Press Releases
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
January 15, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Call On Army To Review Illinois Army Reserve's Handling Of Sexual Assault Claims
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the U.S. Army to review reported mishandling by leaders of the Illinois-based Army Reserve unit, the 416th Theater Engineer Command, of multiple sexual assault claims. In a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Duckworth and Durbin called for a comprehensive review of the troubling charges brought to light by a recent Associated Press article into handling of sexual assault claims by the … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Duckworth and Durbin Join Colleagues to Support Puerto Rico’s Request for A Major Disaster Declaration in Response to Earthquakes
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - This week, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined 34 of their colleagues, led by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), in sending a letter to President Trump to express strong support of Puerto Rico's request for a major disaster declaration following the widespread damage caused by the powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake on January 7 and its aftershocks, as well as the foreshock that began on December 28. "More than two days after the … Continue Reading
January 12, 2020
Duckworth Meets With Local Leaders to Discuss Equity in Legalization of Recreational Cannabis in Illinois
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with local leaders today at Mission South Shore Marijuana Dispensary on the recent legalization of recreational cannabis in Illinois. Duckworth was joined by Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Senior Advisor to Gov. Pritzker on Cannabis Control Toi Hutchinson, Illinois State Senator Robert Peters (IL-SD-13), Chicago Ald. Susan Garza (10th Ward), Illinois Deputy Treasurer Rodrigo Garcia, Acting State Banking Director of the Illinois … Continue Reading
January 10, 2020
Duckworth Demands Secretary Esper Disclose Why DOD Believes Killing Soleimani was Legal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), wrote to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper requesting he inform Congress and the American people precisely what legal authority, or which legal authorities, authorized the military operation that killed General Qasem Soleimani. During Esper's confirmation hearing last year, he affirmed to Duckworth that neither the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Duckworth and Ernst Team Up to Tackle Sexual Misconduct in the U.S. Coast Guard
WASHINGTON-Following reports of an increase in sexual assault and harassment claims at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) and a lack of leadership in regards to the Coast Guard's handling of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, U.S. Senators and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), are introducing a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing sexual assault and retaliation in the United States Coast Guard. "For too long, our … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Duckworth, Merkley, Booker, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Breastfeeding Protections at Work
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and two of her Senate colleagues to introduce bipartisan legislation to provide salaried employees in traditional office environments-a group of approximately 13.5 million executive, administrative, and professional women-with reasonable break time and a private place to pump breastmilk. The bill, the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act is also consponsored by … Continue Reading
January 09, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $8 Million in Grants to Head Start Programs Across Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $8,933,201 in federal funding to help children in Decatur, Joliet and Alton, Illinois, 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 & Human Services (HHS) that allocates funding, provides technical assistance, and helps build strategic partnerships in order to promote … Continue Reading
