Press Releases
Duckworth, Senators Call on Administration to Help Servicemembers and Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Receive Proper Care During Coronavirus Pandemic
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), sent a bipartisan letter to the Departments of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) urging the Administration to take immediate action to help ensure servicemembers and Veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances receive the care they need during the coronavirus pandemic. The letter requests … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Duckworth: “Despicable” for Trump to Threaten Troops’ Pay to Honor Confederate Traitors’ “Legacies”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Donald Trump tweeted a refusal to consider renaming U.S. military bases currently named after confederate leaders who took up arms against America to defend their ability to own, sell and kill Black Americans. The Senator’s response also comes shortly after the Trump White House threatened to veto a pay increase for our troops over this issue, despite Army Secretary Ryan … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin to Senate Leaders: Protect Health, Safety And Financial Security of Illinois's Essential Workers in Next COVID-19 Relief Bill
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to include additional support for the essential workers in Illinois and across the country to effectively protect the health, safety, and financial security of workers in the short term, and ensure that they are in the strongest position possible as the economy recovers. In a letter to the Senate leaders, … Continue Reading
June 10, 2020
Duckworth Introduces Bill to Preserve Integrity of Arlington National Cemetery
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today introduced legislation to prohibit a President or Vice President who never served in the U.S. Armed Forces from being buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Senator's proposal comes after the U.S. Army recently recommended restricting eligibility for burial at the hallowed ground to fewer Veterans and servicemembers while expanding eligibility to all … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Duckworth Discusses Paycheck Protection Program & Economic Recovery with Illinois Restaurant Association
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) yesterday spoke with Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA) President and CEO Sam Toia and members of the IRA on updates on recent federal legislation to continue assisting restaurants and small businesses through COVID-19, including the recently-passed Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act. The group also discussed plans for further relief to the restaurant and food service industry. "I had a productive call with the Illinois … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $13 Million for Chicago Area Head Start Programs
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced more than $13 million in federal funding to help children in the Chicago-area access Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This funding comes through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that allocates funding, provides technical assistance, and helps build strategic partnerships in order to promote the social and … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $2 Million in COVID-19 Relief for Manufacturing in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $2.2 million in federal funding to the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center in Peoria, a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center, to support Illinois-based US small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMEs), including rural manufacturers, to prevent, prepare and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This investment, which comes through the … Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Duckworth Demands GAO Immediately Reviews Safety of Rubber Bullets Being Used on Peaceful Protesters
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is requesting that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) immediately conduct a review to examine the safety of rubber bullets being used during civil rights protests. Duckworth's request comes on the heels of public reporting that indicates there have been serious injuries resulting from law enforcement's use of these projectiles to control and disperse protests occurring across the country in the wake of George Floyd's death. … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Duckworth Joins Colleagues to Call for Greater Federal Resources to Support Nursing Homes during COVID-19 Crisis
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Bob Casey (D-PA) and 20 of their Senate colleagues, as well as Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) and 111 Representatives, in pushing the Trump Administration for greater federal resources and guidance to support nursing homes and long-term care (LTC) facilities throughout the country as they combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 9,600 nursing homes and LTC facilities across the U.S. … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Duckworth Bill to Strengthen Police Accountability through Independent Investigation and Prosecution of Criminal Law Enforcement Lethal Uses of Force Included in Democratic Police Reform Proposal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Provisions of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth's (D-IL) legislation, the Police Training and Independent Review Act, to strengthen accountability and transparency over law enforcement use of lethal force by rewarding states that enact laws requiring independent reviews, criminal investigations and when necessary, prosecutions of police officers who commit violent crimes, were included in the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. "We cannot let ourselves accept that in the United … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Booker, Harris, Colleagues To Introduce Justice In Policing Act Of 2020
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA), and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) to introduce the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement, and build trust between law enforcement and our communities. "We cannot let … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Duckworth and Ernst Announce Their Bipartisan Bill to Honor WWII Army Rangers Unanimously Passed the Senate
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Days after the anniversary of D-Day, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a retired lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard, to announce passage of their bipartisan legislation to award the U.S. Army Ranger Veterans of World War II with the Congressional Gold Medal earlier this year. The bill passed the Senate unanimously. "U.S. Army Rangers bravely wore the uniform of this great nation and participated in … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Harris, Colleagues In Letter Demanding Answers on ICE & CBP Involvement In Policing Ongoing Protests
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) and Juan Vargas (D-CA) on Friday in a letter to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Matthew Albence demanding answers on the agencies' involvement with the ongoing protests against police brutality in light of reports of law enforcement … Continue Reading
June 08, 2020
Senator Duckworth Calls on Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard Bureau to Ban the Display of the Confederate Battle Flag
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today wrote to the leaders of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard and National Guard Bureau to call on each of them to prohibit the display of the Confederate Battle Flag. These requests submitted by Duckworth, a former Army Black Hawk pilot who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, followed the decisive action by the U.S. Marine Corps … Continue Reading
June 05, 2020
On World Environment Day, Duckworth, Carper and Booker Highlight Senate Environmental Justice Caucus Successes
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), co-founders of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, commemorated World Environmental Day today by highlight the work of the Caucus and its successes since its founding in 2019. Over the past year, the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus and its 17 members have worked to help address racial justice issues by assisting environmental justice groups that seek to engage Congress, worked to … Continue Reading
June 05, 2020
Senator Duckworth, Former Army Black Hawk Pilot, Demands Investigations into Military Helicopters Threatening American Civilians
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is demanding investigations by and information from both the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after multiple reports of low-flying military aircraft intimidating large groups of Americans in Washington, D.C., followed Donald Trump's threats of military action against those protesting the killing of George Floyd on Monday evening. Duckworth, a former Army Black Hawk pilot who … Continue Reading
June 05, 2020
Duckworth Statement on Senate Passage of Paycheck Protection Program Extension
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, released the following statement after the Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to extend the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), allowing borrowers 24 weeks instead of eight weeks to use their loans and greater flexibility in using the funds. "Small businesses employ millions of Illinoisans and many of them are struggling to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Duckworth, Markey Urge SBA and Treasury to Streamline and Simplify the Paycheck Protection Program’s Loan Forgiveness Process for Small Dollar Borrowers
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Ed Markey (D-MA), both members of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) Committee, today requested the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Department of the Treasury implement a streamlined Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness application and reduce paperwork for borrowers with loans of $100,000 or less. The letter also asks SBA and Treasury to provide these borrowers with reasonable safe harbors … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Duckworth Introduces Bill to Evaluate Barriers Facing Minorities Looking to Serve in Elite Forces
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today introduced the Equality in Leadership and Inclusion in Top Elements (ELITE) Act of 2020 that would require the Department of Defense to conduct a study through a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) on the barriers facing minorities from serving in certain elite units of the Armed Forces, including pilots and special operations. Representative … Continue Reading
June 04, 2020
Duckworth, Co-Chair of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, Condemns President Trump’s Move to Waive Public Health Laws Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, National Unrest Due to Racial Injustice
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-founder of the Senate's first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus, released a statement in response to Trump's misguided Executive Order that will put communities at risk: "The COVID-19 pandemic is shining a bright yet disheartening light on the unfair cumulative impacts pollution has on low income communities and communities of color, many of which are made worse by lack of access to healthcare. Illinoisans-and Americans across the … Continue Reading
