Press Releases
Duckworth and Durbin Call on the White House to Prioritize the Safe Return of Illinoisan Kidnapped in Afghanistan
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, wrote to President Biden today to request that the National Security Council (NSC) immediately convene an interagency meeting of the Principals Committee to develop a course of action to secure the release of their constituent, Mark Frerichs, a … Continue Reading
August 16, 2021
Duckworth Statement on Afghanistan
[HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years, issued the following statement today: "The images we've seen of Afghanistan falling to the Taliban are tragic and incredibly difficult to watch, especially for the countless American servicemembers and military families who sacrificed greatly in that nation. "Right now, my attention is focused on the evacuation, which … Continue Reading
August 14, 2021
Duckworth Meets with Veteran Advocates to Discuss Military Hunger in Chicagoland
[NORTH CHICAGO, IL] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with officials from Midwest Veterans Closet, a veterans donation site and support organization, as well as Illinois hunger advocates and military families in North Chicago to tour the organization's new location and discuss strategies to address hunger among military families. Last month, a modified version of Duckworth's Military Hunger Prevention Act was successfully included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 … Continue Reading
August 14, 2021
Duckworth Discusses Importance of American Rescue Plan and Infrastructure Funding for Local Governments with Lake County Mayors
[NORTH CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Lake County municipal leaders to discuss how federal funding in President Biden's American Rescue Plan (ARP) can help municipal governments recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 and build back an economy that works for everyone. The group also discussed the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the impact infrastructure funding will have in Northern Illinois. In total, Illinois will … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $200,000 for Clay County Hospital
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a $191,052 federal grant to the City of Flora from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program. This funding will help Clay County Hospital retain operating room jobs and purchase imaging technology and a laparoscopic camera system for the operating room. "Federal investments like this help rural communities like … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Duckworth Urges Finance Committee to Cut Taxes for Hard-Working Families in Forthcoming Reconciliation Legislation
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) urged U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) to include robust tax relief for hard-working families in the Finance Committee's forthcoming reconciliation legislation that will be developed pursuant to the reconciliation instructions that were included in the budget resolution (Senate Concurrent Resolution 14) the Senate adopted this week. In her letter, Duckworth called for the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Duckworth and Warren Seek Answers from DoD on Report of “Extreme Food Insecurity” Among National Guard and Reserve Service Members
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), both members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), sent a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin following reports describing "extreme food insecurity" among National Guard and Reserve service members. The Senators are requesting information regarding the scope of hunger among these service members, the extent to which widespread hunger among troops and … Continue Reading
August 11, 2021
Duckworth and Durbin Announce Illinois Set to Receive More than $15 Billion if Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Becomes Law
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted more than $15 billion in dedicated funding for Illinois infrastructure projects included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as well as billions more the state is eligible to compete for. This bipartisan infrastructure deal, which passed the Senate yesterday, would invest approximately $1.2 trillion in federal resources over the next five years, including … Continue Reading
August 11, 2021
Duckworth on Reconciliation Process: Democrats Pushing to Deliver for Working Illinoisans
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting to proceed with the budget reconciliation process that will include policies to support and uplift working families across the nation: "This morning's vote proves that Democrats are laser-focused on helping working parents and middle-class Illinoisans by building back an economy that works for everyone. We're working tirelessly to pass paid family leave, cut taxes for hard-working Illinoisans by … Continue Reading
August 10, 2021
Duckworth Statement after Voting to Pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that Includes Her Priorities to Clean Up Our Water and Make Transit Accessible for All
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment & Public Works' (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water & Wildlife that has jurisdiction over the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act and author of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 (DWWIA)-which passed the Senate by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 89-2 in April 2021-issued the following statement after voting for the bipartisan infrastructure deal, … Continue Reading
August 10, 2021
Senate Passes Duckworth, Durbin, Bustos’ Protecting Roadside First Responders Act in Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, the U.S. Senate passed legislation included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act designed to reduce crashes involving distracted driving and prevent first responder roadside deaths. Authored by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), the Protecting Roadside First Responders Act requires the implementation of life-saving, crash avoidance safety technologies … Continue Reading
August 09, 2021
Duckworth Urges Colleagues to Include President Biden’s Request for a $400 Billion Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Investment in 2022 Budget
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today urged U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), U.S. Senate Committee on Budget Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) to include President Biden's request for a $400 billion investment over 10 years for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services in the reconciliation instructions in the fiscal year 2022 budget resolution. This letter is also signed by U.S. Senators … Continue Reading
August 06, 2021
Duckworth Joins Coons, Colleagues in Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort Urging Education Secretary to Discharge Outstanding Student Loans for Americans with a Permanent Disability
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Angus King (I-ME) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and U.S. Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI-3) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1) in urging U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to move swiftly with rulemaking to automatically discharge the outstanding student loans of more than 517,000 Americans with a total and permanent disability (TPD). "While the Department has made improvements to the TPD … Continue Reading
August 05, 2021
Duckworth Re-Introduces Bill to Expand Campus Child Care & Help Student Parents Graduate
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today re-introduced a bill to help increase access to on-campus child care for low-income student parents and ensure the U.S. Department of Education is meeting the needs of our student parent populations. The Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) Reauthorization Act would reauthorize and fully fund the only federal program that exclusively supports on-campus child care services. Duckworth originally introduced this … Continue Reading
August 05, 2021
Duckworth Statement on the Passing of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the passing of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: "I'm deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden passing of Richard Trumka. Working families across our nation have lost a fierce advocate, one who never shied away from standing up for what was right and who worked every single day to improve the lives of millions of hard-working Americans. His legacy as a champion of working people will live on and I will … Continue Reading
August 05, 2021
Duckworth Discusses the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, Climate Change and Environmental Justice with League of Conservation Voters
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-founder of the first-ever U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus and author of the water title in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, today held a virtual meeting with members of the League of Conservation Voters to discuss the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, good-paying union jobs, clean energy, environmental justice and the opportunity to make once in a generation progress on climate change. "To truly 'Build … Continue Reading
August 05, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $8 Million for Airport Improvements around Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced a total of $8,335,191 today in federal funding to three Illinois airports. These Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investments are funded through President Biden's American Rescue Plan and will provide some economic relief for costs associated with operations, staffing, cleaning, sanitization and combating the spread of COVID-19. "Making sure airports across Illinois continue to have the support … Continue Reading
August 04, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $1.6 Million for Youth Runaway Support and Prevention
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $1,600,000 today in federal funding to the Chicago-based National Runaway Safeline (NRS). This investment, allocated through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), will assist the NRS in fulfilling its mission to keep runaway, homeless and at-risk youth safe and off the street. "Every child should have access to a safe place to sleep at night, yet, far too many young Americans, … Continue Reading
August 04, 2021
Duckworth, Booker, Carper Reiterate Call for Environmental Justice Priorities in Reconciliation
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) founders and co-chairs of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, today issued the following statement: "For too long, our nation's communities of color and low-income communities have shouldered a disproportionate burden of the consequences of climate change and pollution. Throughout our history, Indigenous, Black, Brown AANHPI and low-income Americans have been left out of our … Continue Reading
August 04, 2021
Duckworth Bill to Make Public Transit More Accessible Included in Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) celebrated how the inclusion of a modified version of her All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Act in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help Americans with disabilities and improve their lives by helping make transit stations more accessible. According to the Federal Transit Administration, as of 2019 nearly 20 percent of all transit stations were not ADA accessible. Duckworth's provisions will provide $1.75 billion over … Continue Reading
