Press Releases
Duckworth Meets with Nominee to be Secretary of the Army
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is Chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, released the following statement after meeting virtually with the Honorable Christine Wormuth, President Biden's nominee to be Secretary of the Amy: "Christine Wormuth is a uniquely qualified nominee with extensive defense policy experience that will position her well to take on the role … Continue Reading
May 11, 2021
At Virtual Town Hall, Duckworth Answers Questions from Midwest Health and Home Care Workers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) participated in a virtual town hall today with healthcare, child care, home care and nursing home workers from Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kansas (SEIU HCIIMK). Duckworth heard about the SEIU's efforts on COVID-19 vaccine education and access to vaccination appointments for its members and she answered questions about federal economic recovery efforts through President Biden's American … Continue Reading
May 11, 2021
Duckworth Meets with Black Women in Infrastructure to Discuss Infrastructure Priorities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with members of Black Women in Infrastructure (BWI) to discuss infrastructure priorities and how to help ensure projects and investments are equitable. Duckworth, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, also discussed BWI's priorities for President Biden's American Jobs Plan. "To truly 'Build Back Better,' we must do more to … Continue Reading
May 11, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Kelly introduce Bills to Increase Youth Employment Opportunities
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) ,U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) introduced two bills to expand and increase access to employment opportunities for underserved youth. The Helping to Encourage Real Opportunity (HERO) for Youth Act and the Creating Pathways for Youth Employment Act will increase federal resources for communities seeking to create or grow employment programs and provide tax incentives to businesses … Continue Reading
May 10, 2021
Duckworth, Portman, Booker, Schatz Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ensure Just and Reasonable Phone Rates in Criminal Justice System
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) today introduced the Martha Reed-Wright Just and Reasonable Communications Act to strengthen the nation's criminal justice system. This bipartisan bill would help families keep in touch with their incarcerated family members, which studies have shown can help reduce recidivism rates and thereby save taxpayer dollars. This targeted legislation would address long-standing … Continue Reading
May 07, 2021
Duckworth Tours Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River Base
[ST. LOUIS, MO] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)-who serves as Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife-today visited the Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River Base to tour the facility and meet with officials from the U.S. Coast Guard, including Sector Commander Captain Richard M. Scott. Duckworth and the officials discussed the Maritime Transportation System, which includes the coordination of locks, marine terminals … Continue Reading
May 07, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Discuss COVID-19 Prevention and Vaccination Measures with IDVA
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and former Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA), and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with Acting IDVA Director Terry Prince and Acting IDVA Assistant Director Anthony Vaughn about addressing and preventing a fatal COVID-19 outbreaks at the Illinois Veterans Homes (IVH). The call came after a Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General's (OIG) … Continue Reading
May 07, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Kelly Statement on City of Chicago’s Decision to Delay General Iron Permit
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today released the following statement after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot delayed the permit for Reserve Management Group (RMG) to expand metal recycling operations at a site on Chicago's Southeast Side, following U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan's request: "It's clear there is an urgent need for expert evaluation of the public health … Continue Reading
May 07, 2021
Duckworth Tours Madison County COVID-19 Vaccination Site, Urges Residents to Get Vaccinated
[EDWARDSVILLE, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) toured a Madison County COVID-19 vaccination site at American Legion Post #199 today and met with officials from the Madison County Health Department, Illinois National Guard and the American Legion to receive an update on the county's vaccination efforts. Duckworth and officials discussed how federal and local entities can continue to support each other and help ensure that more Illinoisans who are able to get vaccinated against … Continue Reading
May 06, 2021
Duckworth Tours Melvin Price Lock and Dam in Alton, Highlights Importance of Illinois Agriculture and Infrastructure
[ALTON, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)-who serves as Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife-today visited the Melvin Price Lock and Dam to tour the facility and meet with officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ceres Barge Line and the Waterways Council, Inc. Duckworth and the officials discussed the importance of safe and efficient inland waterway infrastructure, as well as dredging needs along the inland … Continue Reading
May 06, 2021
Duckworth Tours Cahokia Mounds and Discusses National Historic Site Designation
[COLLINSVILLE, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today toured the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and met with the site's superintendent, Lori Belknap, and HeartLands Concervancy to learn more about the history of the site and discuss designating Cahokia Mounds as a National Historic Park. Duckworth recently helped introduce legislation to designate the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site as a National Historic Park to help preserve the historic, cultural and natural resources … Continue Reading
May 05, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $9 Million to Support Vaccine Education & Availability in Illinois
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $7,325,365 to Illinois to support education efforts about the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination availability. The CDC also allocated an additional $1.977 million dollars for Chicago to boost current vaccination efforts. The funding was made available by the recently passed American Rescue Plan. "Making … Continue Reading
May 05, 2021
Duckworth Urges Biden to Take Action to Help Restore Critical U.S.-Kurdish Partnership in Syria
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years, today wrote to President Biden expressing her strong support for our Kurdish partners in Syria and asking Biden to take action to help restore this important partnership, which was damaged significantly by former President Trump's actions. Specifically, Duckworth urged Biden to direct foreign aid and humanitarian … Continue Reading
May 03, 2021
Senator Duckworth Appoints Kalina Thompson as Chief of Staff
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced the departure of her longtime Chief of Staff Kaitlin Fahey today as well as the appointment of Kalina Thompson as her new Chief of Staff. Thompson has served on Duckworth's team over the past eight years and most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff. Fahey, an Elmhurst native, has worked for Duckworth since 2006 in several roles, including as Chief of Staff in her House office, as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of … Continue Reading
May 03, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Urge U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs To Assist Illinois State Veterans’ Homes
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and former Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist the IDVA following a Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General's (OIG) report released last week, which documents a number of failures within IDVA leadership in addressing and preventing a fatal COVID-19 … Continue Reading
April 30, 2021
Duckworth Meets With U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District Commander
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife, met virtually this week with Colonel Paul Culberson, Chicago District Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to discuss water infrastructure investments, including the advancement of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project. Duckworth, who co-founded the Senate's first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus, and Culberson … Continue Reading
April 30, 2021
Duckworth Statement in Response to Bustos Announcement
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) announced she would not be running for re-election: "Representative Bustos has served as, and will continue to serve as, an excellent representative for her community-she's a hard worker who listens to her constituents, delivers tangible legislative wins for working families and provides stellar constituent service. I've enjoyed working with her on … Continue Reading
April 30, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Statement On State IG Report on LaSalle State Veterans' Home
[SPRINGFIELD, IL]-U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and former Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA), and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after a report by the Acting Inspector General of the Illinois Department of Human Services revealed a lack of preparation, poor communication and training, and a lapse in infectious-disease protocols at the LaSalle State Veterans' Home. The COVID-19 outbreak at … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
Senate Passes Duckworth’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to Rebuild our Nation’s Water Systems, Help Ensure Clean Water for All
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The U.S. Senate passed sweeping bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today aimed at investing over $35 billion in projects that put Americans back to work fixing and upgrading our nation's crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure. Duckworth's Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 (DWWIA 2021), which was introduced in March and unanimously passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee the following … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
Duckworth, Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Military Families Struggling with Hunger
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator and combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is Chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced bipartisan legislation to support active military families experiencing food insecurity and help ensure no one willing to serve this nation in uniform struggles to feed their families. Duckworth's Military Hunger Prevention Act would … Continue Reading
