In The News
Tammy Duckworth Says Pete Hegseth ‘Inordinately Unqualified’ To Lead Pentagon
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said Sunday she believes former Fox News host Pete Hegseth is “inordinately unqualified” to run the Pentagon after he was nominated to be the nation’s next defense secretary by President-elect Donald Trump. Trump’s transition team is actively courting lawmakers to help confirm Hegseth, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, amid a growing scandal over past allegations against him of sexual assault. The media recently obtained details from a 2017 police … Continue Reading
November 24, 2024
Sen. Duckworth says Trump defense secretary pick is "flat-out wrong" about women in combat roles
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Sunday that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary is "flat-out wrong" in his view that women should not serve in the military in combat roles. "Our military could not go to war without the women who wear this uniform," Duckworth said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "And frankly, America's daughters are just as capable of defending liberty and freedom as her sons." Trump tapped Hegseth, a former Fox News host … Continue Reading
November 23, 2024
Sen. Tammy Duckworth pushes for growth of Rock Island Arsenal
U.S. Senator and combat veteran Tammy Duckworth met with Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy George on Tuesday to discuss investments at the Rock Island Arsenal. In an interview with the Dispatch-Argus/Quad-City Times, Duckworth said that George was impressed with the arsenal after a recent visit, and that he saw the facility's potential to answer future challenges the Army might face. "General George gave me an example, 'There are parts that I have been trying to order from a major … Continue Reading
November 14, 2024
Tammy Duckworth Has a Message for Pete Hegseth on Women in Combat
Senator and combat veteran Tammy Duckworth had strong words for Pete Hegseth while appearing on CNN to discuss Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary. Duckworth, who lost both legs after being shot down in a helicopter while serving with the Illinois Army National Guard in Iraq, spoke with anchor Kaitlan Collins about Hegseth's comments on female combatants, calling him "out of touch," and lacking in experience. The Democratic Illinois senator was speaking out in response to a viral clip … Continue Reading
November 11, 2024
Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, disappointed by Trump victory, hopes for bipartisanship
While deeply disappointed with the results of last week’s elections, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, said she’s hoping to work with her Republican colleagues. “That’s what I’m going to be focused on,” Duckworth said Monday after attending a Veterans Day event in Belleville. “Obviously, with Donald Trump as president, my work is cut out for me to really work to counter many of his authoritarian tendencies. I will make sure that we maintain the checks and balances in government, and we … Continue Reading
November 10, 2024
Lawmakers Want More Flexibility for Pregnant Troops to Change Tricare Plans
In an effort to improve prenatal care for troops and family members, a group of lawmakers wants to give Tricare users more flexibility to change their health-care plans when they get pregnant. The House's version of the must-pass annual defense policy bill already includes language that would add, on a trial basis, pregnancy to the list of reasons why Tricare users could change plans. Now, a group of lawmakers is introducing separate legislation on the issue, with the goal of convincing … Continue Reading
October 25, 2024
IVF must be included in health coverage for military families, two lawmakers stress
WASHINGTON — Two Democratic lawmakers are pushing negotiators of a must-pass defense policy bill to include extensive health care coverage for in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments for service members and military families. Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees in a letter this week that troops should have the same level of IVF coverage that will become available next year to lawmakers and … Continue Reading
October 24, 2024
Pair of Lawmakers Pushes Defense Bill Negotiators to Include Tricare IVF Coverage
Broad coverage of fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization for service members and their families, should be part of a compromise defense policy bill being negotiated now, a pair of lawmakers told negotiators this week. In a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees that was obtained by Military.com, Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., pushed for the compromise National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, to include … Continue Reading
October 23, 2024
American Airlines fined $50 million for its treatment of passengers with disabilities
WASHINGTON — Citing "numerous serious violations" of the laws protecting airline passengers with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Transportation fined American Airlines $50 million on Wednesday. WASHINGTON — Citing "numerous serious violations" of the laws protecting airline passengers with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Transportation fined American Airlines $50 million on Wednesday. The penalty follows an investigation by the DOT that found violations at American over a four-year … Continue Reading
October 23, 2024
U.S. Dept. of Transportation levies $50 million fine against American Airlines
(WGN) — The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a $50 million fine against American Airlines Wednesday, saying the company violated the rights of people with disabilities who flew with the airline. DOT officials said a four-year investigation into American from 2019 to 2023 revealed numerous violations of laws protecting airline passengers with disabilities, which included cases of unsafe physical assistance resulting in injuries, undignified treatment of wheelchair … Continue Reading
October 22, 2024
Congress Pushes For Increased Wheelchair Access For Medicare Beneficiaries
Medicare beneficiaries need better access to lighter, more advanced wheelchairs that won't put as much strain on users' shoulders and will reduce overall pain and fatigue, bipartisan senators said last week while introducing a bill meant to increase access to these advanced wheelchairs. This comes after bipartisan members of the House pressured CMS to open for public comment the pending National Coverage Analysis (NCA) on standing systems. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tammy Duckworth … Continue Reading
October 14, 2024
Underwood, Duckworth in Joliet to talk maternal health crisis in US
A national tour addressing the maternal health crisis in the U.S. made its latest stop Sunday in Joliet. The tour, called Maternal Outcomes Matter Showers, or MOMS, took place at the Nowell Park Recreation Center. Organizations such as Silver Cross Hospital and Blue Cross Blue Shield had booths in the center’s gym to provide information and resources for women at risk of pregnancy-related diseases. The tour was developed to address how the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any … Continue Reading
September 20, 2024
Kangaroo leather ban introduced in US Senate
Dive Brief: The Kangaroo Protection Act of 2024 was introduced to the U.S. Senate on Thursday, according to a release posted by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., one of the bill’s sponsors. Co-sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., the bill would ban the sale and manufacturing of products made from kangaroo skin, as well as the sale of kangaroo skin itself, in the U.S. The legislation is designed to prevent the use of kangaroo leather, also known as k-leather, in commercial products, notably … Continue Reading
September 18, 2024
Democrats' bill to protect IVF fails again: Why Republicans blocked it
Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a bill protecting access to in-vitro fertilization as the fight over reproductive rights and having children heats up in the 2024 election. IVF, a treatment for infertility, has increasingly become a political issue after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling in Februrary gave embryos fertilized through IVF the same legal rights as children, causing many providers to temporarily halt treatment in the state. The Right to IVF Act, sponsored by Sen. Tammy … Continue Reading
September 17, 2024
Duckworth slams Trump, GOP after 2nd failed attempt to pass IVF protections
For the second time, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday failed to advance a bill to enshrine protections for in-vitro fertilization [IVF]. Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois proposed the measure that the Senate blocked in June. The measure failed to reach 60 votes again on Tuesday in a mostly party-line vote. It was not expected to pass. Duckworth used the fertility treatment to have her two children. She's concerned that a conservative U.S. Supreme Court that struck down Roe v. Wade … Continue Reading
September 17, 2024
'I'm not even sure he can spell IVF': Tammy Duckworth doubts Trump on reproductive rights
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) blamed former President Donald Trump for undermining families' access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). At a press conference on Tuesday, Duckworth promoted a bill that would establish a nationwide right to IVF and lower costs for the procedure. Duckworth noted that she used IVF treatments to start a family after being injured in combat. "It's a miracle, because after ten years of struggling with infertility, after being wounded in combat, I was only able to have … Continue Reading
September 17, 2024
For Duckworth, Preserving I.V.F. Access Is Personal
When Senator Tammy Duckworth put off having children to prioritize her military career, the risk of losing her fertility because of combat injuries never crossed her mind. But after she lost both legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq, Ms. Duckworth struggled for more than a decade with infertility — a condition her doctor suggested was tied to the many X-rays she received during treatment for her injuries — before giving birth to two daughters via in vitro fertilization. It’s an … Continue Reading
August 27, 2024
Efforts underway to revitalize naval station’s ‘zombie village’; ‘No one should be living in Halsey Village’
Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth called it a “zombie village,” and Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart suggested, “There is not a neighborhood in all of Lake County in a worse condition.” They were referring to the privately managed Halsey Village at Naval Station Great Lakes, where approximately 70.5% of the houses are uninhabitable. Of those, 44 are fenced off in the southwest corner of the project near Green Bay and Buckley roads. “The neighborhood has taken on the moniker of ‘zombie … Continue Reading
August 27, 2024
Illinois senators secure $1 million to remove lead pipes from schools, childcare buildings
ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The state of Illinois is getting money to reduce lead exposure for children. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced the state will get $1,093,000 to reduce the number of lead pipes in schools and childcare facilities in the state. ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The state of Illinois is getting money to reduce lead exposure for children. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced the state will get $1,093,000 to reduce the number of lead … Continue Reading
August 16, 2024
Biden designates the site of 1908 race riot in Springfield, Illinois, a national monument
President Joe Biden signed a proclamation Friday designating the site of a 1908 race massacre in Springfield, Illinois, a national monument. For two nights in August 1908, a White mob laid siege to Springfield, indiscriminately looting, burning and destroying Black-owned homes and businesses, in a race riot that would become known as the Springfield Massacre. Two Black men were lynched during the riot and their deaths fueled calls to start a national movement for political and racial justice … Continue Reading
