In The News
Pete Hegseth Seems Really Confused About Where Southeast Asia Is
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, revealed an embarrassing ignorance about a major geopolitical organization during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, was taking questions from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) when she challenged him to share his knowledge about even just one member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. “Can you name the importance of at least one of the nations in ASEAN … Continue Reading
January 13, 2025
‘Not Qualified’ And ‘Out of Touch’: Combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth on Why She Opposes Pete Hegseth’s Nomination
Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon is, at the moment, the most endangered of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet choices. Hegseth’s hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday—among the first of the incoming Administration—could offer some clarity on whether the former Fox News host is still on track to lead the nation’s largest employer. Central to that debate is likely to be Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat on the committee who happens to be disabled … Continue Reading
January 13, 2025
Hegseth’s track record falls short of military standards: Dem senators
When duty called, both of us considered it an honor to answer. In different wars, under different commanders in chief and secretaries of defense, each of us packed our bags, laced up our boots and deployed to the Middle East — flying combat missions over Iraq because we believed in our country and, crucially, because we believed in the military and civilian leaders who asked us to sacrifice. At any point in time, many of the 1.3 million active-duty U.S. service members stationed across the … Continue Reading
January 03, 2025
IL Sen. Tammy Duckworth joins Senate Veterans Affairs committee
ILLINOIS, USA — Friday, Jan. 3 is the first day back in office for U.S. Senators. It was also Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth's first day as part of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Since she was injured during her service in Iraq in 2004, Duckworth has been advocating for veterans like herself. "It's a real honor to join the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee to continue my work and my life's mission," Duckworth said. "I want to make sure that our heroes are provided with the care and … Continue Reading
November 25, 2024
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