Press Releases
Duckworth Discusses Agricultural Priorities with Illinois Soybean Association
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with leaders and members from the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss Illinois’s agricultural priorities as Congress works to reauthorize the Farm Bill. Duckworth and the members discussed the importance of supporting inland waterways, increasing Illinois’s agricultural exports markets and improving farm safety net programs. A photo from today’s meeting can be found on the Senator’s website. “America has always depended on … Continue Reading
January 17, 2024
Duckworth, Wyden Urge DOT to Help Americans With Disabilities By Fixing Flawed Service Animal Form
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) urged the Department of Transportation (DOT) to fix flaws in its system that create unnecessary burdens on Americans with disabilities who travel with service animals. The senators called on DOT to fix the form that the government requires people with disabilities to complete to fly with service animals. Currently the form is only available as a .PDF document, which is incompatible with many mobile browsers and … Continue Reading
January 17, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $7 Million to Improve Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $7,074,498 for the Illinois Department of Transportation through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator Program to repair or replace broken or non-operational EV chargers to improve the reliability of existing charging infrastructure. “Electric vehicles help … Continue Reading
January 16, 2024
Duckworth Reacts to Bipartisan Deal Reached to Expand Child Tax Credit, Support Working Families
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement Senate after negotiators reached a bipartisan deal to expand the Child Tax Credit and support millions of working families: “When Democrats expanded the Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan, we lifted millions of children out of poverty with the stroke of a pen. We know this critical lifeline works for millions of families and, with this bipartisan deal, we have a new chance to bring it back while … Continue Reading
January 16, 2024
Duckworth Statement on Motion to Table Sanders Resolution
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, issued the following statement regarding tonight’s vote to table Senator Sanders’ motion to discharge Senate Resolution 504, requesting information on Israel’s human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961: “These past 100 days have brought painful, unimaginable suffering in Gaza and Israel. I have condemned the brutal … Continue Reading
January 15, 2024
Duckworth Honors Dr. King’s Legacy by Emphasizing the Importance of National Service
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who has made community service a hallmark of her life, issued the following statement to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of serving others: “Decades ago, Dr. King asked us one of life’s most persistent and urgent questions: ‘What are you doing for others?’” Duckworth said. “He spread the message that if America was to become the more perfect Union that generations of Americans dreamed of, it would need to value a desire to … Continue Reading
January 13, 2024
Duckworth, Sullivan Congratulate Taiwan Following Successful Democratic Elections
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today congratulated the Taiwanese people following today’s successful democratic elections that resulted in a historic third consecutive term for the Democratic Progressive Party, led by President-elect Lai Ching-te and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim, which favors strong ties with the United States. The Senators, who travelled to Taiwan in 2021 to announce a delivery desperately-needed COVID-19 … Continue Reading
January 12, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Join Merkley, Colleagues in Call to Ban Menthol Cigarettes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), along with U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), in leading 22 senators in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young, sounding their concerns about the Administration’s delay in finalizing proposed rules to end the sale of menthol flavor in cigarettes and all flavors in … Continue Reading
January 12, 2024
Duckworth, Moran React to FAA Increasing Boeing Oversight
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Chair of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation—and U.S. Senator and Subcommittee Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-KS) issued the following statement in reaction to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acting to increase its oversight of Boeing production and manufacturing, building on FAA’s decision to launch an investigation into Boeing yesterday after last … Continue Reading
January 11, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce USDA Grants to Increase Ethanol-Based Fuel at Illinois Gas Stations
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released grant funding to national gas station companies to support their Illinois locations in increasing the availability of domestic biofuel. The funding, awarded from the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP), was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act—of … Continue Reading
January 11, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $14.9 Million to Install Electric Vehicle Chargers Across 273 Locations in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $14,962,506 has been awarded to Illinois through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program (CFI Program) to install community charging sites to fill gaps in access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure across 273 locations. “Expanding access to reliable charging stations for electric vehicles that help lower fuel … Continue Reading
January 11, 2024
Duckworth Announces $225,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for Workforce Development, Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Testing
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $225,000 she secured through a Fiscal Year 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending Request will be sent by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration to Current for the development of a pilot, entry-level job training program centered on wastewater-based epidemiology. Built on a collaborative effort between Current, Discovery Partners Institute and the Chicago Department of Public Health to track … Continue Reading
January 10, 2024
On Eve Of Taiwan Election, Duckworth Joins Sullivan, Kaine in Leading Bipartisan Resolution Commending Taiwan’s Commitment to Democracy
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to introduce a bipartisan resolution commending Taiwan for its … Continue Reading
January 10, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Applaud Nomination of Judge Sunil Harjani to be Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division
[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 after the White House announced its intent to nominate Judge Sunil Harjani to a Federal District Court Judge vacancy in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division: “We are pleased that President Biden is nominating Judge Sunil Harjani to fill a judicial vacancy for the Northern District of Illinois … Continue Reading
January 09, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Honor Labor Leader Ed Smith in Speech on Senate Floor
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today paid tribute to Cairo, Illinois, native Ed Smith, former leader of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, on the Senate floor after his passing on January 3. In their remarks, Durbin and Duckworth shared personal stories about their relationship with Smith, who dedicated his life to advancing labor rights. “He was a man who embodied the word ‘solidarity’… [He] knew … Continue Reading
January 08, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $42 Million in Federal Funding for Clean School Buses Throughout Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-founder of the Senate’s Environmental Justice Caucus, and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced more than $42 million to Illinois school districts through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition. The awards, which are made possible through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, will help selectees purchase clean school buses in school districts across the state. By … Continue Reading
January 08, 2024
Duckworth Applauds President Biden Renominating Julie Su to Serve as Secretary of Labor, Urges Republicans to Help Democrats Finally Confirm the Well-Qualified Nominee
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after President Biden renominated Julie Su to be Secretary of Labor—which builds on her strong support for Su—urging Republicans to join Democrats in finally confirming her to support working families: “Since day one of the Biden Administration, Julie Su has been helping lead the Department of Labor and delivering for working families. Now, after nearly a year as Acting Secretary, she’s proven her expertise … Continue Reading
January 05, 2024
Duckworth Celebrates the One-Year Anniversary of Her Bipartisan Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act Becoming Law
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement celebrating the one-year anniversary of President Biden signing her bipartisan Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act into law to strengthen our nation’s criminal justice system and help more families keep in touch with their incarcerated family members: “For far too long, families were forced to spend outrageous sums to speak on the phone with their loved ones living miles away in a … Continue Reading
January 04, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues to Warn Non-Unionized Automakers Not to Interfere in UAW Unionization Efforts
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along with 26 of their colleagues, in sending a letter to 13 non-unionized automakers urging them not to illegally block United Auto Workers’ (UAW) unionization efforts at their manufacturing plants. After the ratification of historic agreements … Continue Reading
January 03, 2024
Duckworth Applauds Senate Passage of Bipartisan Slow Down, Move Over Resolution
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today highlighted that the bipartisan “Slow Down, Move Over” resolution she led with U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Mike Braun (R-IN) passed the Senate late last year. The resolution raises awareness of Slow Down, Move Over state laws to reduce struck-by-vehicle injuries and fatalities and to recognize the important role fire and rescue personnel, emergency medical services personnel, law enforcement officers, tow truck … Continue Reading
