In The News
US airlines damage thousands of wheelchairs every year. Disabled Sen. Tammy Duckworth says, 'It's like they're breaking my legs every 3-4 flights.'
Like most US senators, Tammy Duckworth travels a lot. But, every 3-4 flights, her mobility is taken away from her, she tells Insider. "Wheelchairs should be treated like a human limb because they're my legs," says Sen. Duckworth in a video call with Insider. "When you break my wheelchair, or you lose my wheelchair, you've taken away my legs." Senator Duckworth lost her legs as a veteran in the Iraq war when the Blackhawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by an RPG. "Once I was on a … Continue Reading
October 12, 2021
Pritzker, Durbin, Duckworth break ground on Springfield transportation hub
SPRINGFIELD - A railway improvement project intended to greatly improve traffic congestion between St. Louis and Chicago reached a milestone Tuesday as work began on a multimodal transportation hub in the capital city. Gov. J.B. Pritzker was joined at a groundbreaking ceremony by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, along with several state lawmakers and local government officials, both Republicans and Democrats, to break ground on the Springfield Sangamon County Transportation Center, … Continue Reading
October 07, 2021
Sen. Tammy Duckworth calls for a 'real, cold-hard facts look' at US' failed 20-year war in Afghanistan
Marco Werman: You've called your proposal, senator, the Afghanistan War Study Commission. What do you hope it will achieve? Sen. Tammy Duckworth: Well, I hope that it will achieve a comprehensive look at the various errors that have been made by all the different folks involved and gives us the lessons learned so that we don't enter into another quagmire like the one we've been in for 20 years in Afghanistan. We know that the United States will be involved in future conflicts. We need to … Continue Reading
October 01, 2021
Sen. Duckworth issues plea to help Afghan refugees: ‘If you can help, please help’
Weeks after the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is encouraging Chicago residents to step up and help Afghans who will be resettling in the area in the coming months. The social service agencies assisting Afghans in Chicago need help finding permanent housing, jobs, furniture and household items, she said during a news conference Friday at Heartland Alliance's Ravenswood office. In coming months, 830 Afghans are expected to find a home in Illinois, Duckworth … Continue Reading
September 30, 2021
Senator Calls for Massive Investigation into What Went Wrong in Afghanistan
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., on Thursday proposed a bill that would establish a multiyear investigation into the two-decade war in Afghanistan and what went wrong. "I want to have a real comprehensive look at the 20 years of war. I think the American people are owed that," Duckworth told Military.com in an interview. "Certainly, the service members who served there and those who laid down their lives and their families deserve that." The U.S. war in Afghanistan cost 2,461 American service … Continue Reading
September 30, 2021
One Senator’s Plan to Cut Through the Politics and Get Answers on Afghanistan
One senator is introducing a bill that would establish a nonpartisan commission to study the war in Afghanistan to try to cut through the political drama that has surrounded lawmakers' consideration of the conflict this week. Top generals testified before Congress this week about the withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Many Republicans sought to pin the blame for the chaotic withdrawal on President Joe Biden, while Democrats overwhelmingly defended the president and pointed … Continue Reading
September 30, 2021
Sen. Duckworth calls for ‘nonpolitical’ probe into 20 years of failures in Afghanistan
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., introduced legislation on Thursday to create an apolitical commission to study 20 years of American war in Afghanistan, an effort she hopes would keep the United States from repeating mistakes made during years of conflict after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Afghanistan War Study Commission would be charged with taking a "deep dive" into every aspect of the war, including top level strategic decisions, combat operations, efforts to train Afghan forces, … Continue Reading
September 28, 2021
Illinois Senator Duckworth pushes for rescue of Lombard Navy veteran kidnapped in Kabul
WASHINGTON - Top military officials were in the hot seat Tuesday on Capitol Hill, answering questions about the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and Americans left behind. One of those left behind was a west suburban man kidnapped last year while working as a contractor in Afghanistan. While publicly pressuring both the Defense Secretary and the General who chairs the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff during the hearing, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth concluded with an emotional note. "And I … Continue Reading
September 27, 2021
Those Afghan refugees coming our way? They risked everything for us. We must step up for them
"Bad guy is going to come and is going to kill you, then us." So said one of the young children of Reggie, an Afghan national who witnessed firsthand the horrors of not only the two-decade war that ravaged his country but also the rapid takeover by the very forces he'd spent much of those years fighting. Reggie, whose real name wasn't revealed by NPR when it shared his story, worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military. Day after day, mission after mission, he risked his life to protect … Continue Reading
September 24, 2021
Duckworth, Raimondo: Congress must back the president’s historic investment in home care workers
The COVID-19 crisis has killed more than 600,000 Americans. Perhaps most cruelly of all, elderly Americans and individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities-many of whom live in congregate settings such as nursing homes and intermediate care facilities-have often suffered the worst harms, both in terms of severe illness, and tragically, higher death rates. We must honor the memories of our lost loved ones by committing to the work of building a national capability of … Continue Reading
September 22, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth propose bill to make community colleges more affordable to trades
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) - US Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation today aimed at making community colleges more affordable to students interested in pursuing a career in highly-skilled trades. The Community College to Career Fund in Higher Education Act would highlight partnerships between technical schools, community colleges, and businesses that train students to fill empty, high-skill jobs in fields like manufacturing, healthcare, clean energy, … Continue Reading
September 19, 2021
Senator Tammy Duckworth discusses welcoming Afghan refugees to Quad Cities
MOLINE, Ill. - Over the coming weeks and months, Illinois is expected to receive more than 800 resettled Afghan refugees from the first group of evacuees, with around 150 individuals expected to arrive in the Quad Cities. These are Afghan allies who helped Americans during the 20-year war in Afghanistan. Over the next few weeks, the refugees are being vetted by Homeland Security at Fort McCoy, a Wisconsin military base in Tomah. They'll get vaccinations, including the COVID-19 vaccine, … Continue Reading
August 27, 2021
Duckworth updates Lake County municipal leaders on federal funds that may be headed their way
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth discussed ways in which President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion American Recovery Act can help Lake County municipal governments, and also explained earlier this month how the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will directly impact northern Illinois communities. Illinois is set to receive more than $13 billion in relief funding from the Biden plan, with Lake County municipalities being eligible to receive more than $87 million, she … Continue Reading
August 24, 2021
Springfield & Peoria airports were awarded federal COVID-19 relief money. Here's how much
Springfield and Peoria airports both qualified for seven-figure grants from the Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both D-Ill., announced Tuesday that Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport (SPI) and General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA) were awarded $1.4 million and nearly $4.4 million, respectively, by the FAA. The money is provided by the federal American Rescue Plan Act, a recent COVID-19 relief package that Illinois' … Continue Reading
August 24, 2021
Senators announce more than $2.5 million in funding for airports in Illinois
WASHINGTON D.C. (WIFR) - Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced more than $2.5 million in federal funding from President Biden's American Rescue Plan to improve airports across Illinois. "Making sure airports across Illinois continue to have the support they need during this pandemic is critical to protecting local jobs and enhancing the traveler experience," said Duckworth. "I'm proud to join Senator Durbin in announcing this infusion of federal funding through the American … Continue Reading
August 19, 2021
Duckworth: Let’s Focus on Getting Our People Out of Afghanistan
Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin were in Peoria with Governor J.B. Pritzker on Thursday to celebrate the heroism of the C-130 Aircraft Fleet of the Illinois National Guard. Duckworth was questioned about her opinions of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Duckworth says her attention in the situation is to getting Americans, allies, and one of her constituents out of the country: "Right now, my focus is on getting all Americans out of Afghanistan and getting the thousands of brave … Continue Reading
August 17, 2021
Duckworth highlights importance of Illinois Air National Guard’s 182nd Airlift Wing, secures C-130 aircrafts
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) - A critical resource for the Illinois National Guard 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria is here to stay. For fiscal year 2022, a minimum of 292 C-130 aircrafts nationwide has been established. The provision in the National Defense Authorization Act was secured by Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. While highlighting the aircrafts at the 182nd Airlift Wing on Tuesday, she says they have been used to help fight COVID-19, transport troops to the Capitol following the January … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Duckworth/Durbin: $15 Billion To IL in Federal Infrastructure Bill
Illinois' Senators say that the state will receive $15 billion if the new federal infrastructure becomes law. U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin announced yesterday that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would invest approximately $1.2 trillion in federal resources over the next 5 years, including $567.4 billion in new infrastructure spending and $93.5 billion in additional funding authorizations. Duckworth and Durbin say that Illinois could expect $9.8 billion for … Continue Reading
August 12, 2021
Senator looks to battle military hunger
Combat veteran and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth looks to fight back the little-seen problem of hunger among military … Continue Reading
August 05, 2021
Senators Duckworth and Durbin announce $8.3 million for Illinois airports, $2.8 million to CIRA
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - United States Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin announced Thursday a total of $8,335,191 will be flying into three Illinois airports. The funds are provided through President Biden's American Rescue Plan and provide monetary relief for airport executives for costs associated with operations, staffing, cleaning, sanitization and combating the spread of COVID-19. "Making sure airports across Illinois continue to have the support they need during this pandemic … Continue Reading
