Press Releases
Duckworth Reaction to Supreme Court Agreeing to Hear Case on Access to Mifepristone
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider a case that could determine the future of widespread access to Mifepristone, a medication that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved in 2000 and that doctors have safely and effectively prescribed for more than 20 years until a Trump-appointed Judge’s extreme and unprecedented decision to overturn a long-standing FDA drug-approval for … Continue Reading
December 13, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $20 Million in Federal Funding for Chicago’s Ogden Avenue Corridor Improvements Project
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $20,927,748 in new federal funding for the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Ogden Avenue Improvement Project in the North Lawndale neighborhood. This federal investment from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All program will support improvements along Ogden Avenue to reduce crashes and create a safer and more comfortable corridor for people walking, … Continue Reading
December 12, 2023
Duckworth Joins Rosen, Colleagues in Bipartisan Push Condemning United Nations Inaction on Hamas’s Sexual Violence Against Women
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin (D-MD) and more than two dozen Senate colleagues in a bipartisan a letter condemning the inaction of the United Nations (UN) regarding Hamas’s widespread sexual violence, including mass rape and mutilation, against women in Israel on October 7, 2023. The Senators urged … Continue Reading
December 12, 2023
Duckworth Urges Senate GOP to Pass Additional Ukraine Aid After Zelenskyy Meeting with Senators
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees—issued the following statement after she and her Senate colleagues heard directly from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this morning on the importance of additional American aid as Ukraine continues to fight against Putin’s unjustified and unprovoked war of choice: “President Zelenskyy’s sobering analysis this morning made it clear just how urgently we need … Continue Reading
December 12, 2023
Duckworth Highlights Nearly $1 Million in Congressionally Directed Spending to Boost Educational Support for Children in Lake County
[DES PLAINES, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with Kids Above All leadership over the weekend after securing $975,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending Request to help the youth support organization offer young children in underserved Lake County communities the comprehensive educational support that all children deserve. These Duckworth-secured federal funds will go toward Kids Above All’s partnership with North Chicago Schools, which focuses on helping ensure children in … Continue Reading
December 12, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Reintroduce Bill to Bring Fairness to FEMA Disaster Declaration Process
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a continuous stretch of severe weather events in Illinois, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reintroduced the Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act. The bill would reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) disaster declaration process to make it more transparent and equitable to small and rural communities in larger states like Illinois. Due to FEMA’s disaster declaration process, … Continue Reading
December 11, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Urge ATSDR to Conduct Public Health Assessment on Impact of Decades of Flooding in Cahokia Heights
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-founder of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) today sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) urging the agency to conduct a public health assessment on the impact of decades of flooding in Cahokia Heights, Illinois. “We write to request that the Agency for … Continue Reading
December 08, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Funding for 12 Rail Corridors in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration has selected 12 rail corridors in Illinois to each receive $500,000 for expansions and renovations through the new Corridor Identification and Development (CID) Program, which was established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “Connecting Illinoisans by rail allows folks to commute to … Continue Reading
December 08, 2023
Duckworth Meets with The Magnificent Mile Association to Discuss Economic Development in Chicago
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today met with leaders at The Magnificent Mile Association to discuss economic development and tourism in Chicago. Duckworth met with The Magnificent Mile Association President and CEO Kimberly Bares and Board Chair Justine Fedak, discussing the City of Chicago’s Small Business Storefront Activation program, funding made possible through the American Rescue Plan that … Continue Reading
December 08, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $53 Million in Federal Funding for Route 9 Upgrades in Central Illinois
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $52,860,638 in federal funding to the Illinois Department of Transportation to help the City of Bloomington improve multimodal transportation along approximately 6 miles of the Route 9 corridor. The improvements will include surface, curb and gutter replacements, sidewalk and ADA improvements, bike lane and pedestrian path additions, traffic signal upgrades, drainage improvements and bicycle facilities … Continue Reading
December 07, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $2.5 Million in Federal Funding for Improved Infrastructure in Du Quoin
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $2,529,000 in federal funding to the City of Du Quoin for the extraction and relocation of utility lines under Hickory Street, a project that the town has worked toward for years. Today’s federal investment which comes through the Delta Regional Authority’s (DRA) Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF) covers over half of the cost of this project that will help the town to improve their water … Continue Reading
December 07, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Sorensen, Colleagues Lead Effort to Improve Workers’ Compensation Access for Federal Workers in the Quad Cities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), along with U.S. Representatives Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), issued a letter urging Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to improve workers’ compensation access for federal workers in the Quad Cities area, including Department of Defense (DOD) workers at the Rock Island Arsenal. “The inability to get appointments with local providers has forced some federal … Continue Reading
December 07, 2023
Duckworth Meets with Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Advocates, Reiterates Call to Protect Lives
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with Illinois community members and gun violence prevention advocates and survivors to discuss their shared efforts to save American lives through comprehensive gun safety reform, including a federal assault weapons ban. The meeting included Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, representatives from Highland Park, Moms Demand Action in Illinois, Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, Chicago Survivors, Illinois Gun Violence … Continue Reading
December 07, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Call on Biden Administration to Increase Funding for Programs Addressing Root Causes of Gun Violence in FY25 Budget
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young urging the agency leader to increase funding for a variety of programs that have been shown to prevent gun violence, including housing and economic development, job opportunities, education, public health and community policing. In their letter, the Senators underscored the unacceptable level … Continue Reading
December 06, 2023
Duckworth Reaction to Senate Republicans Blocking President Biden’s National Security Package to Keep America Safe, Strengthen Border Security
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees—issued the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to block President Biden’s request to Congress for additional resources that would 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 countering Hamas, as well as … Continue Reading
December 06, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Quigley Announce $93.6 Million to Modernize Chicago's Union Station
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) today announced $93,600,000 for the Chicago Hub Improvement Project (CHIP) through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal-State Partnerships for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program, which received funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. CHIP is Amtrak’s multi-phased project to revitalize Chicago Union Station (CUS) … Continue Reading
December 05, 2023
Duckworth on Tuberville Lifting Most Military Promotion Holds: “It Never Should Have Taken This Long—And Can’t Erase Damage to Our National Security, Troops or Military Families”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator and combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, today responded to U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) finally backing down and allowing many of the more than 450 critical military promotions he has been blocking—with the help of many of his Senate Republican colleagues’ silence—to finally move forward. For almost a year, Senator Tuberville’s reckless and damaging holds have been hurting our military readiness … Continue Reading
December 05, 2023
Duckworth Joins Cotton, Merkley, Colleagues to Introduce Legislation Commemorating 190th Anniversary of Relations with Thailand
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Dan Sullivan (R-AL) today to introduce a resolution commemorating the 190th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Thailand. U.S. Representative Michelle Steel (R-CA-45) introduced companion legislation in the House. “Since establishing our first treaty alliance in the Indo-Pacific region in 1833, … Continue Reading
December 05, 2023
Duckworth Joins Durbin, Colleagues to Reintroduce Bill to Create Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Peter Welch (D-VT) today to reintroduce legislation to ensure struggling student loan borrowers are treated fairly and understand the full range of repayment options and resources available to them. The Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights Act creates consistent servicing and disclosure standards across … Continue Reading
December 01, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Applaud More Than $21.6 Million in Full-Service Community Schools Grants for Illinois Institutions
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the U.S. Department of Education for awarding $21,632,950 in Full-Service Community Schools grants to education institutions and community organizations in Illinois. Funding for full-service community schools has increased five-fold, from $25 million in 2020 to $150 million in 2023. The grant funding allows schools to partner with community organizations and institutions of … Continue Reading