Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $6.5 Million for Rockford Head Start Programs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $6,541,926 in federal funding to help children from low-income families to access Head Start and Early Head Start programs through the City of Rockford. This funding comes through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) that allocates funding, technical assistance, strategic partnerships and more in order to help … Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Newly Declassified Report Documents TSA's Failure to Address Security Risks
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairman Representative Elijah E. Cummings in releasing a newly declassified report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) that examined covert testing used by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to identify aviation security vulnerabilities. Duckworth issued the following statement on the report: "Every day, millions of Americans rely on TSA to … Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
One Year After Trump Administration Deported Illinois Veteran, Duckworth Re-introduces Comprehensive Bill Package to Protect Veterans and Servicemembers from Unfair Treatment
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - One year after the deportation of Afghanistan War Veteran Miguel Perez, Jr., combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today re-introduced several bills to protect and support Veterans and servicemembers-men and women who have proven they are willing lay down their lives defending America. Duckworth's proposals-the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, HOPE Act and I-VETS Act- are co-sponsored by several of her House and Senate colleagues and would prohibit the … Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Duckworth Announces Legislation to Help Small Businesses Get Financing They Need to Succeed
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced the introduction of new legislation to help small business owners secure the financing they need to grow their businesses and create good-paying jobs in their communities. Speaking at a Senate Small Business Committee hearing, Duckworth touted The Microloan Program Expansion Act of 2019, which would improve the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Microloan Program to help more small businesses - particularly women, Veterans, … Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Join Senate Democratic Caucus to Save Health Care for Millions of Americans and Those with Pre-Existing Conditions
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined all 47 Senate Democrats to introduce a Senate resolution-led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)-that would reverse the Department of Justice's (DOJ) recent decision to side with U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor's ruling that deems health care protections enjoyed by hundreds of millions unconstitutional. This latest act of health care sabotage from the Trump Administration could result in 133 … Continue Reading
April 03, 2019
Duckworth Highlights Need for Oversight of Army Modernization Efforts
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - At a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland Hearing, U.S. Senator and former Army logistics officer and Blackhawk pilot Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) pressed U.S. Army leaders on their efforts to avoid repeating past mistakes with current Army modernization efforts, like the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) plan. Video of Duckworth's questions at the hearing is available here. "One of my priorities is making sure we learn the sometimes hard lessons from past acquisition … Continue Reading
April 03, 2019
Duckworth Joins Reed, Coons, Larson & Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Expand and Promote Opportunities for National Service
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Chris Coons (D-DE) and U.S. Representatives John Larson (D-CT-01) and Joe Kennedy III (D-MA-04) in introducing legislation to help young Americans strengthen their communities and our nation through service while reducing their student debt burden. The America's Call To Improve Opportunities Now (ACTION) for National Service Act, which builds on Senator Duckworth's 21st Century American Service Act, … Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Duckworth Now Accepting Applications for Class of 2024 Service Academy Nominations
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator and combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that her office is now accepting applications from high school students seeking a Congressional nomination to a United States Military Service Academy through her website. Each year Duckworth, along with a nomination committee, select from the applicants a group of outstanding Illinois students to receive Congressional nominations to attend West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy or the … Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Duckworth Helps Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Assist Law Enforcement in Investigating Fentanyl, Protecting Officers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along with 10 of their colleagues, last week in introducing bipartisan legislation to help provide state and local law enforcement with high-tech devices to detect and identify dangerous drugs like fentanyl. The Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act would establish a new grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice to help state and local law enforcement organizations secure … Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Ask DHS to Recognize Security Risks of Ethylene Oxide
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a number of fires and explosions at facilities that produce ethylene oxide (EtO), U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today to revise its characterization of EtO as part of its "Chemicals of Interest" list, which is required under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard. The list characterizes EtO as a flammable chemical and should also recognize its explosive quality. However, DHS does … Continue Reading
April 01, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Help Re-Introduce Bill Requiring President and Vice President to Fully Disclose and Divest Conflicts of Interest
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and 28 of their colleagues in re-introducing legislation requiring the President and Vice President to disclose and divest any potential financial conflicts of interest. The Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act would also require presidential appointees to recuse themselves from any specific matters involving the president's financial conflicts of interest that come … Continue Reading
March 29, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Reiterate Call for Air Quality Monitoring in Lake County for Cancer-Causing EtO Emissions
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following the EPA's announcement that they will conclude ambient air quality monitoring near the idled Sterigenics facilities in Willowbrook, Illinois at the end of the month, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: "Results of the EPA's air quality monitoring confirmed that high levels of ethylene oxide were being emitted by Sterigenics, posing a significant public health threat to the people of Willowbrook and the … Continue Reading
March 29, 2019
Duckworth, Hassan Requests Examination of Federal and State Prison Emergency Preparedness Procedures
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Oversight and Emergency Management, urged the Government Accountability Office (GAO) today to investigate the Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) emergency preparedness efforts. The Senators wrote to Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro requesting a GAO study on how BOP protects inmates during natural and manmade disasters and other emergencies. Duckworth and Hassan also … Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
New Federal Report Reveals Airlines Damage Average of 25 Wheelchairs Each Day
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - As a result of a law authored by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is releasing data that reveals for the first time how many wheelchairs and motorized scooters airlines damage each month. According to the DOT's latest air travel consumer report, air carriers reported damaging or breaking 701 wheelchairs and scooters between December 4th and December 31st - an average of over 25 each day. Duckworth is a combat Veteran and … Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
Duckworth Urges VA Office of Inspector General To Investigate Irregularities in VA MISSION Act Public Comment Submission Process
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After more than 21,500 suspicious public comments were submitted regarding a proposed rule change at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senator and combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) pressed the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) to investigate the potential manipulation and ensure the integrity of the rulemaking process. The more than 21,500 suspicious public comments, which were identical, accounted for roughly 90% of the 23,886 total comments … Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
Duckworth, Capito Re-Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Designating March as National Endometriosis Awareness Month
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today re-introduced a resolution recognizing the significance of endometriosis as an unmet chronic disease for women and designating March as National Endometriosis Awareness Month. This resolution would also encourage the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide information on endometriosis to women, patients and providers, and to improve screening tools and treatment options. Endometriosis is … Continue Reading
March 27, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin, Carper Demand Information on EPA’s Handling of Ethylene Oxide Science Review, Sterigenics Emissions Release Oversight
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Carper (D-DE), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler seeking information related to the agency's recent decision to question EPA career staff's assessment of the health risks and political appointees' handling of potentially illegal releases of ethylene oxide (EtO), a chemical identified by EPA as a … Continue Reading
March 27, 2019
Duckworth Questions “Culture of Coziness” in Federal Aviation Safety Oversight During Senate Hearing on Boeing 737 MAX Series
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a general aviation pilot and combat Veteran, raised questions about a perceived lack of oversight into the development and federal approval of the Boeing 737 MAX series aircraft today. During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing today, Duckworth grilled the Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about international pilot training standards, as well as what steps can be taken to prevent similar problems from … Continue Reading
March 27, 2019
Duckworth Meets with Chicago Teachers Union Members
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members today about improvements to workforce readiness and career preparation programs in public schools. Duckworth and the Chicago teachers discussed the importance of expanding career awareness and technology instruction for middle school students and increasing apprenticeship and job opportunities for high school seniors. Photos from today's meeting are available here. "Providing students with … Continue Reading
March 27, 2019
Duckworth, Schumer, Schatz Introduce New Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and seven other Senate Democrats today to announce the creation of a Special Committee on the Climate Crisis. The new Senate committee will be tasked with investigating, holding hearings and issuing findings on how climate inaction is harming our country's economy, health and national security. As a combat Veteran, Duckworth has seen firsthand how climate … Continue Reading
