Press Releases
Duckworth Applauds President Biden’s Appointment of Erika Moritsugu as Senior White House AAPI Liaison
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after President Biden appointed Erika Moritsugu to a new senior-level AAPI liaison position in the White House. The Biden Administration created this new Deputy Assistant to the President position after assuring Senator Duckworth in late March that it will do much more to elevate AAPI voices and perspectives at the highest levels of government as well as advance policy proposals that are relevant and … Continue Reading
April 14, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Black Maternal Health Week Resolution
Twenty-two co-sponsors in the Senate and more than 47 in the House join resolution to raise national awareness of the state of Black maternal health in the United States [WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to introduce a resolution recognizing Black Maternal Health Week, "to bring national attention to the maternal health crisis in the United States and the … Continue Reading
April 13, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin and Colleagues Urge President Biden to Return to Iran Nuclear Agreement
Lawmakers support returning to the JCPOA and using a "compliance for compliance" approach as a starting point to reset U.S. relations with Iran [WASHINGTON D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Murphy (D-MA), and 23 of their Senate colleagues in a letter to President Joe Biden expressing the need to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to peacefully and effectively stem the threat of Iran's nuclear … Continue Reading
April 13, 2021
Duckworth Calls on FEMA to Promote the Procurement and Distribution of American-made N95 Respirators
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today urged U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to take additional action to make sure organizations that could better protect personnel by distributing National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved N95 particulate filtering facepiece respirators (NIOSH-approved N95 respirators) are made aware of, and connected with, … Continue Reading
April 12, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $65 Million Reimbursement for Illinois COVID-19 Emergency Spending
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive $65.3 million in back payments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) thanks to President Biden's decision to waive the 25 percent state cost share requirement for assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, Duckworth and Durbin have been calling for the federal government to cover 100 percent of the costs under the COVID-19 National … Continue Reading
April 12, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Kelly, Underwood Applaud Biden Administration for Signing Illinois Waiver Extending Health Care Coverage for New Moms
Thanks to the lawmakers' leadership, waiver will extend health care coverage for new moms on Medicaid in Illinois from 60 days after pregnancy to a full year [WASHINGTON D.C] - During Black Maternal Health Week, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) today applauded the Biden Administration for approving and signing Illinois' 1115 waiver, which will extend health care … Continue Reading
April 09, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $2.9 Million for Illinois Veterans’ Homes to Protect Against COVID-19
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois State Veterans' Homes have received a total of $2.9 million in additional federal grant funding to ensure residents continue to receive high quality care and are protected from COVID-19. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and was appropriated by Congress in the COVID-19 relief package passed in December. "Every American deserves to be protected from … Continue Reading
April 09, 2021
Duckworth Statement on Biden Executive Actions on Gun Violence
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Biden announced several executive actions to address gun violence: "How many lives must be taken before we finally say, 'enough is enough?'" Duckworth said. "I don't want my daughters to have to grow up in a country that won't protect them from firearm violence. We owe it to the countless victims of preventable gun violence to take action, which is why I'm pleased to see the Biden … Continue Reading
April 09, 2021
Bicameral Lawmakers Issue Statements After Prompting FDA’s Creation of “Closer to Zero” Campaign
FDA's Campaign is Historic Commitment to Baby Food Safety Standards [WASHINGTON, D.C.]- Today, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), and the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform's Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Senator Amy Klobuchar, issued the following statements after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the "Closer to Zero" Campaign, setting timelines for regulating toxic heavy metals in baby foods: "Parents deserve to … Continue Reading
April 06, 2021
Duckworth Discusses Drinking Water Infrastructure Bill with Illinois Environmental Advocates
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife today met virtually with local environmental advocates to discuss her recently-introduced Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 (DWWIA 2021). The bipartisan legislation authorizes more than $35 billion for water resource development projects across the country, which is of vital importance in Illinois, the state with the … Continue Reading
April 01, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Push for Site of Emmett Till’s Memorial Service to be Designated as Part of National Park System
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today requested the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a reconnaissance survey of the Roberts Temple Church of God In Christ, located at 4021 South State Street, in the Bronzeville area of Chicago, Illinois, for consideration as a new unit of the National Park System. Roberts Temple is the site of the memorial service for fourteen year-old Emmett Till, who was abducted, tortured, and … Continue Reading
April 01, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Announce $270 Million in American Rescue Plan Funding to Community Health Centers for COVID-19 in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that 45 Community Health Centers (CHCs) throughout Illinois will receive a total of $270 million in federal funding to support COVID-19 vaccination and health services for vulnerable populations in urban and rural parts of the state. The funding, which was appropriated through the American Rescue Plan, will be awarded beginning in April by the Health Resources and Services Administration … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Duckworth Applauds Pentagon’s New Rules to Reverse Trump-Era Discriminatory Policies Against Transgender Troops
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years, released the following statement of support for the Pentagon's sweeping reversal of the Trump administration's discriminatory policies against transgender Americans serving in our military: "Former President Trump's transgender military ban was as heartless as it was damaging to our military readiness. If you are … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Duckworth Applauds President Biden’s Infrastructure Goals
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement of support for President Biden's sweeping infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan: "President Biden's American Jobs Plan is the bold, forward-thinking proposal we need to tackle the challenges of our time. Not only does it create millions of good-paying jobs, rebuilds our crumbling infrastructure and better positions us to compete with China, but it moves our nation towards a better future. As … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $21 Million to Help Address HIV in Chicago
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $21,236,246 in federal funding today to the Chicago Department of Health to help provide comprehensive, community-based and cost-efficient HIV care to low-income Chicagoans. "To continue building on the progress our nation has made to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we must prioritize equitable, accessible care for underserved, low-income Americans," Duckworth said. "This federal funding will help ensure … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Urge EPA to Strengthen Safe Drinking Water Protections in Illinois and Nationwide
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's Fisheries, Water and Wildlife Subcommittee-which has legislative jurisdiction over the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act-and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen the Safe Drinking Water Act's Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the Senators … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Duckworth Joins Hirono in Reintroducing Impact Aid Bill to Fund School Infrastructure Projects
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN) and their colleagues last week in introducing legislation to support school infrastructure projects. The Impact Aid Infrastructure Act (IAIA) would provide $1 billion in supplemental funding for school infrastructure construction grants in Fiscal Year 2022 through the Impact Aid program. Similar legislation was introduced in the House of … Continue Reading
March 30, 2021
Following Duckworth’s Efforts, DOJ Pledges to Improve Investigations and Prosecutions of Hate Crimes against Asian Americans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced an internal review into the ways the Department of Justice (DOJ) can improve and prioritize its investigations and prosecutions of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community: "The spike in anti-Asian American hate is a real-and deadly-national crisis. It's time the DOJ bring to bear the full force of its resources to … Continue Reading
March 30, 2021
Duckworth Applauds President Biden’s Actions to Support AAPI Community
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement in response to President Biden announcing that his Administration will implement a variety of initiatives designed to protect and empower the AAPI community: "The AAPI community has endured a difficult, heart-wrenching year. We were the target of hateful, offensive rhetoric from the previous President. We experienced a spike in hate crimes, violent assaults and discrimination. And we are still mourning a … Continue Reading
March 30, 2021
Duckworth Helps Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Make Sure All Internationally Adopted Children Can Gain Citizenship
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in introducing the Adoptee Citizenship Act. The bipartisan bill would close a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) that has prevented internationally adopted children, who are now adults, from receiving U.S. citizenship despite being raised by American parents. "Because of a technicality under … Continue Reading
