In The News
Bipartisan Senate bill seeks to improve emergency communications for first responders
A new bipartisan Senate bill would codify the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s research and engineering laboratory and task it with developing technologies for tracking and communicating with people trapped in confined spaces. The ITS Codification Act from Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., calls for the NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences to function as the federal government’s primary lab for studying radio frequency … Continue Reading
February 09, 2024
DNC Chicago 2024 host committee tours Chinatown ahead of Lunar New Year
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Democratic National Convention host committee is touring local neighborhoods, with their first stop being Chicago's Chinatown just ahead of Lunar New Year. Nearly 2 billion people around the world will celebrate Lunar New Year starting on Saturday, February 10. Many in Chinatown hope this year of the dragon will usher in some extra good fortune. Friday, Senator Tammy Duckworth led the DNC host committee on a tour of the historic neighborhood, stopping by Ichiban Candy … Continue Reading
February 06, 2024
Former pilot Duckworth gave Boeing's CEO an earful — and he listened
She’s been chair of the Senate’s aviation subcommittee for only a year, but Tammy Duckworth is making her presence felt. When the Illinois senator and former Army helicopter pilot told Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun he should drop his request for a safety waiver on a new, smaller version of the 737 that’s still awaiting FAA certification, Calhoun took her advice. The company dropped its request for a waiver related to the 737 Max-7 for a known de-icing issue, even though it’s likely to cost Boeing … Continue Reading
January 31, 2024
Illinois has the tools and talent to power America’s next stage of semiconductor tech
The world is changing. In the last few decades, technology has permeated every facet of our day-to-day lives. Foreign adversaries now often use technological prowess rather than tanks and troops to project power undermining the very values America holds dear. Over the past 20 years, the United States has lost a third of all jobs in its semiconductor industry, while the global industry has tripled in size. As the cost of domestic semiconductor production increased, our nation was unable to … Continue Reading
January 31, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin announce more than $2.8M in federal support for solar power throughout Illinois
U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth(D-IL) and Dick Durbin(D-IL) have announced $2,869,784 to help businesses in rural Illinois transition to solar power. This funding is through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program. According to a release from the U.S. Senate, the funding will help selectees purchase and install solar arrays to help power their businesses while saving recipients money on power costs, conserving energy and creating good-paying jobs. The following … Continue Reading
January 29, 2024
Boeing withdraws request for safety waiver for the 737 Max 7
Boeing has withdrawn a request for the Federal Aviation Administration to grant a safety waiver for the 737 Max 7 after the manufacturer reported an issue with the Max's anti-ice system last year. "We have informed the FAA that we are withdrawing our request for a time-limited exemption relating to the engine inlet deicing system on the 737-7," Boeing said Monday in a statement. "While we are confident that the proposed time-limited exemption for that system follows established FAA … Continue Reading
January 25, 2024
Senator Tammy Duckworth calls on FAA to reject Boeing's request for safety waiver for the 737 Max 7
In a letter obtained exclusively by CBS News, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, demanded that the Federal Aviation Administration reject Boeing's request for a safety waiver on the so far uncertified 737 Max 7, the smallest of the four 737 Max variants. "Boeing forfeited the benefit of the doubt long ago when it comes to trusting its promises about the safety of 737 MAX, and the FAA must reject its brazen request to cut corners … Continue Reading
January 18, 2024
First on CNN: Amid post-Roe concerns, Democratic lawmakers introduce bill to protect access to IVF
Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at protecting access to infertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization, amid growing concern that anti-abortion bills may threaten access in some states. On Thursday, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild introduced the Access to Family Building Act, which would make it a statutory right for patients to access assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization or IVF, continue treatments and … Continue Reading
January 18, 2024
Democrats Want To Establish IVF As A Statutory Right
The fight to ensure continued access to fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization is a personal one for Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who had her two children through IVF. She has known for years that if Roe v. Wade fell, anti-choice groups would come for IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies next. Duckworth, along with Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), introduced the Access to Family Building Act on Thursday, legislation that would create protections for Americans ahead of that … Continue Reading
January 18, 2024
New Democrat-Backed Bill Would Protect IVF Access Nationwide Amid Post-Roe Concerns
Two Democrats plan to introduce legislation on Thursday that would safeguard access to assisted reproductive technology treatments such as in vitro fertilization, or IVF, amid fears that some states’ abortion bans could threaten access to the procedures. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said in a statement to Forbes the bill—dubbed the Access to Family Building Act—would “establish a statutory right to access IVF and other [assisted reproductive technology] for every American” regardless of the … Continue Reading
January 06, 2024
Japan runway collision raises fresh questions about airplane evacuations
Passengers in a plane crash find themselves elbow-to-elbow with strangers in the dark encountering a life-or-death challenge: Squeeze between seats and debris to find an exit. Even before nearly 400 people escaped from those circumstances aboard Japan Airlines flight 516 on Tuesday and fled down inflatable slides to safety, pressure was brewing in Washington for new scrutiny into airplane evacuations. The fatal accident saw the plane crash into a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft after touching … Continue Reading
January 05, 2024
Tokyo crash raises questions about realism of plane evacuation testing standards
The crash between a Japan Airlines passenger jet and a Japanese coast guard plane in Tokyo this week is resurfacing questions about standards used to evaluate whether aircraft can be safely evacuated during emergencies. It took about 18 minutes to evacuate Japan Airlines Flight 516, an Airbus A350-900, the Wall Street Journal reported. That's despite aircraft certification requirements that the plane could be evacuated within 90 seconds, even with half of its emergency exits blocked, and … Continue Reading
January 04, 2024
New legislation would require beauty workers to undergo domestic violence prevention training
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Tammy Duckworth have introduced federal bipartisan legislation aimed at helping domestic violence victims. The Supporting the Abused by Learning Options to Navigate Survivor (SALONS) Stories Act, which would incentivize domestic violence awareness training for cosmetologists and beauty professionals, was introduced in December. Tennessee and Illinois have joined several states in passing legislation to give beauty professionals these skills, serving as … Continue Reading
December 22, 2023
Federal Illinois lawmakers demand answers from Japanese company buying U.S. Steel
Three federal lawmakers for Illinois sent a letter questioning the Japanese company buying U.S. Steel. On Friday, U.S. Senators for Illinois Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Representative for Illinois Nikki Budzkinski sent a list of questions to Nippon Steel about its pending acquisition of U.S. Steel. The letter inquires about the plans for the Granite City plant. The transaction is worth about $14.9 billion when including the assumption of debt. The combined company will be among … Continue Reading
December 21, 2023
‘See the signs’: Federal funds proposed for beauty professionals to receive domestic violence awareness training before being certified
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - One in four - it’s a staggering number, but that is how many women will be affected by domestic violence in their lifetime. Advocates have pushed for federal laws to increase awareness of the issue for decades, and now they are celebrating a win. It can be one of the most critical relationships women have. A stylist often hears about the good times and the bad. “If there’s bruising or hair that’s been pulled or any of the other physical signs,” explained Susanne … Continue Reading
December 15, 2023
Senators push for salon workers to be trained to spot signs of domestic violence
Nashville hairstylist Susanne Post didn’t come to terms with her own abusive relationship until she confided in another person. “It was when someone said the words, ‘This is abuse,’ that I actually took the time to research and find out what that was outside of the physical signs,” she told NBC News in an interview Wednesday. Knowing first-hand how tight-knit the relationship between cosmetologists and their clients can be, Post turned her trauma into healing and launched Shear Haven, an … Continue Reading
December 12, 2023
Tammy Duckworth calls Texas GOP treatment of Kate Cox ‘horrific’
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) called out Texas Republicans on Monday for their treatment of Kate Cox, a pregnant woman who fled the state to obtain an abortion procedure after her fetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition, referring to it as “horrific.” “What Texas Republicans are doing to Kate Cox is horrific,” Duckworth wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “No one should be forced to leave their state just to get the healthcare they … Continue Reading
December 09, 2023
Applesauce lead cases in kids surge amid questions on FDA oversight
It started as a routine investigation: Two young siblings in western North Carolina had tested positive for lead poisoning in June. Alan Huneycutt, a longtime environmental health specialist with the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, was doggedly trying to find the source. He had ruled out the usual suspects in and around the children’s home — old paint, contaminated water, tainted soil — yet the children’s lead levels continued to climb. What he eventually found — that the … Continue Reading
December 06, 2023
Chicago’s Union Station to get $93 million for upgrades
Chicago Union Station will get $93 million in federal funding for upgrades, but the grant total is far less than what officials had sought and doesn’t address Amtrak’s wish list of track improvements outside the station. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, who had pushed for the Chicago Hub Improvement Project funding, announced the grant Wednesday. The funding will expand platforms and make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as upgrade ventilation … Continue Reading
November 17, 2023
Senate Democrats demand answers from manufacturers over RSV drug shortage
A group of Senate Democrats are demanding answers about a shortage of a new drug that prevents respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants. In a letter led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) sent Friday, the lawmakers asked manufacturers AstraZeneca and Sanofi for more information about the current supply of nirsevimab, when the companies first became aware of the shortage, and why they were so unprepared for the demand. “As our nation braces for the 2023-2024 RSV season, we are concerned … Continue Reading
