Press Releases
Duckworth Meets with UAW Members from Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with leaders from the UAW (International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America) to discuss the importance of quality healthcare, better wages and collective bargaining rights for workers in Illinois and throughout the nation. Last week, automakers Ford and Rivian announced they would partner to manufacture an all-electric Lincoln vehicle. This announcement is expected to create nearly … Continue Reading
February 04, 2020
Duckworth Meets with Rockford University & Blackburn College Presidents to Discuss College Affordability
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Blackburn College Interim President Dr. John McClusky and Rockford University President Dr. Eric Fulcomer to discuss her work to make higher education more accessible, increase federal support for higher education institutions and improve Veteran and servicemember education. Duckworth, McClusky and Fulcomer also discussed the importance of investing in career and technical training programs that help quickly connect … Continue Reading
February 03, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $80,000 for Rural Development in Southern Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $84,000 in federal funding today to help the City of Grayville address health and sanitation concerns after record rainfall last summer led to flooded water wells, contaminating the city's water supply. This funding comes from the Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Office of Rural Development. "Investments like these help rural … Continue Reading
February 03, 2020
Senator Duckworth to Spotlight Environmental Justice with State of the Union Guest
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator and co-founder of the Senate's Environmental Justice Caucus Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), announced that she will bring Illinois-based environmental justice advocate Celeste Flores as her guest to State of the Union address tomorrow. Celeste is the Lake County Outreach Director for Faith in Place, an Illinois-based educational and advocacy organization that helps diverse religious and faith communities implement environmental programs, and Co-Chair of Clean … Continue Reading
January 31, 2020
Duckworth Statement on Senate’s Failure to Call Witnesses for Impeachment Trial
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the Republican-led Senate voted to block witnesses and documents in the impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump: “28 years ago, I stood in camouflage, faced my superior officer and took the Army’s oath of enlistment, solemnly swearing that I would support and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God. Three years ago, I took a similar oath, raising both my hand and my … Continue Reading
January 30, 2020
Response to Duckworth’s Question in Impeachment Trial: “We Have No Evidence” Trump Engaged in Legitimate Process for Withholding Foreign Aid
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today asked House impeachment managers whether there is any documentary evidence of President Trump gathering information to justify withholding aid to Ukraine. Specifically, Duckworth asked if there was evidence of Trump being briefed by the NSC, DOD or State Department on Ukraine corruption and European cost-sharing or that he requested information on anti-corruption reform measures in Ukraine. The non-partisan U.S. Government … Continue Reading
January 29, 2020
Three Years After Trump’s Travel Ban, Duckworth and Durbin Join Colleagues to Call for a National Commitment to Refugee Resettlement
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Three years after President Trump announced a travel ban for immigrants from majority-Muslim countries, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and fourteen Democratic colleagues to introduce a resolution that calls on Congress to reaffirm the United States' commitment to providing a safe haven for refugees fleeing oppression. On January 27, 2017, President Trump issued the first of three executive orders banning … Continue Reading
January 29, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Receive Update on Coronavirus from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[WASHINGTON, D.C] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today received an update on the novel coronavirus outbreak from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Principal Deputy Director Dr. Anne Schuchat. On a call with Dr. Schuchat, the Senators asked about the agency's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, and asked for information on the steps being taken to keep Illinois families safe. This week, the CDC recommended … Continue Reading
January 28, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Bicameral Congressional Leaders Call on Ninth Circuit to Uphold Protections for Migrant Children in Flores Amicus Brief
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12); U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); and U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20), and Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), today led 113 of their colleagues in submitting an Amicus Brief in Flores v Barr. The Brief urges the Ninth Circuit to reject the Trump … Continue Reading
January 28, 2020
Duckworth & Durbin Meet With Amtrak CEO, Secure Accessibility Improvements for Customers with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Security, which has jurisdiction over Amtrak, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson after Amtrak mistakenly charged a group of wheelchair advocates $25,000 to travel from Chicago to Bloomington-Normal, IL, before ultimately backing down, admitting the charge was improper and apologizing. During the meeting, Anderson committed … Continue Reading
January 28, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues to Press Health Department for Updates on Novel Coronavirus After a Case was Reported in Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - This week, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Patty Murray (D-WA), and 28 of their Democratic Senate colleagues to send a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar requesting updates on the Administration's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak and information on the steps being taken to keep families safe. In the letter, the Senators asked the Department to keep them updated with the latest information regarding … Continue Reading
January 27, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin & García to Amtrak CEO: Commit to Making Amtrak Affordable, Accessible and Reliable for Customers with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Security, which has jurisdiction over Amtrak, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-4) wrote to Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson today after Amtrak mistakenly charged a group of wheelchair advocates $25,000 to travel from Chicago to Bloomington-Normal, IL, before ultimately backing down and apologizing. In the … Continue Reading
January 25, 2020
Senator Duckworth: “I Would Think That the President’s Counsel Would Want to Call Witnesses in Order to Exonerate Him”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, after the first day of hearing from the President's lawyers in the impeachment trial, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) reiterated her call for witnesses and documents so both sides can present their case to the American people. The House managers spent three days presenting a strong argument for the President's guilt and it is now the defense team's turn to bring new witnesses and documents that could exonerate him. In part, Duckworth said: "I would think that … Continue Reading
January 24, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Confirmation of Coronavirus
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the second case of coronavirus in the United States is in Chicago: "We are monitoring the second confirmed U.S. case of novel coronavirus being treated at a Chicago hospital. First, we commend the Chicago hospital personnel for identifying this quickly. And we commend Mayor Lightfoot and others who chose … Continue Reading
January 23, 2020
Duckworth Leads Bipartisan Request for GAO Review of Military Naturalization Process
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today requested the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) review and address questions about the effectiveness of several military naturalization policies that affect noncitizens willing to serve the United States in uniform. U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the … Continue Reading
January 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $1.2 Million for STEM Education on Chicago’s South Side
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $1,249,935 in federal funding today to help support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education on Chicago's South Side. This funding comes through the U.S. Department of Education's Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant Program and will be awarded to Project SYNCERE (Supporting Youth's Needs with Core Engineering Research Experiments). Under this announcement, Project … Continue Reading
January 22, 2020
Senator Duckworth Requests Inspector General Investigate the National Archives and Records Administration’s Alteration of a Photo Criticizing Donald Trump
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called on the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Inspector General James Springs to investigate NARA's decision to alter a photographic image critical of President Donald Trump that is featured in the agency's public exhibition, "Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote." NARA publicly acknowledged that its alteration of the photograph was wrong and pledged to review exhibit policies and procedures to prevent … Continue Reading
January 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $1 Million to Modernize Illinois’s Infrastructure
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $1,000,000 in federal funding to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the City of Jerseyville for the Hollow Avenue Compacted Concrete Pavement Project. This grant is intended to serve as an incentive for IDOT to accelerate the use of compacted concrete pavement, a technology that can be tailored to the specific needs of a project within the residential, commercial, and urban roadway … Continue Reading
January 21, 2020
Duckworth Statement on Leader McConnell’s Proposed Rules for Impeachment Trial
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) proposed rules for the upcoming impeachment trial of President Trump: "Mitch McConnell has already admitted he's working hand-in-hand with Trump on the impeachment trial and violating his oath to be impartial, but his proposed rules for the trial-including holding the trial at 1:00 in the morning-are yet more evidence that he's helping the White House … Continue Reading
January 20, 2020
Duckworth Honors Dr. King’s Legacy at City Year Day of Service, Rainbow PUSH Scholarship Breakfast
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day today by joining local leaders and speaking about the value of service at Robert Nathaniel Dett Elementary School, as part of City Year Chicago's annual MLK Day of Service. The Senator, who has made community service a hallmark of her public life and has consistently volunteered to improve her community, supported City Year and community volunteers working to help improve Dett Elementary. Duckworth also … Continue Reading
