Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Help Introduce First Ever Bipartisan Senate Resolution to Honor the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in introducing the first ever bipartisan U.S. Senate resolution to recognize and honor Stonewall's significance. Stonewall is an important moment in American history that helped spark the modern LGBTQ movement for equal rights … Continue Reading
June 27, 2019
Senate Passes Duckworth’s Defense Bill Provisions to Protect Servicemembers & Support Illinois Jobs
[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) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the U.S. Senate today. This year's NDAA, which also includes a well-deserved 3.1% pay raise for our troops, authorizes funding for the U.S. … Continue Reading
June 27, 2019
Ahead of 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Riots, Duckworth & Pappas Introduce Bill to Improve VA Services for LGBT Veterans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (NH-01) introduced legislation today to support LGBT Veterans by amending the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) definition of "minority group member" to explicitly include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Veterans. The LGBT VA Advocacy Inclusion Act would authorize the VA's Center for Minority Veterans (CMV), an office in VA's Central Office, to include these Veterans in their mission. … Continue Reading
June 27, 2019
Duckworth, Peters, Roberts Bill to Raise Awareness about Vaccines & Increase Vaccination Rates Advances in Senate
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) to increase vaccination rates by raising vaccine awareness through a national campaign to combat misinformation advanced in the Senate today. The VACCINES Act was passed by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) as part of a larger health care package. The bill would also establish grants to address vaccine-preventable … Continue Reading
June 26, 2019
Duckworth Pushes for Swift Implementation of Positive Train Control Safety Features, Improvements in Amtrak On-Time Performance in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) secured commitments from top transportation officials and stakeholders to address key Illinois passenger rail issues today during a hearing in the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Committee. At the hearing, Duckworth reaffirmed industry's commitment to fully addressing Positive Train Control (PTC) interoperability issues in the Chicagoland area from Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson and Association of American Railroads … Continue Reading
June 26, 2019
Duckworth, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Invest in Communities with Stranded Nuclear Waste
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced the Sensible, Timely Relief for America's Nuclear Districts' Economic Development (STRANDED) Act to address the impacts of stranded nuclear waste by providing federal assistance to communities around the country that are burdened with storing this waste. The Senators' bipartisan legislation would award economic impact grants to local government entities to offset the economic impacts of stranded … Continue Reading
June 25, 2019
Duckworth Meets with Springfield Leaders & Land of Lincoln Economic Development Corporation
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder and more than a dozen members of the Land of Lincoln Economic Development Corporation to discuss infrastructure priorities in Springfield and Sangamon County in Illinois. Duckworth and members discussed the ongoing Springfield rail improvement project, excavation of the 1908 Race Riot Commemoration Site, and her efforts with Senator Durbin to bring a new flying mission to Springfield's 183d … Continue Reading
June 25, 2019
Duckworth & Durbin Push for Flying Mission at Springfield’s 183d Wing
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - which the Senate is currently debating - that would return Springfield's 183d Wing, a unit of the Illinois Air National Guard, to flying status. The Senators' amendment would authorize the U.S. Secretary of the Air Force to transfer A-10, F-16, F-15E/X or F-35 aircraft to the Wing. The Wing flew F-16s until 2005, but now serves as the … Continue Reading
June 25, 2019
As Trump Escalates Tensions, Duckworth Reiterates that President Does Not Have Legal Authority to Start a War with Iran
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) delivered powerful remarks on the Senate floor criticizing Donald Trump and his Administration's reckless, erratic strategy on Iran while warning of the severe consequences of blundering into war. Duckworth outlined how the Trump Administration has manufactured a crisis with Iran and unnecessarily ratcheted up tensions in the region, creating a dangerous situation - and how despite Donald Trump's bluster, only … Continue Reading
June 21, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin, Bustos Secure Grant Extension for Quad Cities Amtrak Route
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) yesterday received confirmation from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that the agency had granted the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) a six month extension for federal funding for the Quad Cities to Chicago rail project to give local stakeholders needed flexibility to finalize an agreement. The funding is now extended to November 30, 2019. "I'm … Continue Reading
June 20, 2019
Duckworth, Senate Colleagues Introduce Bill to Help Prevent Police-Involved Deaths & Provide Justice to Families
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), today introduced legislation that would help restore trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve by helping prevent police-involved deaths and encourage independent, impartial investigations into law enforcement officials' use of deadly force. The Police Training and Independent … Continue Reading
June 20, 2019
Duckworth, Young Introduce Bill to Provide TSA PreCheck to Disabled Veterans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Todd Young (R-IN) today announced bipartisan legislation to make air travel easier for Veterans with disabilities by providing them with TSA PreCheck at no cost. TSA PreCheck is already available to active duty, reserve and National Guard servicemembers at no cost. The Veterans Expedited TSA Screening (VETS) Safe Travel Act would expand this program to include Veterans who are amputees, paralyzed, or blind since passing through … Continue Reading
June 19, 2019
Duckworth Bill to Commemorate & Preserve Route 66 Passes Senate Committee
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) unanimously today. The Route 66 Centennial Commission Act would establish a centennial commission in preparation for the 100th anniversary of Route 66, which begins in Chicago and continues through six other states, including Oklahoma, before ending on the Pacific Coast of California. Duckworth and Inhofe both serve as members … Continue Reading
June 19, 2019
Duckworth Secures Commitments on Illinois Transportation Projects at FAST Act Reauthorization Hearing
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) secured commitments from top transportation officials on several key Illinois and national projects during today's U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) hearing on reauthorizing a surface transportation bill. At the hearing, Duckworth questioned Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator Ronald Batory, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Raymond Martinez, National Highway Traffic … Continue Reading
June 18, 2019
Duckworth, Langevin Lead Colleagues in Asking Trump Administration for Information on Hiring Targets, Retention Rates of Federal Employees with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI) sent a letter to Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Margaret Weichert outlining their concerns that the Trump Administration is failing to hire and retain employees with targeted disabilities at rates outlined by an Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) initiative. The EEOC defines the term "targeted disabilities" as disabilities that the government has, for … Continue Reading
June 17, 2019
Duckworth to Host Mobile Office Hours in Pekin and LaSalle Thursday
[PEKIN, IL] – The Office of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) will host two mobile office hours Thursday, June 20, where her constituent service representatives will be onsite to assist Illinoisans with receiving the Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Medicare and other federal benefits to which they may be entitled. Thursday’s mobile office hours will be held at the Pekin Public Library and LaSalle VFW Post 4668, with additional mobile office hours taking place in communities … Continue Reading
June 17, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin & Fischer Introduce Legislation to Help Midwestern Farmers by Reforming Small Refinery Waiver Program
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) in introducing bipartisan legislation to reform the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) small refinery exemption program, which the Trump Administration has abused to exempt oil refineries from having to use legally required levels of biofuel as required by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The RFS Integrity Act of 2019 would for the first time make applications for small … Continue Reading
June 14, 2019
Duckworth Tours 1908 Race Riot Memorial Site
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) toured the 1908 Race Riot excavation site in Springfield today to observe the excavation process of the site Duckworth has proposed to be a national monument. The Springfield Race Riot National Monument Act, which Duckworth introduced this February, designates the site a national monument to be managed by the National Park Service. With less than a quarter of National Parks devoted to recognizing the histories of diverse peoples and … Continue Reading
June 14, 2019
Duckworth Honors Veterans at VFW Department of Illinois 98th State Convention in Springfield
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) delivered remarks today at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Illinois 98th State Convention, emphasizing the importance of recognizing our Veterans' sacrifices not just on Veterans Day, but every other day of the year too. She went on to discuss the legislation she's passed to help Veterans, such as the Clay Hunt SAV Act, which expanded mental health services to help reduce suicides among Veterans. Duckworth is … Continue Reading
June 13, 2019
Legislation to Protect Infants from Deadly “Crib Bumpers” Introduced in Senate & House
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), along with Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), introduced legislation to protect infant lives by banning the sale of crib bumpers in the United States. The Safe Cribs Act (S. 1816) would also make it unlawful to manufacture and import crib bumpers, which are marketed as necessary for infant safety even though 48 babies have died as a result of … Continue Reading