Press Releases
Duckworth Statement on Resignation of Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement regarding Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) Director Erica Jeffries' decision to resign from her position in the midst of the ongoing deadly Legionnaires' crisis at the Quincy Veterans Home: "When gross mismanagement leads to fatal consequences, there must be accountability. However, it would be foolish to believe that the crisis in Quincy was caused by a single individual … Continue Reading
April 27, 2018
Duckworth’s FAM Act Passes House of Representatives
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)'s bipartisan Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives today as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018. The legislation, which also passed the Senate Commerce Committee and is awaiting consideration by the full Senate, would ensure breastfeeding mothers traveling through all large- and medium-sized airports have accessible, clean and convenient lactation rooms … Continue Reading
April 27, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin to Defense Secretary: Banning Transgender Troops is Harmful to Military
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and 46 other U.S. Senators in sending a bipartisan letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis opposing the Trump Administration's discriminatory ban on transgender servicemembers. The Senators urged Secretary Mattis to reverse course and establish a policy that allows anyone who is willing and able to serve our … Continue Reading
April 26, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Mike Pompeo
[WASHINGTON, DC] - After voting against Mike Pompeo's nomination for Secretary of State, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "Our next Secretary of State should be someone who can effectively represent American values to the rest of the world, rebuild the strength and morale of our diplomatic corps and help restore our standing on the world stage, which Donald Trump has damaged over the course of his presidency. Mike Pompeo will not be that … Continue Reading
April 26, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Withdrawal of Trump’s VA Secretary Nominee Ronny Jackson
[WASHINGTON, DC] - After Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs Ronny Jackson withdrew his nomination after reports of inappropriate workplace behavior, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement. Duckworth is a combat Veteran and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). "President Trump's firing of Dr. David Shulkin created needless chaos and uncertainty at VA, and his rash decision to replace Dr. Shulkin with … Continue Reading
April 25, 2018
Amid Trump Threats to Withhold Funding, Duckworth Calls on DoD & DHS to Ensure National Guard Forces Receive Pay, Benefits for Deployments to U.S. Border
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following threats from Donald Trump to withhold federal funding from California's National Guard and with National Guard deployments to the U.S.-Mexico border well underway, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today called on Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Jim Mattis and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to ensure National Guard forces are taken care of while activated and during post-mobilization and receive the benefits their service … Continue Reading
April 24, 2018
Duckworth to Host Mobile Office Hours Tomorrow in Macomb
[MACOMB, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) will host "Mobile Office Hours" tomorrow at the Macomb Public Library, where constituent service representatives from her office will be onsite to help Illinoisans with federal agencies and with receiving the Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Medicare and other federal benefits they may be entitled to. Duckworth's Mobile Office Hours will take place in communities throughout the state over the coming months to offer constituents who may not … Continue Reading
April 24, 2018
Duckworth to Host Mobile Office Hours Tomorrow in Quincy
[QUINCY, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) will launch her new "Mobile Office Hours" tomorrow at the Quincy Public Library, where constituent service representatives from her office will be onsite to help Illinoisans with federal agencies and with receiving the Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Medicare and other federal benefits they may be entitled to. Duckworth's Mobile Office Hours will take place in communities throughout the state over the coming months to offer constituents who … Continue Reading
April 19, 2018
Duckworth Places Blanket Hold on HUD Nominees
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today placed a blanket hold on all Trump nominees for positions at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) after the agency failed to respond to her request for detailed information regarding its decision to shutter two Alexander County Housing Authority (AHCA) facilities in Thebes, Illinois. Senators Duckworth and Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent the letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson requesting a response no later than April … Continue Reading
April 19, 2018
Duckworth to Host Mobile Office Hours in Macomb Next Week
[MACOMB, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) will host "Mobile Office Hours" next week at the Macomb Public Library, where constituent service representatives from her office will be onsite to help Illinoisans with federal agencies and with receiving the Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Medicare and other federal benefits they may be entitled to. Duckworth's Mobile Office Hours will take place in communities throughout the state over the coming months to offer constituents who may not … Continue Reading
April 19, 2018
Duckworth to Host Mobile Office Hours in Quincy Next Week
[QUINCY, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) will launch her new "Mobile Office Hours" next week at the Quincy Public Library, where constituent service representatives from her office will be onsite to help Illinoisans with federal agencies and with receiving the Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Medicare and other federal benefits they may be entitled to. Duckworth's Mobile Office Hours will take place in communities throughout the state over the coming months to offer constituents … Continue Reading
April 19, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $280,000 for Strategic Economic Planning in Southern Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $280,000 in federal funding today to help create jobs and encourage economic development throughout Southern Illinois. This funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Planning Program, which assists communities as they develop and implement plans to enhance their local economies. "It's important for local community and business leaders … Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
Historic Senate Rules Change Allows New Parents to Bring Their Children onto Senate Floor for First Time
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The United States Senate unanimously agreed this evening to allow all Senators to bring their infant children onto the Senate floor, if necessary, during votes while their children are under the age of one. The Senate had previously banned all children from entering the Senate floor, which could have prevented Senators who are new parents from executing their constitutional responsibility of voting on issues of national importance. "I would like to thank my colleagues on … Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $475,000 to Modernize Illinois’s Infrastructure
[WASHINGTON, D.C,] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $475,020 in federal funding today for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to replace an outdated bridge in Kankakee County. The funding comes from a program within the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Highway Administration, which works with state and local governments to maintain the nation's highway system. "Repairing and modernizing our nation's aging infrastructure … Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
Duckworth Leads 19 Senators in Calling for More Childcare Support for Student Parents
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led 18 of her colleagues in writing to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) to request significant new funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program in the FY2019 appropriations bill. The CCAMPIS Program makes it easier for college students with children of their own to complete … Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Join Udall, Castor and 165 Members of Congress in Calling for EPA Administrator Pruitt’s Resignation
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a series of reports exposing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt's wasteful and exorbitant spending of taxpayer dollars, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) and 165 Members of Congress today in introducing a resolution calling for Administrator Pruitt to resign. "It is abundantly clear that Scott Pruitt has abused the public trust by … Continue Reading
April 17, 2018
Duckworth: Scott Pruitt Must Resign Immediately or Be Fired
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Following a series of reports exposing EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's wasteful and exorbitant spending of taxpayer dollars, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called on Pruitt to resign immediately or be fired: "It is abundantly clear that Scott Pruitt has abused the public trust by using his government position to finance his lavish lifestyle. Pruitt has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on first-class plane tickets, private planes, luxury hotels, office furniture, … Continue Reading
April 17, 2018
Bipartisan Duckworth-Kennedy-Durbin Bill Would Help Strengthen Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Kennedy (R-LA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced bipartisan legislation today to help expand economic opportunity for Veteran small business owners. The Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act would allow Veteran small business owners to acquire equipment and property that the federal government no longer has a use for by adding Veterans to the list of eligible recipients for federal surplus property, which already includes women … Continue Reading
April 14, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Use of Military Force in Syria
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement on the use of military force in Syria: "The world cannot turn a blind eye to the Assad regime's repeated use of illegal chemical weapons against their own people. Violations of absolute, unquestioned international norms, like the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons, must be confronted by the entire international community. While these strikes will have undoubtedly degraded the Assad regime's … Continue Reading
April 12, 2018
Duckworth, King Lead Colleagues in Call to Find Resources for Communities with Stranded Nuclear Waste
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Angus King (I-ME) led a letter cosigned by nine colleagues today to Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies seeking additional federal resources to help communities struggling with the harmful impacts of stranded nuclear waste. "Reactor communities nationwide have become de facto high-level radioactive waste … Continue Reading
