Press Releases
Illinois Democratic Congressional Delegation to Trump Administration: Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Cases & Deaths Are Unacceptable
WASHINGTON - Today, the Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar expressing strong concerns regarding the racial disparities that exist in COVID-19 cases and deaths in Illinois and across the nation. The members cited that while black residents make up nearly 15 percent of the state’s total population, they account for 43 percent of all COVID-19 deaths. The situation in Chicago is … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $218 Million For Illinois Colleges To Provide Emergency Aid To Students
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded $218 million to Illinois institutions of higher education for emergency financial aid to students. The funding - which comes from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act - will be used to provide cash grants to students for expenses related to disruptions to their … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Illinois Democratic Congressional Delegation To Trump Administration: Racial Disparities In COVID-19 Cases & Deaths Are Unacceptable
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, the Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar expressing strong concerns regarding the racial disparities that exist in COVID-19 cases and deaths in Illinois and across the nation. The members cited that while black residents make up nearly 15 percent of the state's total population, they account for 43 percent of all COVID-19 deaths. The situation in Chicago is … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Duckworth Speaks with Illinois Small Business Owners about CARES Act Implementation
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today participated in a Small Business Majority (SBM) webinar with small business owners from across Illinois about the implementation of the CARES Act. Duckworth answered questions about the relief available to self-employed individuals and small and micro business that employ less than 100 people, difficulties surrounding accessing the Paycheck Protection Program and increased technical assistance available to small business … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Discuss DOD Coronavirus Response With Defense Secretary Esper
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services committee, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today spoke with Defense Secretary Mark Esper about the military's COVID-19 response efforts. During today's call, Durbin and Duckworth pressed Secretary Esper for military personnel to help staff the field hospital at McCormick Place in Chicago. Five hundred beds are … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Bipartisan Senators Press USDA to Provide Relief for Local Farmers During COVID-19 Pandemic
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and a bipartisan group of Senators in urging the Trump Administration to provide relief for local farmers who are struggling as the nation works to combat the spread of COVID-19. In a letter sent to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, the Senators urged USDA to ensure that a portion of the $9.5 billion they … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Democratic Colleagues Press Trump Administration to Ensure Workers Receive Unemployment Benefits
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in leading 30 of their Democratic colleagues today in pressing the Department of Labor to ensure workers Congress intended to be covered by the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program receive the benefits they deserve. “[P]arts of the guidance appear narrow or ambiguous, which could make states think they need to exclude workers who Congress clearly … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Urge Senate Leadership to Provide Funding to Local Governments Serving Small Communities in Next COVID-19 Relief Package
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to include additional federal assistance to local governments in the forthcoming supplemental COVID-19 relief package. In their letter, Duckworth and Durbin called for the creation of a special FEMA Community Disaster … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $1.2 Billion in CARES Act Funding for Illinois Hospitals & Health Providers
[SPRINGFIELD] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Illinois hospitals and health providers a total of $1,204,103,180 in grant funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide relief and support ongoing treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today's funding is part of the CARES Act's "Marshall Pan," which included $100 billion for … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Discuss COVID-19 Response in Illinois with Army Secretary McCarthy
[WASHINGTON, DC] U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services committee, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, spoke with U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy today to discuss the Army's COVID-19 response efforts in Illinois. Durbin and Duckworth asked about operations at the McCormick Place Field Hospital and ongoing U.S. Army efforts to support Illinois frontline health care … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Duckworth Joins Blumenthal in Calling on OSHA to Provide and Enforce Safety Standards for All Essential Businesses & Workers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and five of her colleagues in calling on the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to utilize its emergency enforcement mechanism to require employers to develop and implement comprehensive plans to protect all essential workers who continue to perform their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senators asked OSHA to issue an Emergency Temporary … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Duckworth Discusses COVID-19 Pandemic Response with Metro East Leaders
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke with several Metro East officials in recent days about the federal assistance needed and efforts already underway in the region to address the COVID-19 pandemic. During these discussions, Duckworth spoke about how the bipartisan CARES Act stimulus law may help the Metro East, checked in about each stakeholder's response to and issues stemming from the pandemic and asked what additional federal resources might be needed in the … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Duckworth Joins Warren, Hirono and Colleagues to Call for Federal Agencies to Address Coronavirus-Related Racist and Xenophobic Attacks Against Asian Americans
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) in leading a letter to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) urging it to issue guidance to federal agencies on preventing and addressing anti-Asian racism and xenophobia related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There has been no coordinated effort across federal agencies to address this issue. "There has not been a concerted effort from … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
Duckworth Discusses COVID-19 Pandemic Response with Chicago Public Schools CEO
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) recently spoke with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Janice Jackson about the federal assistance needed and efforts already underway to help the school district amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Duckworth and Jackson discussed how the bipartisan CARES Act stimulus law may help CPS, as well as the work CPS has done to keep students and families fed while schools are closed. "I had a productive discussion with Dr. Jackson about the needs of … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
Duckworth Responds to Republican Stunt to Delay Additional COVID Relief Funding for Small Businesses
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell engaged in a partisan stunt that only delayed the approval of critical additional relief funding for small businesses: "It's clear that despite good intentions, the Paycheck Protection Program isn't being implemented by the Trump Administration as it should be, and small businesses across Illinois and around the country still desperately … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
Duckworth to Trump Administration: Fix Implementation Issues with SBA Loans Immediately
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led seven of her Senate colleagues in writing to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza and U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about reports that lack of guidance and extreme limitations have kept SBA loans from being properly administered to small business owners across the country. In the letter, the Senators demand Carranza and Mnuchin resolve these implementation issues by … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
Duckworth Joins Hassan, Colleagues to Call for Action to Prevent Counterfeiting, Price Gouging of Medical Supplies Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and 13 of her colleagues in urging President Donald Trump to act to prevent price gouging, as well as fraudulent and counterfeit supplies, which are hampering efforts to treat patients and combat the spread of COVID-19. "Every day, profiteers and scam artists are taking advantage of desperate buyers and the unprecedented demand for personal protective equipment by charging obscene prices and selling … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
Duckworth Asks Mnuchin to Provide Maximum Relief Funding to State, County and Local Governments
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to request the agency provide flexibility, fairness and clarity in its guidance for distribution of the relief funds to state, county and local governments. These jurisdictions are facing severe budget crises as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and it's critical they receive the federal support that was allocated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In part, … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
During the COVID-19 Crisis, Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $1 Million for Housing Relief in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $1,125,211 in federal funding to various organizations in Illinois to support housing assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS during the COVID-19 pandemic. These investments come from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act through the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) initiative. Aside … Continue Reading
April 08, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Discuss COVID-19 Response With Chicago Mayor Lightfoot
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke with Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot about Chicago's COVID-19 pandemic response and how they can continue to assist her efforts to protect Illinoisans. Durbin and Duckworth discussed strategies to support minority and women owned businesses, protecting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, protecting frontline transit workers and investing in infrastructure to help get people back … Continue Reading
