Press Releases
Duckworth Statement on EPA Air Quality Test Results Near Sterigenics
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In response to new data from EPA's ambient air quality monitoring surrounding Sterigenics in Willowbrook, Illinois, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement: "This new EPA data confirms what we have feared: Sterigenics continues to pose a threat to the health of its neighbors. While it cannot undo the damage that has already been done to families in the Willowbrook area, the EPA can act to prevent further harm to our children. EPA must … Continue Reading
February 05, 2019
Duckworth Discusses Transportation Logistics Security in the Middle East with CENTCOM General
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator and combat veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) discussed the importance of logistics supply chain security and safety with CENTCOM Commander General Joseph L. Votel. Duckworth, a former Army logistics officer, questioned the commander about the safety of the U.S. military's supply chain security should conflict with the Iranians escalate in the region. Duckworth also discussed the importance of U.S.-funded … Continue Reading
February 05, 2019
Duckworth Votes Against EPA Nominee Andrew Wheeler
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting against Andrew Wheeler's nomination to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): "As Acting Administrator of the EPA, Mr. Wheeler has continued his predecessor's agenda of undermining policies meant to move our country away from oil and towards renewable fuels. During his nomination hearing, Mr. Wheeler claimed to be implementing the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) the way … Continue Reading
February 05, 2019
Duckworth Announces Chicago Union Apprentice Lily Wu as State of the Union Guest
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that she is bringing Lily Wu, a Chicagoan and first-generation American, as her guest to the State of the Union address tonight. Lily is a third-year apprentice with IBEW Local 134 in Chicago and the daughter of Chinese immigrants who is trying to break into a male-dominated field and achieve the American Dream. To arrange an interview with Lily or Senator Duckworth, please contact Sean at sean_savett@duckworth.senate.gov. "I … Continue Reading
February 04, 2019
In New Report, Duckworth Highlights Her Work for People of Illinois During Her First Congress as Senator
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released her "115th Congress in Review" report highlighting her work and accomplishments for the people of Illinois since arriving in the Senate two years ago. The new report outlines Duckworth's efforts to help people get ahead, fight for our troops and Veterans, support job creation throughout Illinois, protect civil rights and hold Washington accountable. "I'm proud of the work we've done and what we've accomplished for the … Continue Reading
February 01, 2019
Duckworth & Carper Lead EPW Democrats in Requesting Extension of EPA Public Comment Periods Due to Shutdown
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-DE), and 8 other EPW Democrats today urged U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler to reopen public comment periods for all pending regulatory decisions, extend those that are currently open and reschedule all public hearings that were cancelled due to the shutdown. For parts of the 35-day government shutdown, many of the … Continue Reading
February 01, 2019
On First Day of Black History Month, Duckworth & Durbin Announce Introduction of Bill to Establish Springfield 1908 Race Riot Site As A National Monument
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced the introduction of the Springfield Race Riot National Monument Act, which designates the 1908 Race Riot Sites in Springfield, Illinois as a national monument to be managed by the National Park Service. With less than a quarter of National Parks devoted to recognizing the histories of diverse peoples and cultures, designating the 1908 Race Riot Site a National Monument will guarantee that … Continue Reading
February 01, 2019
Duckworth Discusses Infrastructure Investments with Quad Cities Leaders, Meets with Rock Island Arsenal Officials
[MOLINE, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) visited the Quad Cities today to discuss important investments to the region's infrastructure. Duckworth met with Moline Mayor Stephanie Acri and Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms to tour the I-74 Corridor Reconstruction Project, which will relieve congestion and increase capacity throughout the corridor by upgrading parts of the existing interstate and adding a new Mississippi River crossing. Photos from today's events are available here. "As the … Continue Reading
January 31, 2019
Duckworth and Blackburn Press Trump to Protect Kurdish Partners in Syria, Not Abandon Them
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote to President Trump today pressing him to develop a comprehensive plan to protect our Kurdish partners serving in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and prevent armed conflict between Kurdish forces and the Republic of Turkey. With the U.S. preparing to withdraw its military forces from Syria, the Senators warned Trump about the dangers Kurdish forces - who fought alongside the U.S. against ISIS - now … Continue Reading
January 30, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Help Reintroduce Paycheck Fairness Act to Close Gender Wage Gap
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) helped introduce legislation to close the gender wage gap and address paycheck discrimination. The Senators introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, along with U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), on the 10th anniversary of President Obama signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, which lifted limitations preventing victims of gender discrimination in the workplace from … Continue Reading
January 29, 2019
During First Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing, Duckworth Discusses Military’s Readiness to Respond to Global Challenges
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) questioned top national security experts at her first Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today on the challenges China and Russia pose to the United States as rising powers. Evaluating the most recent National Defense Strategy, Duckworth asked if the U.S. military's transportation and logistics systems are prepared to support great power competition as well as what investments the Department of Defense can make to … Continue Reading
January 29, 2019
Trump EPA Proposes Limiting Its Ability to Protect Public from Cancer-Causing Ethylene Oxide Emissions
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) and Bill Foster (D-IL-11), called attention today to an apparent attempt by Trump political appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to limit the agency's ability to protect the public from cancer-causing ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions. The Members of Congress expressed alarm that the EPA … Continue Reading
January 29, 2019
Duckworth, Durbin Join Bipartisan Group of Senators in Urging Administration to Pay Federal Workers Affected by the Shutdown Immediately
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and 26 of their Senate colleagues in urging the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to provide back pay for federal workers as soon as possible. More than 8,000 federal workers in Illinois were either furloughed or worked without pay during the government shutdown. "More than 800,000 federal workers have gone without pay because the government shutdown locked … Continue Reading
January 29, 2019
Duckworth, Carper Introduce Bill to Strengthen EPA Oversight and Promote Transparency
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Tom Carper (D-DE) reintroduced legislation to increase transparency associated with EPA hiring and prevent any future EPA Administrator from being able to give their favorite aides large salary increases without disclosing it to the American people. The Duckworth-Carper EPA Special Hiring Authority Transparency Act would require the EPA Administrator to notify Congress within 30 days of any appointment under the Safe Drinking Water … Continue Reading
January 25, 2019
Duckworth Statement on Deal to End Government Shutdown
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In response to news that a deal has been reached to temporarily end the partial government shutdown, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "For 35 days, Donald Trump has caused serious damage to our country by holding the paychecks of more than 800,000 federal workers and contractors hostage and disrupting critical government functions. I hope today's announcement, which is similar to the deal Trump rejected in December, means that this … Continue Reading
January 25, 2019
Duckworth & Schakowsky Reintroduce Resolution Recognizing January 25th as Women’s Health Research Day
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), along with 19 of their Senate colleagues, introduced a resolution to designate January 25th, 2019, as Women's Health Research Day. Their legislation aims to recognize the need to increase awareness of sex- and gender-based biomedical research, which the National Institutes of Health did not consider prior to 2016, the underrepresentation of women in past biomedical research and the … Continue Reading
January 24, 2019
Duckworth Statement on Senate Vote to End Government Shutdown
[WASHINGTON, DC] - After voting to proceed to bipartisan legislation originally authored by Senate Republicans that would end the government shutdown, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "For 34 days, Donald Trump has held the paychecks of 800,000 federal workers and even more contractors hostage, leaving many families across our country in a terrible situation. Today, the Senate finally had a chance to end this unnecessary shutdown and let the government get … Continue Reading
January 24, 2019
Duckworth, Colleagues Call for Investigation Into Conditions of Detained Migrant Children Following Death Of Two Children In CBP Custody
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and 19 of their Democratic colleagues in urging the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) Comptroller General to examine conditions for all children detained by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Senators hope to prevent future tragedies like the deaths of Jakelin Caal and Felipe Alonzo-Gomez that occurred while in the agency's care. "We believe it is … Continue Reading
January 23, 2019
Duckworth Will Serve As Top Democrat on Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that she will serve as the top Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety for the next two years in the 116th Congress. "I am excited to work with Chairwoman Fischer and members on both sides of the aisle to promote the highest levels of safety across our nation's transportation systems and make much-needed investments in our nation's infrastructure that strengthen our economy and create jobs," said … Continue Reading
January 22, 2019
Duckworth Statement on Supreme Court Order on Military Transgender Ban
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In response to the Supreme Court's order this morning allowing Donald Trump's discriminatory ban on transgender servicemembers to take effect, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "When I was bleeding to death in my Black Hawk helicopter on that dusty field in Iraq, I didn't care if the American troops risking their lives to help save me were gay, straight, transgender, black, white, male or female. All that mattered was … Continue Reading
