In The News
Sen. Tammy Duckworth: Now is not the time to leave Iraq
First, it was the familiar weight of my body armor. Then, as I approached the helicopter the feeling grew. The growl of the engine, the smell of hydraulic fluid and JP-8 fuel, the communication traffic in my headset - it was as if I were no longer in 2019 but was back with my crew in 2004, in the thick of the war. It had been 14 years, five months and 10 days since I'd last been in Iraq, since the afternoon when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded in the Black Hawk helicopter I was piloting, … Continue Reading
May 18, 2019
Tammy Duckworth: We cannot leave work in Iraq unfinished
The recent video of Islamic State terror leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reasserting his presence was a jarring reminder of a grim reality: The battle against terror, in Iraq and Syria and worldwide, is evolving - not over. Contrary to some public perception, ISIS is diminished, but not yet defeated. Moving forward, it is vital that America's resolve and commitment to the Iraqi people remain strong. Iraq has the potential of establishing itself as a self-sustaining, sovereign nation that can be a … Continue Reading
May 15, 2019
Why we formed the Senate’s first Environmental Justice Caucus
As a series of trucks headed toward Warren County, North Carolina, a crowd of residents gathered together to lie down in the middle of the road. It was September 1982, and as they got down onto the ground, a movement rose up. The residents were protesting North Carolina's decision to dump 6,000 truckloads of toxic soil into their poor, predominantly African American community. They cried foul after officials brushed aside concerns that the toxic chemicals could bleed into their … Continue Reading
May 12, 2019
More women in Congress could be a good thing for family leave legislation
At just 10 days old, my daughter Maile made history. Last April, swaddled in blankets, nestled in my arms, she became the first child allowed onto the Senate floor - sleeping peacefully as I cast a vote, unaware of the milestone moment. As a mother, I'll never forget that day, and I'm endlessly grateful that my colleagues changed chamber rules to allow me and all future parents in the Senate to fulfill our responsibilities to both the Constitution and our newborns. I also don't understand … Continue Reading
May 01, 2019
Let’s pay preschool educators a worthy wage
I know firsthand the difference a teacher can make in a student's life. When I was a child, my dad lost his job-and all too quickly, my family was forced to depend on food stamps to survive. My English teacher must've known we were struggling because every so often, he'd make up an excuse for me and a few other hungry kids to stay after the final bell-then would apologize for keeping us late by giving us a few dollars for a meal, helping me focus on my education and not my empty … Continue Reading
April 30, 2019
'The emotions snuck up on me': U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth recounts first trip to Iraq since being shot down in 2004
The last time she heard the whirring staccato of helicopter blades, took in the fumes from hydraulic fluid or felt the blowing dust - all at once - Tammy Duckworth was a soldier in Iraq. As an Army pilot, Duckworth left there 15 years ago on a stretcher. She lost both legs after her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade. Last week, Duckworth returned for the first time to the place that forever altered her life - this time as the junior U.S. senator from Illinois … Continue Reading
April 22, 2019
'We have a nation which has stunning injustices': Senate Democrats start new environmental push
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate will soon have an Environmental Justice Caucus, to be chaired by three Democrats: Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Tom Carper of Delaware and Cory Booker of New Jersey, who is also competing for the 2020 presidential nomination. In an interview with Yahoo News, Duckworth said that the aim of the caucus will be to approach environmental issues with attention to matters of race and class. "Oftentimes, black and brown communities are the ones that suffer the biggest … Continue Reading
April 17, 2019
Tax Preparation Services Hit Low-Income Filers With Added Fees
Tax season is over, except for those who didn't file on time (you know who you are). But issues with the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service never die. Among those are how "tax-time financial products" hit low-income taxpayers. What are tax-time products? Generally, they are offered by banks, pushed by tax preparation services and include items such as refund advances, refund anticipation loans and refund transfers. For example, with refund transfers, a bank account is opened to … Continue Reading
April 04, 2019
Duckworth Legislation Would Help Deported Veterans Return To The U.S.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth reintroduced three bills to help deported veterans on Thursday. One of the bills is the Veterans Visa and Protection Act, which would ban the deportation of veterans. The bill would also create a visa program for veterans that have already been deported, allowing them to return to the U.S. as a legal permanent resident and providing them assistance to become U.S. citizens. Currently, veterans who are legal permanent residents can be deported, if they are convicted … Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Tammy Duckworth Forced Airlines to Report When They Break Wheelchairs. Hers Ended Up on the List.
In December, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) caught a flight back to Washington after surveying tornado damage in her home state only to discover that, for at least the third time in three years, the wheelchair she relies on had been broken while it was stowed in the plane's hold during transit. The damage was relatively minor, but it still made the chair difficult to use. This is a common problem for people with disabilities, many of whom complain that their motorized wheelchairs and scooters … Continue Reading
March 29, 2019
Senator Tammy Duckworth on Climate Change and National Security
Last week, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) became one of 10 members of the newly formed Senate Democrat Special Committee on the Climate Crisis. As a former Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army and a Purple Heart recipient, Senator Duckworth brings an important perspective to this committee: that climate change is a direct threat to our national security and to our troops serving around the world. Her staff was kind enough to share a transcript of her remarks during the press conference … Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
‘Left in the lurch’: Airlines break an average of 25 wheelchairs a day
WASHINGTON Airlines damaged at least 701 wheelchairs and motorized scooters in a single month - an average of more than 25 a day, according to the first such data reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation under a new law championed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Among the hundreds of wheelchairs damaged between Dec. 4 and 31 last year was one belonging to Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and combat veteran and double amputee. She pushed for the law after her own wheelchair was damaged … Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
Duckworth's wheelchair-trashing rule begins to bite airlines
It looks like Sen. Tammy Duckworth was onto something when she passed a new law requiring public disclosure of how often airlines damage customers' wheelchairs-including the senator's. Twice. According to the first report from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Duckworth rule, carriers reported damaging or breaking 701 wheelchairs and motorized scooters between Dec. 4 and Dec. 31, an average of more than 25 a day. Among the victims was, once again, Duckworth, a double-amputee … Continue Reading
March 15, 2019
This Iraq vet turned Democratic senator wants her party to pay more attention to national security
Iraq War Veteran and Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth wants her party to talk more about the military. With the 2020 elections looming, Democrats - especially the growing list of presidential hopefuls - need to do a better job outlining their goals for national security, Duckworth said, especially as Republicans try to paint the party's positions as sacrificing defense spending for other domestic priorities. "I don't see it as a zero-sum game, which is what the right wing is … Continue Reading
March 13, 2019
Sen. Duckworth warns military may find itself short of recruits
WASHINGTON - Wounded Iraq war vet Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a new member of the Armed Services Committee, on Wednesday warned that the military may find itself short of recruits. But the pool of potential recruits, she said, could be expanded if more youths were physically fit; non-citizen immigrants were welcomed; and discrimination against transgender troops ended. "If you are willing to put your life on the line for this country and you can do the job, you should be able to serve no … Continue Reading
March 08, 2019
International Women's Day 2019: Women in Politics Share Experiences of Sexism and Offer Advice to Future Generations
International Women's Day marks a moment to pause and reflect on just how far women and girls around the world have come in the fight for equality-and how far we still have to go in the bid for equality for all. To mark International Women's Day, Newsweek asked a selection of women in U.S. politics-from senators to representatives and mayoral leaders-to offer their perspectives on a few questions: Have they have faced sexism in their own careers? What do they believe to be some of the … Continue Reading
February 26, 2019
Duckworth moves to boost funding for O’Hare, rail project
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is wasting no time with her job on a key Senate panel, taking steps today to boost federal funding for two big projects close to the Chicago area's economy: expansion of O'Hare International Airport and completion of the Create project to unsnarl railroad traffic here. At a hearing of the Senate Transportation & Safety Subcommittee-Duckworth recently became the ranking Democratic member-the senator announced that she and Georgia Republican Sen. David … Continue Reading
February 21, 2019
Senator Tammy Duckworth proves why we need more moms in government
She was the first senator to give birth while serving in office and made history by bringing her baby onto the Senate floor. Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth knows what working mothers are up against each day. Her ability to juggle work calls and juice boxes while simultaneously getting her daughter off to preschool is impressive, and her legislative record proves how important it is for mothers to be represented in government. During the fourth episode of The Motherly Podcast, Duckworth … Continue Reading
February 20, 2019
Three Asian-American lawmakers introduce a bill to prohibit internment like that of Japanese Americans during World War II
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an order that sent 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps for the remainder of World War II. Now three Asian-American members of Congress are trying to ensure that something like that never happens again. US Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, along with US Rep. Mark Takano of California -- all Democrats -- have introduced a bill that would bar Americans from being forcibly incarcerated based … Continue Reading
February 19, 2019
Sen. Tammy Duckworth Calls for Investigation Into Whether ICE Violated Disability Policy
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) has called for an independent investigation into whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated its policy prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, after a story by The Daily Beast exposed how ICE agents at a Texas detention center deprived a man of his prosthetic limbs for more than five months. Victor Valladares Diaz, a double amputee who lost an arm and a leg on the journey to be reunited with his family in the United States, spent … Continue Reading
