Press Releases
Duckworth Calls for Independent Investigation of Effort to Manipulate & Subvert VA Rulemaking Process
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator and combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) asked for an independent investigation into potential manipulation of the public comment submission process regarding a proposed rule change that could determine when Veterans may seek healthcare outside the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Duckworth wrote today to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) asking them to initiate an investigation after more … Continue Reading
May 06, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $230,000 for AmeriCorps VISTA Projects in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $235,563 in federal funding to Illinois organizations participating in AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) programs. This funding comes through the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). "AmeriCorps national service programs bring together people from all walks of life to address pressing challenges in local communities and strengthen our nation," Duckworth said. … Continue Reading
May 04, 2019
Duckworth and Underwood Host Town Hall in Gurnee
[GURNEE, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) hosted a town hall meeting today at River Trail School in Gurnee to meet with constituents, answer questions and discuss their work serving Illinois families in Congress. Duckworth and Underwood highlighted their top priorities for the 116th Congress, including improving infrastructure in Illinois, increasing tax credits for working families and protecting Medicare. They answered questions from … Continue Reading
May 03, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin, Schneider, Foster, Lipinski, Casten & Underwood Ask ATSDR to Conduct Air Monitoring for Ethylene Oxide in Lake County
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Dan Lipinski (D-IL-3), Sean Casten (D-IL-6) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), wrote to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) this week requesting the agency immediately begin air quality monitoring at two facilities in Lake County, Illinois, to determine whether ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions exceed safe levels. The … Continue Reading
May 02, 2019
Duckworth Advocates for Compensation for Illinois Communities with Nuclear Waste During Senate Hearing
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) discussed the struggles many Illinois communities face with stranded nuclear waste at today's U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) hearing on the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019. Duckworth questioned Geoff Fettus from the Natural Resources Defense Council's Nuclear, Climate and Clean Energy Program today on the importance of developing a grant program to compensate communities like Zion, Illinois, who … Continue Reading
May 01, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth, Senators Introduce Choose Medicare Act To Make Medicare Available To Everyone
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), today introduced the Choose Medicare Act to give every individual who is not already eligible for Medicaid or Medicare the opportunity to enroll in Medicare. The Choose Medicare Act also gives every employer the ability to purchase Medicare for their employees. "All Americans deserve high-quality health coverage, and this … Continue Reading
April 30, 2019
Duckworth Helps Reintroduce RECLAIM Act to Invest in Coal Communities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today, along with Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More (RECLAIM) Act of 2019 to provide opportunities for coal reclamation and economic development in communities impacted by the downturn in the coal industry. "This legislation will help communities in … Continue Reading
April 30, 2019
Ahead of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Duckworth, Casey & Blumenthal Re-Introduce Bill to Make Fitness Facilities More Accessible for People with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) re-introduced legislation today to make fitness facilities across America more accessible for those with disabilities. The Exercise and Fitness for All Act would establish new federal guidelines to help ensure people with disabilities have the same opportunity to use fitness facilities as their able-bodied peers, and it would allow small businesses to use the Disabled Access Tax Credit to … Continue Reading
April 30, 2019
Duckworth Hosts Mobile Office Hours in Calumet City
[CALUMET CITY, IL] - The Office of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted "Mobile Office Hours" in Calumet City, where her constituent service representatives were on hand to assist Illinoisans with receiving Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Medicare and other federal benefits. Additional Mobile Office Hours will take place in communities throughout the state over the coming months to offer constituents who may not be able to travel to one of the Senator's offices an opportunity to … Continue Reading
April 26, 2019
Returning to Iraq for First Time Since Being Shot Down, Duckworth Leads Bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Middle East
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - This week, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Iraq, joining U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Angus King (I-ME) on an official trip to the Middle East. The Senators traveled to Baghdad, Taji, and Erbil, where they met with Iraq's top leaders and received operational and intelligence updates from American diplomats and military commanders in the region. The Senators visited American troops deployed … Continue Reading
April 26, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $300,000 for Southwestern Illinois Head Start Programs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $383,544 in federal funding to help children from low-income families in Southwestern Illinois access Head Start and Early Head Start programs provided through Community Link. 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 … Continue Reading
April 24, 2019
Duckworth Hosts Mobile Office Hours in Bourbonnais and Pontiac
[BOURBONNAIS, IL] - The Office of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted "Mobile Office Hours" in Bourbonnais and Pontiac, where her constituent service representatives were on hand to assist Illinoisans with receiving Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Medicare and other federal benefits. Additional Mobile Office Hours will take place in communities throughout the state over the coming months to offer constituents who may not be able to drive to one of the Senator's offices an … Continue Reading
April 22, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Join Bipartisan Effort to Secure Full Funding for the Firefighter Cancer Registry
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Deb Fischer (R-NE) and 31 of their colleagues in requesting $2.5 million to fully fund the Firefighter Cancer Registry. The registry, which was passed and signed into law last summer, is managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and collects and monitors the prevalence, incidence and types of cancers among firefighters. "Full funding for the … Continue Reading
April 22, 2019
On Earth Day, Duckworth, Booker & Carper Announce Creation of Environmental Justice Caucus
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - On Earth Day, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tom Carper (D-DE) announced the creation of the Senate's first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus to call Congress' attention to the many environmental justice issues affecting our nation. The caucus will raise awareness of the many environmental and pollution issues that have created public health challenges, which disproportionately impact low income communities and communities of color. The caucus … Continue Reading
April 19, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $70,000 to Help Create Jobs in South Central Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $70,000 in federal funding to help create jobs and support economic growth in South Central Illinois. This funding was awarded to the South Central Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission by the Economic Development District Planning Program, a program within the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) that assists communities as they develop and … Continue Reading
April 18, 2019
Duckworth Statement on the Mueller Report
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following the public release of a heavily-redacted version of the Mueller Report today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "I'm still reviewing the redacted version of the Mueller Report, but what I've read makes it crystal clear that this is anything but an exoneration of Donald Trump's actions. If anything, we now know for certain that Trump repeatedly lied to the American people, inappropriately attempted to end the Special Counsel's … Continue Reading
April 18, 2019
Duckworth Demands Answers from Secretary DeVos After Trump Administration’s Refusal to Implement Rule to Address Racial Discrimination in Special Education
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and 6 of their colleagues in expressing concerns to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos about her Department's decision to delay implementation of the Equity in IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) rule, which addresses the disproportionately high rate at which students of color are placed in special education settings. The over-identification of students of color into these … Continue Reading
April 18, 2019
Duckworth Statement on Attorney General Barr’s Press Conference on the Mueller Report
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following Attorney General Barr's press conference on the Mueller Report this morning, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "Attorney General Barr's biased press conference this morning was a low point for our nation and the rule of law. It's sad to see the Attorney General of the United States acting as if he were the President's personal lawyer. The American people deserve the opportunity to read the complete findings of Robert Mueller … Continue Reading
April 17, 2019
Duckworth, Warren Call on the IRS to Improve the Tax Refund Process Following Release of GAO Report
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found low-income and minority taxpayers are more likely to use costly tax-time financial products; companies are failing to provide clear, timely information on fees and that the IRS must improve data quality. In their letter, the Senators requested more information on how the IRS can … Continue Reading
April 16, 2019
Duckworth, Carper and Cardin Urge EPA, Army Corps to Abandon ‘Dirty Water Rule’ Proposal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - At the close of the public comment period, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) led 13 other senators in sending a letter yesterday to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) R.D. James urging them to reverse course on the dangerous Dirty Water Rule proposal to gut the Obama-era … Continue Reading
