Duckworth Reaction to President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address:
“Tonight, President Biden underscored the historic progress Democrats have made for working families with one of the fastest and strongest post-pandemic economic recoveries in the world in addition to our efforts to bring down inflation, create millions of good-paying jobs and help middle-class families keep more of their hard-earned dollars—despite Republican obstruction.
“As he reminded the nation of Republican’s hypocrisy on everything from border security to reproductive rights, President Biden also reminded us that the American people can achieve anything when we are united toward common goals rather than divided by fear and anger. I agree that we must continue to stand with the Ukrainian people as they fight for their lives against Putin, while we work to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that both alleviates the suffering of innocent civilians and reunite hostages home with their families.
“While we’ve made great progress, I look forward to continuing our work to help make the President’s vision for the future of our nation a reality: a future that improves the lives of all working families, guarantees the right to IVF nationwide and fully restores Roe v. Wade, keeps our communities safe and ensures every American can achieve the American dream.”
Last week, Duckworth led a group of Senate Democrats in trying to pass her Access to Family Building Act—which would establish a statutory right to access IVF for all Americans who need it to start or grow a family—through unanimous consent, but U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) blocked it. Building on Senator Duckworth’s continuing efforts to protect access to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) nationwide, the Senator brought Illinois reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist Dr. Amanda Adeleye as her State of the Union guest:
“For years, even before the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, I’ve sounded the alarm that Republicans’ decades-long campaign to rob women of their right to make decisions about their healthcare and bodies would eventually put IVF and other ART at risk. It’s thanks to doctors and health professionals like Dr. Amanda Adeleye that millions of Americans—myself included—have been able to have the families of their dreams, but Republicans’ intent on exerting even more control over women’s bodies are putting access to these treatments at risk across the country. I’m proud to have brought Dr. Adeleye as my State of the Union guest this year to remind Americans just how critical this work is and the importance of protecting IVF access nationwide.”
Duckworth was the first Senator to give birth while serving in office and had both of her children with the help of IVF. In 2018 she advocated for the Senate to change its rules so she could bring her infant onto the Senate floor. She has made protecting and expanding access to essential reproductive healthcare a top priority.
Since President Biden was sworn into office, Duckworth has been an integral part of helping implement his agenda in Congress. She worked closely on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—which is helping repair our roads and bridges and create good paying jobs across the country—that includes several provisions led by Duckworth to help improve the lives of working Americans by making drinking water safer, reducing traffic congestion, allowing infrastructure projects to implement local hiring initiatives, protecting roadside responders and improving transit accessibility, among many other benefits for workers. Part of the law includes the Senator’s Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA), which is helping fix and upgrade our nation’s crumbling, dangerous water infrastructure.
Senator Duckworth championed and secured key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, a law that is lowering costs for life-saving prescription drugs, capping out-of-pocket costs of insulin for Medicare beneficiaries at $35 per month and $2,000 per year for other medications, tackling the climate crisis to protect our planet for future generations, cutting the deficit by hundreds of billions and ensuring megacorporations pay their fair share.
She strongly supported the CHIPS and Science Act, which is helping ensure our nation remains a competitive leader in research and development, science and manufacturing for generations to come. Duckworth celebrated the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that is helping enhance background checks, helping states implement red flag laws, helping close the boyfriend loophole and, ultimately, save lives.
Duckworth proudly supported the PACT Act that is helping overhaul our VA’s processes for toxic-exposed Veterans so they can get the care they need for service-connected illnesses.
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