Press Releases
Duckworth Statement on President Biden’s State of the Union Address
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after President Biden's State of the Union address: "After two years in office, President Biden reminded us tonight of the significant accomplishments Democrats delivered on for working families across the country. Because of our work-and despite Republican obstruction-we're lowering the cost of prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare, bringing down inflation, investing in infrastructure … Continue Reading
February 07, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Meet with Illinois Higher Education Leaders
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the leadership and members of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA), which represents 48 community colleges across Illinois and the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities (FIICU), which represents 56 private nonprofit colleges across Illinois. During their meetings, the Senators spoke about the rising cost of higher education and … Continue Reading
February 06, 2023
Duckworth to Host Metro East Doctor Erin King at State of the Union, Highlighting Need to Protect Women’s Health Access
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Dr. Erin King of Illinois's Hope Clinic will be her 2023 State of the Union guest, as part of the Senator's continuing efforts to underscore the importance of a woman's right to choose and defend Americans' right to full, comprehensive reproductive healthcare-no matter their zip code, income, ability status or skin color. "When Roe v. Wade fell, a ripple of panic and grief could be felt throughout our country," said … Continue Reading
February 03, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Foster, Underwood Introduce Resolution to Name Fermilab Research Center After Renowned Physicist Dr. Helen Edwards
[WASHINGTON, DC]-U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) introduced a bicameral resolution to rename Fermilab's Integrated Engineering Research Center (IERC) after the late Dr. Helen Edwards, who worked at Fermilab as a particle physicist for 40 years. The IERC will be home to new office and lab space that will host an intersection of scientific disciplines. "Illinois's own … Continue Reading
February 03, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Shaheen and Tillis in Sending Bipartisan Letter to POTUS Urging Delay of F-16 Sales to Turkey Until Its Approval of NATO Accession Protocols for Sweden & Finland
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC)-co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group-in sending a bipartisan letter to President Biden expressing concern about the Republic of Türkiye's (Turkey) continued delays around ratifying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) accession protocols for Sweden and Finland. The letter states that congressional … Continue Reading
February 02, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin to Pharmacies: How Can Congress Support Efforts to Improve Access to Reproductive Health Care?
[WASHINGTON, DC]- U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Rosalind Brew, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance; Karen Lynch, President and CEO of CVS Health; and Elizabeth "Busy" Burr, Interim CEO of Rite Aid Corporation, commending the pharmacies for publicly committing to seek certification from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to dispense medication abortion pills to those with a … Continue Reading
February 02, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Statement on Senate Judiciary Committee Advancing Nomination of Lindsay Jenkins to Serve As District Court Judge For The Northern District Of Illinois
[WASHINGTON, DC]-U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Lindsay C. Jenkins' nomination to serve as a District Court Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Based on recommendations made by the screening committee the Senators established in the Northern District, Duckworth and Durbin … Continue Reading
February 02, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Congressional Colleagues to Reintroduce Safe Firearm Storage Legislation
[WASHINGTON, DC]-U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) to reintroduce Ethan's Law, legislation that would ensure gun owners safely and securely store their firearms. Named in honor of Ethan Song, a teenager from Guilford, Connecticut, who was tragically killed in 2018 by an unsecured gun in a neighbor's home, the bill would create … Continue Reading
February 02, 2023
Ahead of 30th Anniversary of FMLA, Duckworth and Casten Re-Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Ensure Education Support Professionals Can Access FMLA Benefits
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)-landmark legislation that guaranteed a segment of the workforce unpaid leave to care for their newborns and sick loved ones-U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Sean Casten (D-IL-06) are reintroducing the bipartisan ESP and School Support Staff Family Leave Act to help expand the FMLA and ensure it covers the 2.7 million education support professionals (ESPs) who are currently … Continue Reading
February 01, 2023
Duckworth Joins Kaine and Braun in Introducing Bipartisan Bill to Help More Americans Access High-Quality Job Training, Get Good-Paying Jobs
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) this week joined U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mike Braun (R-IN) in reintroducing the bipartisan Jumpstarting Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, legislation to help more Americans get good-paying jobs by allowing students to use federal Pell Grants to afford high-quality, shorter-term job training programs for the first time. Pell Grants are need-based education grants for low-income and working students. As of now, … Continue Reading
February 01, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Meet with President Of Loyola University Chicago
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Mark Reed, President of Loyola University Chicago, to discuss funding for educational institutions in Illinois. The Senators and Dr. Reed also spoke about Loyola University Chicago's efforts to serve low-income students and students of color and boosting federal funds for Pell Grants to mitigate financial barriers for those seeking an education. Durbin expressed his … Continue Reading
January 31, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Davis Announce $7.2 Million for Illinois State Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools for Student Mental Health Services
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL-07) today announced the awarding of two federal grants totaling $7.2 million to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Chicago Public Schools for increasing student mental health and trauma-informed care services in schools across the state. These grants were awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) … Continue Reading
January 30, 2023
Duckworth Re-introduces Legislation to Prevent Atrocities Like Mass Japanese American Internment from Happening Again
[WASHINGTON, D.C.]-U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today re-introduced the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act, a bill that would establish a clear legal prohibition against un-American policies that seek to imprison individuals solely on the basis of race, religion, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability. With the continued rising number of anti-Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) hate crimes and violence, … Continue Reading
January 30, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $850 Million in Federal Investments to Improve Transit for Illinoisans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will benefit from significant transit investments, thanks in part to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Illinois will receive over $850 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for transportation improvements that will allow our state's transit agencies to modernize and expand services, all while creating economic opportunity … Continue Reading
January 30, 2023
Senator Duckworth Joins Senator Markey, Representative Bush in Letter to Biden Administration Recommending an Environmental Justice Scorecard
[WASHINGTON, D.C.]-Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate's Environmental Justice Caucus, joined U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), U.S. Representative Cori Bush (D-MO-01) and other Congressional colleagues in a letter to White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Brenda Mallory providing recommendations for developing a comprehensive, accessible and transparent Environmental Justice (EJ) Scorecard to measure and monitor the progress federal … Continue Reading
January 30, 2023
Duckworth Leads Colleagues in Urging FDA to Act Swiftly to Reduce High Levels of Toxic Heavy Metals in Baby Foods
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued draft guidance to reduce levels of lead in baby food earlier this week, today U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) and U.S. Representative Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29) are once again urging FDA to take quick and significant action to reduce high levels of toxic heavy metals-including lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium-in baby food and … Continue Reading
January 30, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Casey, Dingell in Introducing Bill to Provide Historic, Permanent Investment in Home Care for Seniors and People with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6) in introducing legislation to expand access to home and community-based services for older adults, people with disabilities and injured workers, while increasing pay and improving benefits for the caregivers who provide this life-sustaining care. The Better Care Better Jobs Act would enhance Medicaid … Continue Reading
January 26, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Booker, Schakowsky, García, Trahan Introduce Mentoring to Succeed Act
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-4) and Lori Trahan (D-MA-3), introduced the bicameral Mentoring to Succeed Act in recognition of January as National Mentoring Month. This legislation provides a strong, sustainable support system through mentorship to ensure that children who experience … Continue Reading
January 26, 2023
Duckworth Joins U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), long-time member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, will join the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the 118th Congress. Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring from military service in 2014 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and is an Iraq War Veteran and Purple Heart recipient. She was among the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. "I'm … Continue Reading
January 26, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues in Calling On FTC to Investigate Continued Marketing To Kids of The JR-15 Rifle By Wee 1 Tactical
[WASHINGTON, D.C.]-U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Alex Padilla (D-CA), to call on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the continued marketing to children of the "JR-15" rifle by Illinois-based company Wee 1 Tactical. While children under … Continue Reading
