Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $11.5 Million in Grant Funding for Head Start Projects
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Chicago will receive $11,516,272 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant funding to support the center’s Head Start programming, which offers services for children under the age of five in receiving wrap-around support in early learning and development. “Head Start programs are crucial for kids throughout … Continue Reading
May 29, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce more than $8.6 Million for Medical Research and Health Center Programs in Illinois
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $8,602,005 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. A large portion of the funding will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from neurological disorders to cancer research. This round of grant funding will also support the development of a program for Black … Continue Reading
May 28, 2024
Duckworth, Sullivan Lead Bipartisan Senate Delegation Reinforcing U.S. Support for Taiwan Following Successful Democratic Elections
[TAIPEI, TAIWAN] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois)—who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of both the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—and U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), himself a SASC member as well as a retired Colonel with 30 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, are leading a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to underscore and reaffirm our nation’s strong bipartisan support … Continue Reading
May 28, 2024
Duckworth, Murray, Pressley Announce Legislation Calling for Equitable Access to Reproductive Healthcare for People with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), in partnership with disability justice and reproductive justice advocates, announced a bicameral resolution calling for equitable access to reproductive and sexual health care for people with disabilities, and designating a day in May as “Disability Reproductive Health Equity Day.” The resolution recognizes the barriers people with disabilities encounter … Continue Reading
May 25, 2024
Duckworth Pays Tribute to Fallen Servicemembers at Chicago Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony
[CHICAGO, IL] — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today paid tribute to our nation’s fallen servicemembers at the City of Chicago’s wreath laying ceremony to commemorate Memorial Day. Duckworth joined City of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Veterans and servicemembers to honor local Gold Star families and remember loved ones who were killed in the line of duty. Photos of today’s event are available on the Senator’s website. “This weekend is a somber reminder for our entire … Continue Reading
May 23, 2024
Duckworth Introduces Legislation to Improve Access to High-Quality Medical Care for Servicemembers and Military Families in the Indo-Pacific
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—introduced legislation to improve medical readiness within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and ensure our nation’s servicemembers and their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region—where they often must to travel long distances to receive care—whether … Continue Reading
May 23, 2024
Duckworth Condemns Senate Republicans for Blocking Bipartisan Border Security Legislation That They Negotiated, Again
[WASHGINTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement condemning Senate Republicans for blocking the Senate from even beginning debate on the bipartisan border security legislation that they helped negotiate yet again: “After loudly complaining about the urgent need to ‘fix our border’ for years, it’s disappointing to see my Republican colleagues—at Donald Trump’s request—refuse to even allow a debate on a bipartisan border deal that Senate Republicans … Continue Reading
May 23, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Stabenow, Peters Secure Increase in Federal Cost Share to Help Protect the Great Lakes in the 2024 Water Resources Development Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) today announced that they secured an increase to the federal cost share for the Brandon Road Project in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), which was unanimously passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) earlier this week. Under the provision, the federal … Continue Reading
May 21, 2024
Duckworth Reintroduces Legislation to Help Deported Veterans Gain Citizenship
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Despite enlisting in our military and serving our country under the promise of gaining citizenship, many Veterans that were honorably discharged have faced deportation and even been prevented from attending their own naturalization hearings. To help address this injustice, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today reintroduced her Strengthening Citizenship Services for Veterans Act to help ensure deported Veterans who have successfully completed the … Continue Reading
May 21, 2024
Duckworth and Durbin Announce $17.8 Million in EPA Grant Funding to Clean and Redevelop Contaminated Illinois Sites
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Chair of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus—and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)—a member of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus—announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded 10 grants, totaling $17,833,610, to Illinois communities to assess, clean, and redevelop “brownfield” contaminated waste sites. Brownfields are properties upon which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse is complicated by … Continue Reading
May 21, 2024
After Duckworth and Durbin’s Continued Efforts, USPS to Pause Changes to Mail Processing in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the news that the United States Postal Service (USPS) would pause the proposed plan to eliminate mail processing at Processing and Distribution Centers through the end of 2024. This announcement comes after Duckworth and Durbin vocally pushed against this proposed change which would exacerbate already-delayed mail delivery throughout Illinois, especially in the state’s rural … Continue Reading
May 21, 2024
Duckworth and Durbin Join Welch in Urging Congress to Expand Access to Affordable Housing
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Peter Welch and nearly every Senate Democrat in calling on Congress to fund the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NeighborWorks America) in the upcoming FY25 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Bill. As a congressionally chartered national nonprofit, NeighborWorks creates opportunities for Americans to live in … Continue Reading
May 20, 2024
Duckworth: Far From “Protecting IVF,” New Senate Republican Effort Would Simply Encourage States to Defund Healthcare for Millions
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement underscoring that a new bill unveiled by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Katie Britt (R-AL), which they claim would “protect IVF,” would actually incentivize state legislatures to both ban IVF and defund Medicaid at the same time—unpopular, extreme policies that far-right Republican policymakers have sought to do for decades. This Republican-led effort comes after Republicans blocked Senator … Continue Reading
May 20, 2024
Duckworth Joins Murray, Senate Democratic Women in Responding to New Senate Republican Legislation Pushing Anti-Abortion Propaganda, Collecting Data on Pregnant Women Through New Government Website
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 10 of her colleagues in issuing the following statement in response to new legislation introduced by Senate Republicans that would create a new government-run website to collect data on pregnant women and direct them to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers and other “resources” to pressure women into carrying pregnancies to term, no matter their circumstances. “Americans don’t want the … Continue Reading
May 16, 2024
Duckworth Receives Commitment from Secretary of the Navy to Remediate Conditions at Naval Station Great Lakes’ Halsey Village
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) —a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee— today received commitment from Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro to work with her to ensure that remediating and redeveloping the deplorable housing conditions in Halsey Village at North Chicago’s Naval Station Great Lakes remains a priority for the Navy and that these efforts are resourced appropriately, as well a commitment from the Secretary to personally visit to … Continue Reading
May 16, 2024
Duckworth’s Key Priorities Included in Newly-signed Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Law
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Several provisions to improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities that U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation—authored and championed became law today as President Biden signed the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of … Continue Reading
May 15, 2024
Duckworth Receives Statesmanship Award for Prioritizing Bipartisan Work over Party Politics
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Last night, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) was honored by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress for her continued commitment to working across the aisle to achieve the best results possible for her constituents and for all Americans, despite political affiliation. Duckworth received the Statesmanship Award alongside Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), with whom she has partnered with on numerous initiatives, including travelling together in 2021 to help announce … Continue Reading
May 15, 2024
Duckworth Reiterates Support for Illinois Tech Hubs in Meeting with iFAB
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub leadership to reiterate her support for the program, one of Illinois’s two designees by the U.S. Economic Development Administration as a Tech Hub. The iFAB consortium recently applied for EDA’s Tech Hub Phase II funding, which could bring in up to $70 million in federal support and unlock more than $600 million in investment in Illinois, supporting … Continue Reading
May 15, 2024
Duckworth Meets with FTC Chair to Discuss Infant Formula Shortage, Additional Support for Working Families
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan to discuss the FTC’s wide-ranging report, originally requested by the Senator, on infant formula supply disruptions as well as how we can continue to better understand the business practices and market conditions that led to our nation’s infant formula crisis in 2022. Additionally, Duckworth and Chair Khan discussed how we can build on our progress to strengthen supply … Continue Reading
May 14, 2024
Duckworth and Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Raise Food Safety and Enforcement Standards for Commercial Baby and Toddler Food
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced legislation to limit the levels of harmful heavy metals allowed in commercial food for infants and toddlers. Heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, or other contaminants, if regularly consumed by babies through their food, can impact a child’s lifelong health and development. The Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 would allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce … Continue Reading
