In The News
Duckworth fighting to keep Illinois restaurants alive through federal relief plan
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Restaurant owners across the country are pleading for financial assistance from Capitol Hill. That's why the Illinois Restaurant Association hosted a town hall discussion Friday with one of their champions - Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois). Nearly 60% of restaurant owners in Illinois say they'll have to permanently close their doors in the next four months without federal relief. "The restaurant food service industry - including restaurants, bars, caterers, and everyone … Continue Reading
December 11, 2020
Duckworth offers hope to restaurant industry workers, says relief bill ‘very close’
In a video town-hall meeting sponsored by the Illinois Restaurant Association, Sen. Tammy Duckworth gave hope to the restaurant industry, saying that a relief bill that would provide immediate financial assistance was "very close to the finish line." "I'm not leaving town until we get federal relief out the door," she said Friday, speaking from Washington. The news cheered the restaurant industry members who participated in the call, who also reiterated that restaurant owners and … Continue Reading
December 10, 2020
Sen. Duckworth spoke with Rock Island-Milan Superintendent Lawrence about COVID-19 relief bill
A massive COVID-19 relief bill has been introduced in Congress that would help families with child-care assistance and school districts with education needs. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is a co-sponsor of the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act, which would support education and child care by providing $430 billion to students, families, teachers and schools. Duckworth had a virtual meeting Wednesday with Rock Island-Milan School District Superintendent Dr. … Continue Reading
December 08, 2020
Online grocery shopping is growing, but millions of Americans on food stamps are being left behind
New York (CNN Business) -- Richard Smith wishes he could buy his groceries online and get them delivered right to his door in the pandemic. It's not so easy. Smith, 74, is retired and has COPD, a chronic lung disease. He has trouble breathing from his years of smoking cigarettes. In September, he was hospitalized for his condition. Twice a month, Smith, who doesn't have a car, goes with an aide in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Market Basket, a local supermarket chain, to pick up food and … Continue Reading
December 07, 2020
US senator seeks update on contractor taken in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Democratic senator is calling on the State Department to prioritize the return of Mark Frerichs, an American contractor believed to have been taken by a Taliban-linked militant network in Afghanistan earlier this year. The letter from Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois comes weeks after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held what are likely his last meetings with the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators trying to hammer out a peace deal. It is unclear to what extent … Continue Reading
December 07, 2020
U.S. Senator Duckworth says military hunger issues uncovered in FOX4 investigation must be addressed
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A FOX4 investigation that exposed widespread food insecurity among active-duty service members in Missouri has sparked concern and outrage by Iraq War Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth. FOX4's investigation revealed that 30% of Missouri students whose parents serve in the military qualified for free or reduced lunches this year. FOX4 also discovered there are food pantries and food distribution programs on or near every military base in the … Continue Reading
December 01, 2020
Duckworth calls for ‘compassionate resolution’ for vets facing GI Bill problems
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling on the military to show "compassion" in addressing bureaucratic mistakes that have led to the children of long-serving veterans losing out on Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for college and, in some cases, being forced to repay money the government already has paid on their behalf. "I am concerned about the overarching trend that bureaucratic error and complex calculations are preventing well-meaning veterans from transferring benefits they've earned" to their … Continue Reading
November 30, 2020
Duckworth calls for ‘compassionate resolution’ for vets facing GI Bill problems
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling on the military to show "compassion" in addressing bureaucratic mistakes that have led to the children of long-serving veterans losing out on Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for college and, in some cases, being forced to repay money the government already has paid on their behalf. "I am concerned about the overarching trend that bureaucratic error and complex calculations are preventing well-meaning veterans from transferring benefits they've earned" to their … Continue Reading
November 23, 2020
Duckworth Introduces Legislation To Keep Non-Vet Presidents, VPs From Arlington
Senator Tammy Duckworth is sponsoring legislation that would bar non-veteran presidents and vice presidents from being buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Illinois Democrat is an Iraq War veteran. The Defense Department is drawing criticism for a proposal that would allow the practice. Some veterans believed that the proposal was an effort to ensure President Trump's burial at the Virginia cemetery. The Pentagon denies the … Continue Reading
November 21, 2020
The Future of Breastfeeding Is No Longer Over Toilets—Thanks to Sen. Duckworth's Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act
"If we don't support our children, how did they grow up to be productive adults?" Sen. Tammy Duckworth told Ms. "If they don't get enough prenatal care, if they don't get the health care support that they need, if they don't get the breast milk when they are growing in their most formative months of life. We can and should do better." Kristin Debreaux has always loved traveling, so when she gave birth to her son Levi, it was a passion she knew she wanted to share. To date, they've been to six … Continue Reading
November 20, 2020
Donald Trump is Endangering National Security for His Ego
At the height of a global pandemic and in the depth of a national recession, Donald Trump has endangered our national security by forcing the Pentagon into his latest culture war. Since the moment it was clear he was going to lose the election, Trump has spent his time spewing conspiracy theories so baseless they've been debunked by his own officials. He has used these lies as rationale to refuse to accept the results of what his own Administration has called "the most secure [election] in … Continue Reading
November 19, 2020
Sen. Tammy Duckworth warns of troops in 'body bags' due to Trump's reductions in Iraq, Afghanistan
Sen. Tammy Duckworth said President Trump's decision to reduce troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan may result in more of them in "body bags." The Illinois Democrat, who is also an Iraq War veteran, blasted Mr. Trump for a move that will bring troop levels to 2,500 in both nations by mid-January. "All of the military commanders have spoken up and say this is the wrong thing to do," she told reporters Tuesday. "We want our troops home, but let's not bring them home in body bags," Ms. … Continue Reading
November 12, 2020
Duckworth celebrates 'Alive Day' 16 years after she 'almost died but didn't'
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) celebrated "Alive Day" 16 years after she "almost died but didn't" in a helicopter crash that took both of her legs. "Today is my Alive Day, the anniversary of the day I almost died but didn't," Duckworth penned on Twitter. "On this day 16 years ago, an RPG tore through the cockpit of the Blackhawk I was co-piloting, taking my legs and partial use of my right arm with it." Alive Day is a personal date for when a veteran almost loses their life while in combat, … Continue Reading
November 11, 2020
Pritzker, Duckworth Celebrate Completion of Long Delayed Veterans Home on Northwest Side
The first home for Illinois veterans in Chicago will welcome its first residents in February 2021 - more than four years after it was scheduled to open, officials announced Wednesday. Surrounded by state and federal officials, Gov. J.B. Pritzker celebrated the completion of construction of the $118 million, five-story, 187,000-square-foot facility at 4250 N. Oak Park Ave. in Chicago's Dunning neighborhood. Construction on the 200-bed facility started in 2014 under former Gov. Pat Quinn, but … Continue Reading
October 27, 2020
Control the virus and protect workers — and the American economy will roar back
Over the past few months, President Donald Trump's performance has been both unprecedented and unpresidential. He's endangered those around him by trying to transform the pandemic into a culture war. He's derided science, claiming facts are fiction and that his own beliefs should be considered canon. He's stoked xenophobia without a second thought. And time after time, he's shown that he neither understands nor respects the heroes protecting this country - the men and women defending it from … Continue Reading
October 21, 2020
New bill aims to help meet military families' childcare needs with visa exemptions for au pairs
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., introduced a bill aimed at helping military families with childcare by providing certain visa exemptions for au pairs providing care to military kids during the pandemic. The legislation would specifically expand J-1 visa exemptions for the au pairs. Before the pandemic gripped the world, the Pentagon released a report that showed the Defense Department couldn't meet the demand for military family childcare -- able to accommodate about 78% of demand overall. … Continue Reading
October 10, 2020
Sen. Tammy Duckworth was once told to pump breast milk in an airport toilet stall. Now she has unlocked funding to put lactation rooms in all of America's airports
When Senator Tammy Duckworth had her first daughter in 2015, the then-member of the House found herself in a bind. She was traveling back-and-forth between Illinois and Washington, DC for work, but also had to pump breast milk for her baby - and often couldn't find a place to do it. "I was told to use the handicapped stall, the toilet, which is disgusting," Sen. Duckworth told Business Insider during a recent interview. "You wouldn't eat a sandwich in there. Why would you ask me to express … Continue Reading
October 09, 2020
Tammy Duckworth: “I fear Amy Coney Barrett may outlaw families like mine”
A little over two years ago, swathed in blankets and surrounded by many of my Senate colleagues, my then ten-day-old daughter napped her way into history when she became the first infant allowed onto the Senate floor. That afternoon, I held her in my arms while I cast a vote, fulfilling my duty to the Constitution, my constituents, and my newborn. I will never forget that moment, as my Republican and Democratic colleagues alike stood up and cheered for that milestone while little Maile Pearl … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Sen. Tammy Duckworth Wants Lactation Rooms in Every U.S. Airport
Shortly after giving birth to her first daughter, Abigail, in 2015, Sen. Tammy Duckworth found herself in an airport bathroom stall pumping breast milk from a toilet seat. There were no other private options in the terminal. Duckworth knew she wasn't alone in wanting a sanitary space to breastfeed or pump while traveling. At the time, she discovered that while 62 percent of airports in the U.S. called themselves "breastfeeding-friendly," only 8 percent had private, clean nursing areas with a … Continue Reading
October 06, 2020
Pump breast milk in an airport bathroom? You shouldn’t have to, says Tammy Duckworth
When then-Rep. Tammy Duckworth had her first daughter in 2014, she found herself in a can't-win position flying back and forth from Illinois to Washington. She needed to pump her breast milk every three hours to feed Abigail, the baby. But there was no place to do it. She asked airport officials. How about the handicapped stall in the bathroom, they suggested? "That's disgusting," said the Illinois Democrat, now a senator with two daughters. How about the sinks in the bathroom, they asked? … Continue Reading
