Press Releases
Duckworth Meets with Grieving Illinois Jewish and Muslim Leaders to Reinforce Support and Denounce Hate
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today visited with leaders of Illinois’s grieving Muslim and Jewish communities to reinforce her support in light of the ongoing war in the Middle East. Duckworth reiterated the importance of denouncing hateful Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic rhetoric and violence that has already led to multiple hate crimes in Illinois and around the country. Duckworth today visited the Mosque where … Continue Reading
October 20, 2023
Duckworth Statement on Illinois Hostages Released by Hamas Terrorists
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a member of both the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, celebrated the release of two Illinois hostages, Natalie and Judith Raanan, who were taken by Hamas terrorists during their coordinated and inhumane attacks in Israel last weekend and who have been held in Gaza since while calling for the release of and access to immediate medical care for those still in captivity: “The release of two Illinoisans, Judith and Natalie … Continue Reading
October 20, 2023
Duckworth to Support President Biden’s National Security Package to Keep America Safe, Strengthen Border Security
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a member of both the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, issued the following statement today announcing her support for President Biden’s request to Congress for additional resources to strengthen U.S. national security by investing in our domestic defense industry, countering China in the Indo-Pacific region, supporting Ukraine, helping innocent civilians in Gaza and Israel as well as bolstering security on our nation’s … Continue Reading
October 20, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Baldwin, House Members to Introduce Legislation to Lower Cost of Community and Tech College
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced bicameral legislation with U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-03), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA-03) to make two-year technical and community college accessible to more Americans by waiving tuition for eligible students. “Those of us who weren’t always sure we’d be able to go to college … Continue Reading
October 19, 2023
Duckworth Pleads for Sustained Humanitarian Aid for Innocents in Gaza: “No Child Deserves to Be Terrorized, Whether Their Home Is on A Kibbutz, in Plainfield, Illinois, or Behind A Blockade in Gaza”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), made an impassioned plea on the floor of the United States Senate for the global community to act with urgency to secure the sustained flow of humanitarian aid for the innocent civilians suffering in Gaza after Hamas’ terrorist attacks in Israel last weekend. Duckworth, a longtime and steadfast supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself and its people, specifically called for … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
Duckworth Statement on Commerce Committee Advancing FAA Administrator Nomination
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation—issued the following statement after the full committee voted to advance the nomination of Michael Whitaker to serve as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Whitaker’s nomination comes amid a chilling surge in near-deadly misses involving commercial … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Duckworth, Murkowski Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Medicare Coverage for Breast Cancer Patients and Survivors
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) re-introduced legislation to ensure breast cancer patients and survivors who have experienced a mastectomy are able to access custom breast prosthetics under Medicare. The Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act would provide coverage for custom fabricated breast prostheses—which, unlike other prosthetic devices, are not currently covered by Medicare—to the more than 100,000 women who undergo mastectomies … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
Duckworth Underscores Urgent Need for Confirmed Ambassador to Israel to Address Hateful Rhetoric and Hasten Humanitarian Aid for Innocents in the Middle East
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After the horrific fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian-American in Illinois this weekend, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today underscored the role the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel must play in helping address hateful Islamophobic and Antisemitic rhetoric that threatens to escalate the crisis in the Middle East even further. Duckworth, who has consistently supported Israel’s right to defend itself and its people, raised this issue during today’s U.S. Senate … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
Duckworth Joins Rosen, Colleagues in Introducing Bipartisan Senate Resolution Demanding Safe Release of Hostages from Hamas
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—joined U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and other Senate colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack on Israel and demanding that Hamas release all hostages and allow for their safe return home. “No innocent civilian—not Israelis, not Palestinians, not Illinoisans, not anyone—deserves to suffer the … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Ernst, Booker, Colleagues Urge President Biden to do Everything in His Power to Rescue American Hostages
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), led 45 colleagues in urging President Biden to continue putting his full attention on the freeing of American hostages that were taken by Hamas during the terrorist organization’s October 7th attacks on Israel and supporting Israel’s efforts to dismantle the threat of Hamas. In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “We appreciate … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
Duckworth Applauds Normal Mayor Chris Koos’s Nomination to Serve on Amtrak Board of Directors Advancing
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and its subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports, as well as the author of the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Act, issued the following statement after the full committee voted to advance Normal Mayor Chris Koos’s nomination to serve on Amtrak’s Board of Directors. His nomination now heads to the Senate floor … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
Duckworth Announces More Than $900,000 In Congressionally Directed Spending to Support Expanding Healthcare Access for Chicagoans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that $978,000 she secured through a Fiscal Year 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending Request will be sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago (IWS Family Health). The funding Duckworth secured will help IWS Family Health expand its integrated and coordinated healthcare home to meet the urgent needs of under-resourced communities in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin, … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues to Introduce Senate Resolution in Solidarity with UAW Workers on Strike
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along with 30 of their colleagues in the Senate, to introduce a resolution in solidarity with 150,000 members of United Auto Workers (UAW) bargaining for a fair contract, with 34,000 currently on strike. Auto workers voted to go on strike in September, in one of the largest U.S. strikes in the past three decades, … Continue Reading
October 18, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Murphy, Senators Call for Humanitarian Aid to Address Emergency Needs in Gaza
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), led 28 of their Senate colleagues in urging the Biden Administration to lead the international community in contributing to the United Nations’ emergency appeal of $294 million to address the immediate humanitarian needs in the West Bank and Gaza. Today, President Biden announced significant humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in those areas. Duckworth and … Continue Reading
October 16, 2023
Duckworth Meets with Ambassador to Israel Nominee
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees—met with the nominee to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, a critical position that must be filled as soon as possible to help in our nation’s efforts to support the innocent civilians caught in the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza. Photos of the Senator’s meeting are available here. “The innocent children and civilians—Israelis, … Continue Reading
October 16, 2023
As Winter Approaches, Duckworth, Durbin Join Bipartisan Letter Urging Biden Administration to Help Reduce Energy Costs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined a group of 26 lawmakers, led by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), in sending a bipartisan letter calling on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take additional steps to reduce energy costs for Americans through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP is a … Continue Reading
October 16, 2023
Duckworth Calls for Widespread Access to RSV Immunization for Young Children
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As millions of families continue to be at risk of infection during the fall and winter months, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is urging the President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) to help increase widespread access to nirsevimab for prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) under many common health insurance coverage plans for infants and children. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already notifying our nation’s … Continue Reading
October 15, 2023
Duckworth Statement on Anti-Muslim Hate Crime in Plainfield
[PLAINFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement on the violent hate crime committed against Wadea Al-Fayoume and his mother in Plainfield this weekend: "I’m disgusted by this horrific violent hate crime that targeted an innocent Illinois mother and child because they are Muslim. I condemn the barbaric, cold-blooded murder of six year old Wadea Al-Fayoume and hope the bigoted attacker is brought to justice. Illinoisans must come together and stand with our … Continue Reading
October 13, 2023
Duckworth, Markey, Grijalva, Lee Urge White House to Include Strong Climate, EJ Provisions in Recent NEPA Updates
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-chair and co-founder of the Senate’s first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus—along with U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ-07) and U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-12)—led 94 members of Congress in sending a letter to the White House’s Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) to express support for the Biden Administration’s recently proposed National … Continue Reading
October 13, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Foster Announce Up To $1 Billion For Midwest Alliance For Clean Hydrogen's Production And Distribution Hub
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL-11) today announced up to $1 billion in federal funding for the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen’s (MachH2) regional clean hydrogen production and distribution hub (H2Hub) through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program, funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). “Illinois is a leader in clean … Continue Reading