Press Releases
Durbin, Duckworth Receive Update on Coronavirus from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[WASHINGTON, D.C] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today received an update on the novel coronavirus outbreak from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Principal Deputy Director Dr. Anne Schuchat. On a call with Dr. Schuchat, the Senators asked about the agency's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, and asked for information on the steps being taken to keep Illinois families safe. This week, the CDC recommended … Continue Reading
January 28, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin, Bicameral Congressional Leaders Call on Ninth Circuit to Uphold Protections for Migrant Children in Flores Amicus Brief
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12); U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); and U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20), and Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), today led 113 of their colleagues in submitting an Amicus Brief in Flores v Barr. The Brief urges the Ninth Circuit to reject the Trump … Continue Reading
January 28, 2020
Duckworth & Durbin Meet With Amtrak CEO, Secure Accessibility Improvements for Customers with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Security, which has jurisdiction over Amtrak, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson after Amtrak mistakenly charged a group of wheelchair advocates $25,000 to travel from Chicago to Bloomington-Normal, IL, before ultimately backing down, admitting the charge was improper and apologizing. During the meeting, Anderson committed … Continue Reading
January 28, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues to Press Health Department for Updates on Novel Coronavirus After a Case was Reported in Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - This week, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Patty Murray (D-WA), and 28 of their Democratic Senate colleagues to send a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar requesting updates on the Administration's response to the novel coronavirus outbreak and information on the steps being taken to keep families safe. In the letter, the Senators asked the Department to keep them updated with the latest information regarding … Continue Reading
January 27, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin & García to Amtrak CEO: Commit to Making Amtrak Affordable, Accessible and Reliable for Customers with Disabilities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Security, which has jurisdiction over Amtrak, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-4) wrote to Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson today after Amtrak mistakenly charged a group of wheelchair advocates $25,000 to travel from Chicago to Bloomington-Normal, IL, before ultimately backing down and apologizing. In the … Continue Reading
January 25, 2020
Senator Duckworth: “I Would Think That the President’s Counsel Would Want to Call Witnesses in Order to Exonerate Him”
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, after the first day of hearing from the President's lawyers in the impeachment trial, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) reiterated her call for witnesses and documents so both sides can present their case to the American people. The House managers spent three days presenting a strong argument for the President's guilt and it is now the defense team's turn to bring new witnesses and documents that could exonerate him. In part, Duckworth said: "I would think that … Continue Reading
January 24, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Confirmation of Coronavirus
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the second case of coronavirus in the United States is in Chicago: "We are monitoring the second confirmed U.S. case of novel coronavirus being treated at a Chicago hospital. First, we commend the Chicago hospital personnel for identifying this quickly. And we commend Mayor Lightfoot and others who chose … Continue Reading
January 23, 2020
Duckworth Leads Bipartisan Request for GAO Review of Military Naturalization Process
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today requested the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) review and address questions about the effectiveness of several military naturalization policies that affect noncitizens willing to serve the United States in uniform. U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the … Continue Reading
January 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $1.2 Million for STEM Education on Chicago’s South Side
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $1,249,935 in federal funding today to help support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education on Chicago's South Side. This funding comes through the U.S. Department of Education's Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant Program and will be awarded to Project SYNCERE (Supporting Youth's Needs with Core Engineering Research Experiments). Under this announcement, Project … Continue Reading
January 22, 2020
Senator Duckworth Requests Inspector General Investigate the National Archives and Records Administration’s Alteration of a Photo Criticizing Donald Trump
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called on the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Inspector General James Springs to investigate NARA's decision to alter a photographic image critical of President Donald Trump that is featured in the agency's public exhibition, "Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote." NARA publicly acknowledged that its alteration of the photograph was wrong and pledged to review exhibit policies and procedures to prevent … Continue Reading
January 22, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $1 Million to Modernize Illinois’s Infrastructure
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $1,000,000 in federal funding to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the City of Jerseyville for the Hollow Avenue Compacted Concrete Pavement Project. This grant is intended to serve as an incentive for IDOT to accelerate the use of compacted concrete pavement, a technology that can be tailored to the specific needs of a project within the residential, commercial, and urban roadway … Continue Reading
January 21, 2020
Duckworth Statement on Leader McConnell’s Proposed Rules for Impeachment Trial
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) proposed rules for the upcoming impeachment trial of President Trump: "Mitch McConnell has already admitted he's working hand-in-hand with Trump on the impeachment trial and violating his oath to be impartial, but his proposed rules for the trial-including holding the trial at 1:00 in the morning-are yet more evidence that he's helping the White House … Continue Reading
January 20, 2020
Duckworth Honors Dr. King’s Legacy at City Year Day of Service, Rainbow PUSH Scholarship Breakfast
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day today by joining local leaders and speaking about the value of service at Robert Nathaniel Dett Elementary School, as part of City Year Chicago's annual MLK Day of Service. The Senator, who has made community service a hallmark of her public life and has consistently volunteered to improve her community, supported City Year and community volunteers working to help improve Dett Elementary. Duckworth also … Continue Reading
January 19, 2020
Duckworth Statement on Amtrak Attempting to Charge a Group of Passengers with Disabilities $25,000 for a Single Ride
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Security, which has jurisdiction over Amtrak, issued the following statement after Amtrak attempted to charge a group of passengers with disabilities $25,000 to travel from the City of Chicago to Bloomington, Illinois: "It is outrageous that Amtrak asked a group of passengers with disabilities to pay $25,000 to ride from the City of Chicago to Bloomington, Illinois. It is … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Duckworth Statement on the Beginning of the Senate Impeachment Trial of President Trump
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after being sworn in as a juror for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump: "Today I raised my right hand to once again to swear an oath to this nation: to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws," Duckworth said. "What I hope for in this trial is to see witnesses, documents and evidence, and then I will deliberate. Trials have witnesses, cover-ups don't. We need a transparent … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Duckworth Meets with Iraqi Ambassador to the United States
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Iraq's Ambassador to the United States, Fareed Yasseen, today in her Capitol Hill Office. Following the Trump Administration's erratic actions in Iraq, Duckworth and Yasseen discussed the impact these actions have had on regional stability and the U.S. - Iraqi partnership. Duckworth also asked Yasseen what she and her Senate colleagues can do to help repair any damage that has been done to this partnership over the past … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth Discusses FVL Program & Logistics Infrastructure with Army Under Secretary Nominee
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today met with U.S. Army Under Secretary Nominee James McPherson in her office on Capitol Hill. Duckworth and McPherson discussed the Army's efforts to accelerate the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, as well as the importance of investing in the Army's logistics and transportation infrastructure and focusing on logistics during the DEFENDER 2021 military training … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Senator Duckworth Meets with U.S. Ambassador to Thailand
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after meeting with Michael DeSombre, who was recently confirmed by the Senate to be U.S. Ambassador to Thailand. The two discussed economic issues, U.S. national security, American interests in the Indo-Pacific region and countering Chinese influence in Southeast Asia. "As a Thai-American, I feel strongly that whoever takes on the post of U.S. Ambassador understands the long-standing relationship … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth to Support Bipartisan U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today during a Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke in support of the bipartisan U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Key quotes from her remarks are included below and a full clip can be found here. The agreement was reported out of the committee with Senator Duckworth's vote. As of this morning, all other Senate committees of jurisdiction have also approved the agreement and it will now head to the Senate … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $300,000 to Help Minority-Owned Businesses in Chicago
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $312,750 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to help provide business consulting and development services to minority-owned businesses in Chicago. The Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council will use this funding to help provide resources to help minority-owned business generate increased financing, job creation and retention, … Continue Reading
