Press Releases
Bipartisan Duckworth-Kennedy-Durbin Bill Would Help Strengthen Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Kennedy (R-LA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced bipartisan legislation today to help expand economic opportunity for Veteran small business owners. The Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act would allow Veteran small business owners to acquire equipment and property that the federal government no longer has a use for by adding Veterans to the list of eligible recipients for federal surplus property, which already includes women … Continue Reading
April 14, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Use of Military Force in Syria
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement on the use of military force in Syria: "The world cannot turn a blind eye to the Assad regime's repeated use of illegal chemical weapons against their own people. Violations of absolute, unquestioned international norms, like the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons, must be confronted by the entire international community. While these strikes will have undoubtedly degraded the Assad regime's … Continue Reading
April 12, 2018
Duckworth, King Lead Colleagues in Call to Find Resources for Communities with Stranded Nuclear Waste
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Angus King (I-ME) led a letter cosigned by nine colleagues today to Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies seeking additional federal resources to help communities struggling with the harmful impacts of stranded nuclear waste. "Reactor communities nationwide have become de facto high-level radioactive waste … Continue Reading
April 09, 2018
Duckworth & Family Welcome Second Daughter into the World
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) became the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office when she delivered her second daughter, Maile (pronounced MY-lee) Pearl Bowlsbey, today. Senator Duckworth and family are recovering well and appreciate respect for their privacy during this time. She issued the following statement: "Bryan, Abigail and I couldn't be happier to welcome little Maile Pearl as the newest addition to our family and we're deeply honored that our good … Continue Reading
April 09, 2018
Duckworth and Durbin Demand Answers on the Closure of Two Public Housing Complexes in Thebes, Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) demanded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provide detailed information regarding its recent decision to shutter two Alexander County Housing Authority (AHCA) facilities in Thebes, Illinois. The Senators' letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson comes less than a year after HUD decided to close two additional AHCA facilities in Cairo, Illinois, without any clear plan to rehouse the hundreds of … Continue Reading
April 09, 2018
Duckworth Requests Federal Investigation into Whether EPA Violated Multiple Federal Laws In Giving Raises to Two Scott Pruitt Aides
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Safe Drinking Water Act, requested a non-partisan government watchdog investigate whether the salary raises the EPA gave to two top aides to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt violated multiple federal laws, including the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Antideficiency Act. Pruitt, who has been widely criticized for lavishly spending taxpayer dollars on himself, told … Continue Reading
April 08, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Chemical Weapon Attack in Syria
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement in reaction to the apparent chemical weapon attack in Syria: "These disheartening reports confirm that the Assad regime, along with its allies, are emboldened to continue what the entire world knows is an atrocious and inhumane campaign of attacks against innocent men, women and children. Those who remain silent or help enable the use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians have … Continue Reading
April 05, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Trump Trade War
[WASHINGTON, DC] - In response to the alarming prospect of a trade war with China that could harm American businesses, farmers and manufacturers, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "This is what happens when the President of the United States engages in reckless rhetoric at the expense of strategic policy-making. Instead of taking targeted actions to level the playing field for American workers, including steelworkers, as many of us had urged, Donald Trump … Continue Reading
April 03, 2018
Duckworth Joins Casey, 19 Senators in Calling on HHS to Maintain LGBTQ Questions on Data Collection Surveys
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and 19 of their colleagues today in urging U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to ensure key data is collected so that LGBTQ Americans can access federal programs best suited for their needs. The Senators requested that questions pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity continue to be included on data collection documents that are used to determine the … Continue Reading
March 29, 2018
Duckworth & Senate Democrats Vow to Defeat House GOP-Led Effort to Curtail Civil Rights of Americans with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and 42 of her colleagues wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today pledging to block a House Republican-led effort to curtail the civil rights of Americans living with disabilities. Together, the group of 43 Senators is large enough to defeat the discriminatory ADA Education and Reform Act (H.R. 620), which civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) described as, "a bill that turns the clock backwards and strikes … Continue Reading
March 28, 2018
All Twenty-Two Democratic and Republican Female Senators Call for Reform to Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Rules in Congress
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - All twenty-two Democratic and Republican women of the U.S. Senate, including U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), today called on Senate leadership to bring forward legislation that would update and strengthen the procedures available to survivors of all forms of sexual harassment and discrimination in congressional workplaces before the full Senate. The House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation in February aimed at preventing sexual harassment and … Continue Reading
March 28, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Highlight How Additional Federal Funding for Veterans Could Help Improve Quincy Veterans’ Home, Protect Residents from Legionnaires’ Disease
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) outlined today how additional federal funds secured in last week's omnibus funding agreement could be used by the State of Illinois to protect the Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) in Quincy from Legionnaires' Disease and construct a new Veterans' Home in Chicago. Duckworth pushed for more than half a billion dollars in additional funding for construction at state-run Veteran health facilities like IVH Quincy, all of … Continue Reading
March 28, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Firing of VA Secretary David Shulkin
[WASHINGTON, DC] - After Donald Trump fired Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement. Duckworth is a combat Veteran and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "Good leaders see problems and try to solve them. Donald Trump sees problems and makes them worse. By once again choosing chaos over consistent leadership, Donald Trump is hurting Veterans around the country. "Unlike so many … Continue Reading
March 27, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $6.7 Million Federal Grant to Help Prevent HIV & AIDS in Chicago
[CHICAGO, IL] -U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $6,713,737 in federal funding today to provide comprehensive and efficient HIV/AIDS care beyond essential medical services to low-income Chicagoans and families across the city. The funding is intended to be used by the City of Chicago to strengthen supporting services that enable those living with HIV/AIDS and their families the ability to remain in primary medical care to improve their overall medical … Continue Reading
March 26, 2018
Duckworth Introduces Resolution Designating March as National Endometriosis Awareness Month
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced a resolution designating March as National Endometriosis Awareness Month. This resolution will also encourage the Health and Human Services Secretary to provide information on endometriosis to women, patients and providers and to improve screening tools and treatment options. Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological diseases, affecting 6.5 million Americans. Women can suffer up … Continue Reading
March 24, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Deportation of U.S. Combat Veteran Miguel Perez
[CHICAGO, IL] - After disheartening reports that Miguel Perez, a U.S. Army combat Veteran, was deported yesterday to a country he hasn't called home since he was 8, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth released the following statement this morning: "This case is a tragic example of what can happen when national immigration policies are based more in hate than on logic and ICE doesn't feel accountable to anyone. At the very least, Miguel should have been able to exhaust all of his legal options before … Continue Reading
March 23, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $15 Million For Head Start Programs Throughout Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded six Head Start and Early Head Start programs throughout Illinois a total of $15,656,772 in federal funding. "I'm proud to support programs like Head Start and Early Head Start that give children throughout Illinois a fairer shot at reaching their full potential," Duckworth said. "When we invest in childhood education and parental … Continue Reading
March 23, 2018
Duckworth Sounds Alarm on the Imminent Deportation of United States Combat Veteran
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Upon learning of the imminent deportation of fellow combat Veteran Miguel Perez Jr., U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) requested an urgent update on the removal proceedings and asked U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to personally review Perez's case."I was alarmed to learn this morning that Mr. Perez Montes' removal from the United States is imminent and may be carried out today at O'Hare International Airport," Duckworth wrote in the … Continue Reading
March 23, 2018
New Duckworth Bill Would Require Public Disclosure of Trump Administration’s Travel Spending
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After several Trump Administration senior officials including Secretaries Zinke, Mnuchin and Pruitt violated the Federal Travel Regulation by wasting exorbitant amounts of taxpayer dollars on inappropriate travel expenses like charter jets and first class airfare, U.S Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation today to help ensure the Trump Administration-and any future administration-spends taxpayer dollars more responsibly. Duckworth's new Federal Travel … Continue Reading
March 23, 2018
Duckworth: Bolton’s Bush Administration Record “All the Proof Anyone Should Need” That He Lacks Judgment Needed to be National Security Advisor
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement regarding Donald Trump's appointment of John Bolton as National Security Advisor, replacing H.R. McMaster: "John Bolton's disastrous record during the Bush Administration is all the proof anyone should need that he lacks the judgment necessary to serve as National Security Advisor. He didn't just aggressively push for war with Iraq, he was confident that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. … Continue Reading