Press Releases
Duckworth Delivers Remarks Following Senate’s Bipartisan Passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke after the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also spoke at the press conference. Video of the Senator's remarks can be found here. Duckworth's full remarks as delivered are below: "Thank you. Well about 3 weeks ago my mom came from the-my 80 year old mom came home from the grocery store visibly … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Duckworth, Booker, Carper and Ruiz Introduce Bill to Address COVID-19’s Impact on Communities Plagued By Environmental Injustice
[WASHINGTON, DC] - On the second anniversary of U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tom Carper (D-DE) founding the Senate's first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus, the Senators introduced legislation that would help support communities experiencing environmental injustices, which has been exacerbated by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the Environmental Justice for Communities Act would ensure EPA continues a trio of environmental justice programs, while … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Senate Passes COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, the U.S. Senate passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act by a vote of 94-1, a bill to address the rise in hate crimes and violence against the AAPI community. Following its passage, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), and U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-NY-06) called for swift House consideration of the bill so President Biden can sign the bill into law. "After a year of unfathomable suffering and rising hate crimes against the Asian … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Bustos, McNamara Applaud AAR Corp and United Airlines for Partnership at Rockford International Airport
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), and Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, today applauded the announcement from Illinois-based AAR Corp that United Airlines will use its maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at Rockford International Airport (RFD) as a new maintenance location. The agreement with AAR Corp and United Airlines to use RFD's AAR facility as the maintenance location … Continue Reading
April 21, 2021
Duckworth, Schneider & Colleagues Renew Bipartisan Push to Aid Nuclear-Affected Communities
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-chair and co-founder of the U.S. Senate's first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus, today reintroduced bipartisan legislation 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 Sensible, Timely Relief for America's Nuclear Districts' Economic Development (STRANDED) Act would allocate $175 million annually for five years in a … Continue Reading
April 21, 2021
Duckworth Statement on EPA Inspector General Report Outlining Trump Administration’s Political Interference in Ethylene Oxide Management
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG)'s report on the Trump Administration's delayed risk communication and interference in protecting community members in Willowbrook and Waukegan, Illinois, from ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions. In the report, EPA OIG found that former Trump political appointees in the Office of Air and Radiation issued … Continue Reading
April 21, 2021
Duckworth, Kelly, Durbin, Underwood Meet With Maternal and Child Health Groups & Dr. Ezike to Discuss Ground-Breaking Illinois Efforts to Improve Health Outcomes 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.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02 U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) met virtually with national and Illinois-based maternal and child health advocates, as well as Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois … Continue Reading
April 21, 2021
Duckworth, Schneider & Colleagues Renew Bipartisan Push to Aid Nuclear-Affected Communities
As states and municipalities face unprecedented financial strain during the pandemic, STRANDED Act would help ensure nuclear-affected communities are not left behind [WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-chair and co-founder of the U.S. Senate's first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus, today reintroduced bipartisan legislation to address the impacts of stranded nuclear waste by providing federal assistance to communities around the country that are burdened with storing … Continue Reading
April 20, 2021
Duckworth Statement in Response to Guilty Verdict in Chauvin Case
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all counts in the death of George Floyd: "Last year, the world watched in horror as Derek Chauvin put his knee on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes as he cried 'I can't breathe' and called out for his mother while the life drained from his body. George Floyd was murdered at the hands of a police officer who betrayed his oath to protect and … Continue Reading
April 20, 2021
Duckworth, Portman, Blumenthal Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Infants from Deadly “Crib Bumpers”
Since 1985, dozens of deaths and more than 100 serious injuries have been directly attributed to these dangerous products [WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced bipartisan legislation today with the support of U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to protect infant lives by banning the sale of crib bumpers, which have been proven to pose an unnecessary, deadly risk to sleeping infants. The Safe Cribs Act would also make it unlawful … Continue Reading
April 19, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $42.5 Million to Support Head Start and Early Head Start in Chicago
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a total of $42.5 million in federal grant funding to the City of Chicago for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families, will support comprehensive child development programs for low-income children from birth to age five. "Head Start and Early Head Start programs are critical for … Continue Reading
April 19, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Colleagues Renew Push to Ban High-Capacity Gun Magazines
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to reintroduce the Keep Americans Safe Act, renewing a concerted effort to ban the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, or possession of gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. These high-capacity magazines are designed for shooting and killing en masse and have been the accessory of choice in … Continue Reading
April 16, 2021
Duckworth Hosts Southern Illinois Roundtable on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted a roundtable with officials from the Southern 7 Health Department and Southern Illinois's Community Health and Emergency Services. The group discussed efforts to address and mitigate hesitancy among those eligible for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, especially among at-risk and communities of color, as well as how resources from President Biden's recently-enacted American Rescue Plan will help with COVID-19 vaccine distribution and … Continue Reading
April 16, 2021
Duckworth Discusses the American Jobs Plan and Transportation Infrastructure with Southwest Illinois Officials
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation (CST), today met virtually with southwest Illinois leaders. Duckworth discussed her transportation infrastructure priorities and the Southwest Illinois Connector Highway Project, a proposed four-lane rural expressway connecting Southern Illinois to the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, as well as President Biden's American Jobs Plan proposal, which includes a $456 … Continue Reading
April 16, 2021
Duckworth Discusses Her Bipartisan Drinking Water Infrastructure Bill with Cook County Water Policy Leaders
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife today met virtually with local environmental leaders 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 16, 2021
Duckworth Hosts Roundtable in Support of the AAPI Community with AAPI & Black Faith Leaders
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) hosted a roundtable in support of the AAPI community with AAPI and Black faith leaders. The roundtable, which was livestreamed on the Senator's Facebook page, came after a year of spiking hate crimes and discrimination towards the Asian-American community, as well as continued police violence and systemic racism endured by Black Americans. "I'd love to be able to say that anti-Asian bigotry isn't American-or isn't normal-but the reality … Continue Reading
April 16, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Help Re-introduce Bill to Make Medicare Available to Everyone
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and seven of their Senate colleagues in introducing the Choose Medicare Act, legislation that would give every individual who is not already eligible for Medicaid or Medicare the opportunity to enroll in Medicare as an individual and give every employer the ability to purchase Medicare for their employees. "All Americans … Continue Reading
April 16, 2021
Duckworth Discusses Her Bipartisan Drinking Water Infrastructure Bill with Cook County Water Policy Leaders
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife today met virtually with local environmental leaders 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 16, 2021
Duckworth Joins Coons, Wicker, Colleagues in Reintroducing Bill to Expand National Service to Bolster COVID-19 Recovery
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and 15 bipartisan colleagues in reintroducing the Cultivating Opportunity and Recovery to the Pandemic through Service (CORPS) Act, which would expand national service programs significantly to help the country recover and rebuild from COVID-19. The CORPS Act would increase the number of AmeriCorps positions available to support a variety of response and recovery efforts based … Continue Reading
April 16, 2021
Duckworth, Moran Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Reserve Servicemembers and Small Businesses
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is Chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced bipartisan legislation to support Reserve Component Forces and small businesses. The Reserve Employers Comprehensive Relief and Uniform Incentives on Taxes (RECRUIT ACT) would provide tax credits for small businesses that hire Reserve and National Guard members, … Continue Reading
