Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Express Concern over ArcelorMittal Inspection Summary, Urge EPA to Take Action
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) expressed concerns over the results of a recent Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) inspection summary of ArcelorMittal USA's Burns Harbor facility that showed the company's self-monitoring program and its contract laboratory, Microbac, were both deemed unsatisfactory in terms of its procedures and laboratory methods. In August 2019, after a blast furnace wastewater failure, the Burns Harbor … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Klobuchar, Colleagues Urge Administration to Take Action to Ensure Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Funds Reach Small Businesses
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and 19 of their Senate colleagues in writing a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza, calling on the Administration to develop strong supervisory mechanisms to identify instances of unjust enrichment and ensure that Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds reach struggling small businesses who truly need the money. Recent … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin and Colleagues Push to Ensure College Students Have Food on the Table Amid COVID-19 Crisis
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and 14 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling for the activation of the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) as an eligible form of Individual Assistance to help college students access critical nutrition assistance during the COVID-19 … Continue Reading
April 27, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Urge EPA Region 5 to Monitor Factories on Chicago’s Southeast Side
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), chair and co-founder of the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do more to ensure five factories and facilities on Chicago's Southeast Side do not threaten the health of Chicagoans living in surrounding communities. In a letter sent last week, the Senators urged EPA Region 5 … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Following Reports That Trump Owes Millions to Chinese Bank, Duckworth Requests Investigation into Decision to Ship Tons of PPE and Medical Supplies from the U.S. to China
[WASHINGTON, DC] - In light of public reports that President Trump owes tens of millions of dollars to the Bank of China, one of the four largest state-owned commercial banks in that country, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today wrote to U.S. Representative James Clyburn (D-SC-06), the Chairman of the bipartisan Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, requesting an investigation into Trump's decision to facilitate the transportation of 17.8 tons of donated personal protection … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Bustos Statement on BOP Transfer of Inmates to Thomson Prison
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today released the following statement after learning that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is transferring at least 20 inmates from Metropolitan Correction Center (MCC) Chicago, where there is a confirmed COVID-19 outbreak, to the United States Penitentiary (USP) Thomson, in Thomson, Illinois: "BOP's response to the threat of COVID-19 in federal prisons has been … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Duckworth Hosts Telephone Roundtable for Illinois Nurses
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted a telephone roundtable with members of the Illinois Nurses Association (INA), American Nurses Association of Illinois (ANA-Illinois) and Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing (ISAPN) to thank the front line healthcare workers for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Duckworth was joined by INA Executive Director Alice Johnson, Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing Executive Director Susan Swart and … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Duckworth Helps Announce Bill to Expand Health Care Workforce to Meet Nationwide Challenges
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) helped U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), a Senior Chief Deputy Whip, announce bicameral legislation to provide a historic investment in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Nurse Corps programs to cover the graduate education costs of approximately 300,000 clinicians in order to help address existing health workforce shortages … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Bipartisan Colleagues Call for Relief for Rural Broadcasters, Local Newspapers During Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and 71 other Senators in a bipartisan letter calling for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Russell Vought to support radio and television broadcasters and local newspapers during the COVID-19 pandemic.“Our radio and television broadcasters and rural newspapers provide local and national news, emergency alerts, educational programs, and more to all corners of … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Colleagues Urge Administration to Fully Utilize Defense Production Act & Protect Veterans From COVID-19
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - To better protect veterans, health care professionals, and all Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and 13 other Senate colleagues, called on the Administration and its Coronavirus Task Force to make full use of the Defense Production Act (DPA). In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence today, the Senators implored the Administration to fully invoke the DPA to address the … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Discuss Impact of COVID-19 with Illinois Nonprofits
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined a call with representatives from advocacy, community service, and behavioral health nonprofits across Illinois to discuss support for nonprofit organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the call, the Senators heard from nonprofit leaders about the strain the COVID-19 crisis has placed on their organizations and discussed provisions in the CARES Act that offer financial assistance to nonprofits. … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Duckworth Speaks with President of SEIU Healthcare about COVID-19 Pandemic
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke by phone with Greg Kelley, President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kansas, about the COVID-19 pandemic, how nursing home workers are faring during the crisis as well as the racial disparity in COVID-19 related deaths and the environmental justice issues that can contribute to that disparity. Duckworth and Kelley also discussed SEIU Healthcare’s main priorities, which include obtaining more PPE, … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Duckworth Joins Durbin in Pushing Treasury to Ensure Americans Without Broadband Can Receive Economic Impact Payments
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 21 of her Senate colleagues in urging the Department of Treasury to increase its efforts to make Economic Impact Payments available to the most vulnerable populations-including those without access to the internet who cannot file a tax return electronically. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the Senators Senators highlighted that at least 21 million Americans are without … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Colleagues Urge Administration to Fully Utilize Defense Production Act & Protect Veterans from COVID-19
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - To better protect veterans, health care professionals, and all Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and 13 other Senate colleagues, called on the Administration and its Coronavirus Task Force to make full use of the Defense Production Act (DPA). In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence today, the Senators implored the Administration to fully invoke the DPA to address the … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Help Introduce Legislation to Significantly Expand National Service Programs to Respond to COVID-19
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and six of their colleagues in announcing the introduction of legislation to expand national service programs as the country works to respond and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act would fund 750,000 national service positions over a three-year response and recovery period, in part to meet the projected need for as … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Discuss COVID-19 Response in Illinois with Acting Navy Secretary and Chief of Naval Personnel
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services committee, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, spoke with Acting U.S. Navy Secretary James McPherson and Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Admiral John Nowell today to discuss the Navy’s COVID-19 response efforts in Illinois, including reports of the spread of COVID-19 at Naval Station Great Lakes in Great … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Duckworth, Bustos, Ernst, Durbin, Grassley, Loebsack Propose “Zillow.mil” Service for Military Real Estate
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Yesterday, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Joni Ernst (D-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (D-IA) and U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and Dave Loebsack (IA-02) proposed an online real estate Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for military space, similar to popular online real estate websites used by Americans, in order to market existing unused places to the Army, other federal agencies, or private partners. The proposal would create a new tool for the … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
As Workplace Infections and Deaths Rise, Duckworth, Durbin, Baldwin, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Protect Workers from COVID-19
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in introducing legislation to protect U.S. workers, including those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to disturbing and widespread reports of unsafe workplaces leading to preventable illnesses and deaths. The COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Democratic Senators to Trump: ‘Make clear that the enemy is not the Asian or Asian-American community, but rather a virus that endangers us all’
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) today were joined by 24 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in sounding the alarm about the increased harassment and violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to President Donald Trump, the Senators reiterated … Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Duckworth Statement on Bipartisan Agreement to Provide Additional Support for Small Businesses, Hospitals and Health Care Workers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Senate passed a nearly $500 billion package to provide funding for small businesses, hospitals and health care workers: “After a week of stonewalling, I’m glad Republicans finally came to their senses and joined Democrats to support emergency funding for our hospitals and health care workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to struggling small businesses. … Continue Reading
