Support Puerto Rico’s Request for A Major Disaster Declaration in Response to Earthquakes
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - This week, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined 34 of their colleagues, led by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), in sending a letter to President Trump to express strong support of Puerto Rico's request for a major disaster declaration following the widespread damage caused by the powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake on January 7 and its aftershocks, as well as the foreshock that began on December 28. "More than two days after the … Continue Reading
January 12, 2020
Duckworth Meets With Local Leaders to Discuss Equity in Legalization of Recreational Cannabis in Illinois
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with local leaders today at Mission South Shore Marijuana Dispensary on the recent legalization of recreational cannabis in Illinois. Duckworth was joined by Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Senior Advisor to Gov. Pritzker on Cannabis Control Toi Hutchinson, Illinois State Senator Robert Peters (IL-SD-13), Chicago Ald. Susan Garza (10th Ward), Illinois Deputy Treasurer Rodrigo Garcia, Acting State Banking Director of the Illinois … Continue Reading
January 10, 2020
Duckworth Demands Secretary Esper Disclose Why DOD Believes Killing Soleimani was Legal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), wrote to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper requesting he inform Congress and the American people precisely what legal authority, or which legal authorities, authorized the military operation that killed General Qasem Soleimani. During Esper's confirmation hearing last year, he affirmed to Duckworth that neither the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Duckworth and Ernst Team Up to Tackle Sexual Misconduct in the U.S. Coast Guard
WASHINGTON-Following reports of an increase in sexual assault and harassment claims at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) and a lack of leadership in regards to the Coast Guard's handling of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, U.S. Senators and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), are introducing a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing sexual assault and retaliation in the United States Coast Guard. "For too long, our … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Duckworth, Merkley, Booker, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Breastfeeding Protections at Work
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and two of her Senate colleagues to introduce bipartisan legislation to provide salaried employees in traditional office environments-a group of approximately 13.5 million executive, administrative, and professional women-with reasonable break time and a private place to pump breastmilk. The bill, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act is also consponsored by … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $8 Million in Grants to Head Start Programs Across Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $8,933,201 in federal funding to help children in Decatur, Joliet and Alton, Illinois, access Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This funding comes through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) that allocates funding, provides technical assistance, and helps build strategic partnerships in order to promote … Continue Reading
January 08, 2020
Duckworth on Senate Floor: “My Diaper-Wearing 20-Month-Old Has Better Impulse Control Than This President”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke on the Senate floor today following Iran's attacks last night on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. The attacks came in response to General Qasem Soleimani being killed in a U.S. airstrike last week. In her remarks, Duckworth focused on how this decision could further isolate us from our partners, jeopardize regional democracy as well as stability and … Continue Reading
January 08, 2020
Senator Duckworth Joins Colleagues to Introduce Anti-War Crimes Resolution That Denounces Trump Threats to Attack Iranian Cultural Sites
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and five of her colleagues to introduce a Senate resolution condemning Trump's threats to attack cultural sites in Iran and demanding the President refrain from violating the laws of armed conflict. The resolution responds to President Donald Trump's repeated threats on Twitter and in a press conference that the United States would make cultural sites a target of attack if … Continue Reading
January 08, 2020
Senator Duckworth Calls for Document Preservation at U.S. Department of State
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), combat Veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called on State Department Inspector General Steve Linick to immediately issue a document preservation order for the U.S. Department of State and its Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security is responsible for safeguarding American Foreign Service Officers and coordinating embassy security programs abroad. In light of the recent airstrikes … Continue Reading
January 03, 2020
Duckworth Statement on Soleimani Strike
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a Combat Veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), issued the following statement after General Qasem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad: "I first ran for office to ensure that when the drums of war beat loudly in Washington, I would be able to remind my colleagues in Congress and the White House what the true costs of war actually are-not just in dollars, but in American troops' lives as … Continue Reading
December 23, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Statement On Nomination Of Stephen McGlynn To Serve As U.S. District Judge For The Southern District Of Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the White House announced the nomination of Stephen McGlynn to serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois: "We are pleased that the President has nominated Judge Stephen McGlynn. He has the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction as a district court judge in the Southern District of Illinois. We … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Duckworth Votes for Bipartisan Agreement to Fund the Government
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) voted for the two Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations packages, which will fund the government through September 30, 2020. The bills passed the U.S. Senate with a bipartisan majority and now heads to the President's desk for his signature. "I'm glad both parties came together to pass this bipartisan budget agreement that includes a number of important provisions, such as securing miners' earned health care and pension benefits, defending … Continue Reading
December 19, 2019
Duckworth Responds to FAA, TSA Federal Employees Being Overlooked on Paid Family Leave
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement regarding the exclusion of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, including air traffic controllers, from being eligible for 12 weeks of paid family leave that other federal employees are now eligible for under the newly-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). "In the most prosperous nation in the history of the world, no one should have … Continue Reading