Press Releases
Duckworth Highlights Need for Nonpartisan Afghanistan War Commission During Foreign Policy’s “Her Power” Digital Summit
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is Chair of the SASC Airland Subcommittee, participated in Foreign Policy's "Her Power" Digital Summit to highlight the need for her bill, the Afghanistan War Commission Act of 2021, to establish a nonpartisan, independent commission to examine every aspect of the 20-year war in Afghanistan and report out actionable recommendations … Continue Reading
October 27, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Statement on Nomination of Gregory Harris to Be Central District of Illinois U.S. Attorney
[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 released the following statement regarding the White House's nomination of Gregory Harris to be U.S. Attorney in the Central District of Illinois. "With more than 25 years of experience working in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District, Greg Harris will be ready to hit the ground running on day one. He is exceptionally … Continue Reading
October 26, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $3 Million in Telehealth Funding for Illinois Healthcare Providers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that seven Illinois healthcare providers have been awarded a total of $2,977,794 in federal funding to provide telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. These investments were awarded through the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program. "Expanding the reach of Illinois's healthcare network is critical to extending reliable and accessible care to more … Continue Reading
October 26, 2021
Duckworth Secures Additional Support for a Nonpartisan Afghanistan War Commission During SASC Hearing
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - During a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) secured support from Colin Kahl, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and Lieutenant General James Mingus, Director for Operations, J3 Joint Staff, for her Afghanistan War Commission Act, a bill that calls for the creation of a comprehensive, nonpartisan commission to examine our nation's 20 years of involvement in Afghanistan. During her remarks, … Continue Reading
October 26, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $5.2 Million for Rural Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works' (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife, and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a total of $5,228,000 in federal loans and grants to help rural communities modernize drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The funding was awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants Program to five Illinois … Continue Reading
October 22, 2021
Duckworth, Ernst Lead Colleagues in Urging President to Honor Trailblazing Brigadier General Vaught with Medal of Freedom
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), along with U.S. Senator Joni K. Ernst (R-IA), a retired lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard, led 18 of their female Senate colleagues today in sending a bipartisan letter to President Joe Biden calling on him to honor Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, a retired Veteran of the U.S. Air … Continue Reading
October 21, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Join Gillibrand and Colleagues in Calling on Congressional Leadership and Biden Administration to Prioritize Comprehensive National Paid Leave Program in Build Back Better Package
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in sending a letter to President Biden, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) to reinforce the critical need for the inclusion of a federal paid family and medical leave program in Build Back Better legislation currently being negotiated in Congress. "We urge you to include a national … Continue Reading
October 21, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Join Gillibrand and Colleagues in Calling on Congressional Leadership and Biden Administration to Prioritize Comprehensive National Paid Leave Program in Build Back Better Package
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in sending a letter to President Biden, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) to reinforce the critical need for the inclusion of a federal paid family and medical leave program in Build Back Better legislation currently being negotiated in Congress. "We urge you to include a national … Continue Reading
October 21, 2021
Duckworth Re-introduces Bill to Increase Investments in Liver Cancer Research & Raise Awareness
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today re-introduced legislation to increase federal support for liver cancer research and help make life-saving preventive and treatment services more accessible to people all across the country. The Liver Illness Visibility, Education and Research (LIVER) Act would boost funding for liver cancer research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $45 million and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by $90 million … Continue Reading
October 20, 2021
After Sugar Camp Mine Fire, Duckworth Stresses Importance of Regulating Toxic “Forever Chemicals” to Keep Communities Safe
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), founder and co-chair of the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus and Chair of the Environment & Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife today highlighted how President Biden's Build Back Better Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, which includes Duckworth's bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA) and billions in water infrastructure funding that Duckworth helped secure, … Continue Reading
October 20, 2021
Duckworth Statement in Response to Republicans Blocking the Freedom to Vote Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Senate Republicans blocked the Freedom to Vote Act from moving forward: "Let's be clear: voting rights are under threat in states across our nation because Republicans would rather tie themselves to the Big Lie than work together to protect and expand the right of every American to vote. "The Freedom to Vote Act was an opportunity to give every American the confidence that they could cast their … Continue Reading
October 18, 2021
Duckworth Praises Biden EPA Crackdown on Harmful PFAS “Forever Chemicals”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), founder and co-chair of the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus and Chair of the Environment & Public Works Subcommittee on Water, today issued the following statement in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new comprehensive Strategic Roadmap to confront per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination nationwide. "After the recent use of PFAS in an attempt to put out the Sugar Camp Mine fire in … Continue Reading
October 18, 2021
Duckworth, Blackburn, Casey Urge CMS to Cover Power Wheelchairs Under Medicare
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bob Casey (D-PA) wrote to U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to request that CMS act swiftly to provide Medicare coverage of standing and seat elevation systems embedded in power wheelchairs. Currently, Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities are forced to pay out of pocket for this life-changing durable medical equipment that empowers power wheelchair … Continue Reading
October 15, 2021
Duckworth Discusses Efforts to Protect AANHPI Community During Illinois Holocaust Museum Anti-Hate Event
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) last night discussed her work to address the rise in violence against the Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community as part of the Illinois Holocaust Museum's "Combating Anti-AAPI Hate: Building a Foundation for Change" event. Duckworth was in conversation with Ester Hurh, Board President of KAN-WIN, the Chicago-based organization that works to eradicate gender-based violence across Asian American … Continue Reading
October 14, 2021
Duckworth at WH Event with VP Harris: Congress Must Invest in Working Families & Care Workforce to Build Back Better
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today participated in a virtual #CareCantWait roundtable with Vice President Kamala Harris, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance Ai-Jen Poo and four Americans with experience in caregiving. Duckworth, Harris and Poo discussed the urgent need to invest in care policies such as the child tax credit, home and community-based services (HCBS), child care and paid family leave. Video of the event can be … Continue Reading
October 08, 2021
Duckworth’s Bipartisan Protecting Moms Who Served Act Passes Senate
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) that would help address the maternal mortality crisis among women Veterans passed the U.S. Senate yesterday and is now headed to the U.S. House of Representatives. Protecting Moms Who Served Act would commission the first-ever comprehensive study on the scope of America's maternal health crisis among women Veterans-with a … Continue Reading
October 08, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Screening Committee, Application Process For Federal District Court In The Northern District Of Illinois
[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 announced that they will begin accepting applications from those interested in serving as a Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division. The Senators will be assisted by a screening committee whose task is to review and vet District Court candidates and advise the Senators regarding the candidates' … Continue Reading
October 07, 2021
Duckworth Discusses Continuing Impact of COVID-19 on Hospitals and Healthcare Workers in Southern Illinois with Heartland Regional Medical Center
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Duckworth (D-IL) yesterday spoke with Heartland Regional Medical Center CEO Ed Cunningham for an update on the impacts of COVID-19 on the medical center and throughout the region. Southern Illinois has been hit especially hard by the most recent COVID surge, leading to zero percent ICU availability last month. "After more than a year and a half of living with the reality of COVID-19, our hospitals and healthcare workers are still working tirelessly to keep … Continue Reading
October 07, 2021
Duckworth, Brown, Casey, Whitehouse, Baldwin, Bennet, Smith and Warren Introduce Bill To Empower Fossil-Fuel Workers To Train, Find Jobs In Changing Energy Industry
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced a bill, the American Energy Worker Opportunity Act, which would provide critical resources and training opportunities to assist and empower workers whose jobs are affected by the energy industry's move toward renewable sources. "Transitioning to clean energy is a … Continue Reading
October 06, 2021
As Kids Return to Classrooms, Duckworth Leads Colleagues in Calling for Federal Guidance for School COVID-19 Testing Protocols
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Representative Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA-08) and U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona calling on them to issue coordinated guidance encouraging state and local school districts to utilize the funding and resources appropriated by Congress to establish comprehensive COVID-19 mitigation … Continue Reading
