Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $1 Million in Federal Funding for Rural Illinois EMS Services
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $962,877 in federal funding through Durbin’s Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act to support emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in rural communities. The funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which was created through Durbin’s SIREN Act, goes toward supporting rural fire and EMS agencies in training and … Continue Reading
September 01, 2024
Duckworth Statement on the Brutal Killing of Hersh Goldberg-Polin by Hamas
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement in response to confirmation the bodies of six Israeli hostages killed by Hamas were recovered, including Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin: “My heart is broken by this gut-wrenching news. My deepest condolences are with Hersh’s family and friends, including those throughout the Chicagoland area, and his parents, Rachel and Jon, who have been staunch advocates for the hostages and their … Continue Reading
September 01, 2024
Duckworth Statement on Donald Trump’s Disrespect of Arlington National Cemetery
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement today in response to Donald Trump’s disgraceful and dishonorable desecration of the hallowed ground at Arlington National Cemetery: “Donald Trump’s latest incident at Arlington National Cemetery is just another example of someone who has no idea what it means to serve anything greater than himself. Arlington National Cemetery is sacred ground for those who gave their lives to defend … Continue Reading
August 29, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Led Members of Illinois Delegation in Urging President Biden to Grant Federal Disaster Declaration for Illinois Counties Following July's Severe Storms, Tornadoes
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led 16 members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to President Biden urging the White House to grant Governor JB Pritzker’s request for federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help seven Illinois counties recover from storm damage. In July, severe storms passed through the state, with more than 40 tornadoes spinning through … Continue Reading
August 28, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Secure Funding for Disaster Preparedness in Illinois
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) today announced $118,945 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Smith-Lever Special Needs Competitive Grants Program going to the University of Illinois. The Smith-Lever Special Needs Competitive Grants Program supports innovative, education-based approaches to address disaster … Continue Reading
August 27, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $57 Million in Funding for Elementary School on North Chicago Naval Base
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced the award of a $57,701,575 grant to North Chicago School District 187 at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois from the Department of Defense (DoD). The project will address facility capacity and condition deficiencies at Forrestal Elementary School. Upon completion, 580 kindergarten through fifth-grade students will be supported through the project. Funding for this grant is … Continue Reading
August 26, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $1 Million in Funding to Address Lead in Drinking Water
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—founding member and co-founder respectively of the Senate Lead Task Force—and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive $1,093,000 to address lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These federal grant dollars will reduce lead exposure where children learn and play, maximizing the investment by impacting more members of … Continue Reading
August 19, 2024
Duckworth Joins U.S. Coast Guard for Security Preview Ahead of 2024 Democratic National Convention
[CHICAGO, IL] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) this weekend joined U.S. Coast Guard Rotary Wing Air Intercept (RWAI) helicopter crews from the Detroit Coast Guard Air Station and Sector Lake Michigan Commander Captain Seth Parker to observe airspace security efforts ahead of the 2024 Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago. Photos from today’s tour are available on the Senator’s website. “I was pleased to receive an in-depth look by our Coast Guard into the … Continue Reading
August 16, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announces $1.5 Million in Funding to Modernize Homes for Illinois Families
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $1.5 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to finance energy efficient and climate resilient improvements for affordable homes in Illinois under the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). Funded under the Inflation Reduction Act, GRRP provides funding for direct loans and grants to make improvements to … Continue Reading
August 16, 2024
Duckworth Joins President Biden for Declaration of 1908 Race Riot Site as a National Monument
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined President Joe Biden in the Oval Office for the President’s signing ceremony to officially declare the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site as a national monument to be managed by the U.S. National Park Service through an Antiquities Act proclamation. Duckworth has been a steadfast leader in securing national monument recognition for the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site, a critical event in American history that spurred the … Continue Reading
August 16, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Applaud Lowered Prices of 10 Medicare-Covered Prescription Drugs
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the Biden-Harris Administration for its efforts to negotiate price reductions for 10 of the most expensive and frequently-dispensed drugs in the Medicare program. The Inflation Reduction Act, which Durbin and Duckworth both strongly advocated for, provided the Biden-Harris Administration with the authority to negotiate the drug prices with Big Pharma, resulting in price … Continue Reading
August 15, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $32.6 Million in Federal Funding for Cancer Research at University of Illinois
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $32.6 million in federal funding for cancer research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This funding, through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Precision Surgical Interventions program, will go towards inventing new imaging techniques to enhance cancer treatments by allowing surgeons to remove all microscopic cancer cells that remain … Continue Reading
August 14, 2024
On the 116th Anniversary, Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Applaud Biden-Harris Administration on Establishing the 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Monument
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) today applauded the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement it will designate the uncovered site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot as a national monument to be managed by the U.S. National Park Service. This designation ensures the historic site will be preserved to tell the story of the Springfield Race Riot of 1908—a critical event in American … Continue Reading
August 14, 2024
Duckworth Welcomes 194 Newly-Naturalized Citizens in Springfield
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. District of Central Illinois Judge Colleen Lawless today to welcome nearly 200 residents from 49 different countries for the first time as United States citizens in the U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois Naturalization Ceremony. In her remarks to the new Americans, Duckworth highlighted the importance of diversity in strengthening … Continue Reading
August 13, 2024
Duckworth Touts $500,000 in Federal Funding She Secured for New Women’s Business Center in Peoria
[PEORIA, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today celebrated the opening of the new Women’s Business Center in Peoria, made possible in part by funding she helped secure. Earlier this year, Duckworth secured $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) funds for the WBDC to support entrepreneurial training for child care providers throughout Northern Illinois and boost the number of affordable child care businesses. Duckworth was joined by U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen … Continue Reading
August 09, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Illinois Delegation Members Push USDA to Boost Farm Conservation Funds for Illinois
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)-a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry-and U.S. Representatives Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) and Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), all members of the House Committee on Agriculture, led members of the Illinois delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack to express concerns about the low level … Continue Reading
August 08, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $15.9 Million in Funding for Clean Manufacturing in Illinois
[CHICAGO, IL] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $15.9 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) coming to Illinois through the Inflation Reduction Act to support efforts to report and reduce climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials and products. These awards from the Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history—will reduce climate pollution by helping … Continue Reading
August 07, 2024
Duckworth, Blackburn, Casey Urge CMS to Cover Standing Elevation Systems in Power Wheelchairs to Help Improve Health and Mobility for Medicare Beneficiaries
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bob Casey (D-PA) today called on U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help Americans with disabilities more easily get around and have better access to the equipment they need to live fuller, healthier and more independent lives. In their request, the Senators call for CMS to cover standing systems embedded in power wheelchairs under Medicare. The bipartisan letter to CMS Administrator … Continue Reading
August 07, 2024
Duckworth, Kaine, Markey Press Social Security Administration to Help Those with Long Covid Overcome Barriers to Disability Benefits
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) led their colleagues in pushing the Social Security Administration (SSA) to address the barriers those with Long COVID face when applying for disability benefits with the Social Security Administration. “According to recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 18.4 percent of U.S. adults have experienced Long COVID and over 25 percent of people with Long COVID say … Continue Reading
August 05, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Join Booker, Warnock, Butler, Colleagues to Announce Reintroduction of George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to announce the reintroduction of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2024, the most comprehensive bill to reform law enforcement and strengthen police … Continue Reading
