Press Releases
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
April 29, 2021
Duckworth, Murray Introduce Bill to Help Wounded Veterans Start a Family
The Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2021 would repeal VA's outdated ban on IVF for veterans with service-connected injuries and expand adoption options [WASHINGTON, DC] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced the Veteran Families Health Services Act-comprehensive legislation that would, among other things, ensure that servicemembers' and veterans' fertility … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Duckworth Meets With DOJ Civil Rights Nominee Kristen Clarke
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met virtually with Kristen Clarke, nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Duckworth and Clarke discussed the Senator's priorities including the importance of hiring a Deputy Assistant Attorney General focused on protecting disability rights, continuing to develop initiatives to stop hate crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander community and improving DOJ … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Bipartisan Bill Introduced by Duckworth, Portman and Blumenthal to Protect Infants from Deadly “Crib Bumpers” Passes Senate Committee
Since 1985, dozens of deaths and more than 100 serious injuries have been directly attributed to these dangerous products [WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to protect infant lives by banning the sale of crib bumpers-which have been proven to pose an unnecessary, deadly risk to sleeping infants-passed the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Committee unanimously … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $22 Million for Rural Water Infrastructure 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) announced $21,954,500 in federal funding today to help improve water service, quality, access and sanitation in rural communities throughout Illinois. The funding comes from the Water and Environmental Program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Office of Rural Development. Last month, … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Duckworth, Warren, Baldwin and Colleagues Urge Biden Admin to Issue Delayed OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard for Workers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) led a group of colleagues in urging the Biden administration to issue the delayed Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to finally provide workers with enforceable health and safety protections specific to COVID-19. "More than a month has now passed since your deadline for issuing an ETS. The consequences of each day of delay are dire - … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $2 Million in Grants to Head Start Programs in Southern Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $2,649,316 in federal funding to Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council to support access to Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the region. This investment comes through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). "Head Start and Early Head Start programs are critical for kids throughout Illinois to have the … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Duckworth Statement on President Biden’s First Address to Congress
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after President Biden's first address to a Joint Session of Congress: "In just 100 days in office, President Biden is already delivering for the American people. More than 215 million vaccines have been administered, our economy is moving again, kids are going back to school and we've sent money to millions of working Americans who desperately need it. Tonight's address was an important reminder of just … Continue Reading
April 27, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Bustos Introduce Bill to Reduce Distracted Driving and Protect Roadside First Responders
[WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today introduced legislation designed to reduce crashes involving distracted driving and save lives, including preventing first responder roadside deaths. The bill would require the implementation of life-saving safety technologies on all new vehicles, including federal fleet vehicles, fund the deployment of digital alert technology … Continue Reading
April 23, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Medicare at 50 Act
Majority of Americans support Medicare at 50, which would lower the cost of care for older Americans [WASHINGTON D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in reintroducing the Medicare at 50 Act. The bill would give people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old the option of buying into Medicare, while ensuring the program is protected for current … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Duckworth Meets with Illinois Farm Bureau to Discuss Legislative Priorities and the American Jobs Plan
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined leaders from the Illinois Farm Bureau for a virtual meeting to discuss her upcoming legislative priorities as well as federal support to America's farmers and rural communities as part of President Biden's proposed American Jobs Plan. Duckworth was joined by several members of the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) including President Richard Guebert, Vice President Brian Duncan, Executive Director of Government Affairs and … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Duckworth Delivers Remarks Following Senate’s Bipartisan Passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke after the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also spoke at the press conference. Video of the Senator's remarks can be found here. Duckworth's full remarks as delivered are below: "Thank you. Well about 3 weeks ago my mom came from the-my 80 year old mom came home from the grocery store visibly … Continue Reading
