Press Releases
Duckworth Announces $1.6 Million for the National Runaway Safeline
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced a total of $1,600,000 in federal funding today for the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). This funding comes through U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and will assist the NRS in fulfilling their mission to keep runaways, homeless and at-risk youth safe and off the street. "Every child should have access to a safe place to sleep at night," said Duckworth. "Yet, far too many young Americans end up on the street … Continue Reading
July 18, 2018
Duckworth Meets with Council on Environmental Quality Nominee Mary Neumayr
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Mary Neumayr, designee to be chair of the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) if confirmed by the Senate. Duckworth and Neumayr discussed the deficiencies of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the urgent need to strengthen the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) to better protect the public from neurotoxins and other water contaminants. As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on … Continue Reading
July 17, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Statement on FCC’s Sinclair-Tribune Merger Action
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai's statement yesterday expressing "serious concerns" about Sinclair Broadcast Group's proposed acquisition of Tribune Media and calling for the FCC's review of the potential acquisition to be paused so certain legal questions can be resolved by the FCC's administrative law judge, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: "After months of sounding the … Continue Reading
July 17, 2018
After Alarming Federal Report Shows Less than Half of Schools Even Test for Lead in Water, Duckworth Reiterates Call to Protect Children from Contaminated Drinking Water
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Following today's release of the United States Government Accountability Office report that found less than half of school districts nationwide tested for lead in their schools' drinking water in 2016 and 2017 - and of the 43 percent of school districts tested, 37 percent found elevated lead levels - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who has already introduced a bill to address this issue, released the following statement: "When families send their children to school, … Continue Reading
July 16, 2018
Duckworth on Trump's Secret Meeting with Vladimir Putin: "Shocking and Disgraceful"
"It is difficult to overstate the damage done by Donald Trump's shocking and disgraceful show of weakness on the world stage. The strong global alliances and global belief in American leadership that Donald Trump has taken just days to tear down over the last week will take generations to rebuild. This is a man who wants to work closely with our fiercest adversaries and believes our allies in the European Union are our foes, but refuses to believe the consensus of his entire intelligence … Continue Reading
July 13, 2018
Duckworth: Russia Must Be Held Accountable for Attacks on America, Trump Must Cancel Putin Summit
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted 12 Russian military officers for interfering in the 2016 election with cyberattacks on Democrats, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement: "These indictments could not be clearer. American democracy was the target of a careful, systematic and intentional attack aimed at undermining the bedrock of our democracy: free and open elections without foreign interference. "Today's … Continue Reading
July 12, 2018
Duckworth, Murphy and 23 of Their Senate Colleagues Press Haley On U.S. Efforts To Block International Breastfeeding Resolution
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and 23 of their colleagues expressed concerns today about reports that the United States worked to extract language to 'protect, promote and support breast-feeding' within the World Health Assembly's proposed resolution. The Senators also expressed concerns about the United States' threat to impose tariffs or cuts in assistance against countries in support of the resolution. "Women should have access … Continue Reading
July 12, 2018
Duckworth Votes Against Paul Ney to be U.S. Department of Defense General Counsel
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator and Combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after voting against Paul Ney to be the next General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Defense: "For too long, Congress has stood idly by as Presidents seized more and more war powers, even though the Constitution clearly vests in Congress the responsibility to declare war, establish our Armed Forces and do everything necessary and proper to defend our nation. The people of Illinois … Continue Reading
July 12, 2018
Duckworth: Next Supreme Court Justice Could Prevent Women Like Me From Starting Families
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and mother of two daughters, today highlighted just how impactful the decisions of the next Supreme Court Justice could be-not only for working Americans and Americans with pre-existing conditions, but for all American women including those, like the Senator, who rely on IVF and other assistive reproductive technologies to start and grow their families. At a press conference on Capitol Hill with U.S. Senators Patty … Continue Reading
July 12, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $3 Million for Chicagoland Head Start Programs
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $2,953,750 in federal funding today to help children from low-income families in Northwest Illinois access Head Start and Early Head Start programs through Evanston/Skokie Community Consolidated School District 65. 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, technical … Continue Reading
July 12, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Nearly $6 Million for Southern Illinois Head Start Programs
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced a total of $5,818,926 in federal funding today to help children from low-income families in Southern 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, technical assistance, strategic partnerships and more in order to help … Continue Reading
July 12, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $7 Million for Northwest Illinois Head Start Programs
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced a total of $7,045,925 in federal funding today to help children from low-income families in Northwest 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, technical assistance, strategic partnerships and more in order to help … Continue Reading
July 12, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $9 Million for Central Illinois Head Start Programs
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced a total of $9,175,062 in federal funding today to help children from low-income families in Central Illinois access Head Start, Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal 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, technical assistance, strategic partnerships … Continue Reading
July 11, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $70,000 for Strategic Economic Planning in North Central Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $70,000 in federal funding today to help create jobs and encourage economic development throughout North Central Illinois. This funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Planning Program, which assists communities as they develop and implement plans to enhance their local economies. "It's important for local community and business leaders to … Continue Reading
July 11, 2018
Duckworth Meets with HUD Inspector General Nominee Rae Oliver Davis
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Ms. Rae Oliver Davis, the nominee to be the next Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), an independent investigatory officer tasked with weeding out waste, fraud and mismanagement and helping bring accountability to wrongdoers within the agency and in housing authorities across the country. Duckworth and Oliver Davis had an extensive conversation about Illinois housing priorities … Continue Reading
July 11, 2018
Duckworth, Durbin Join Markey and 9 Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Help Small and Disadvantaged Communities Improve the Safety of their Drinking Water
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and 9 other senators this week to reintroduce the Contaminant and Lead Electronic Accounting and Reporting Requirements (CLEARR) for Drinking Water Act. This legislation will authorize more than $1 billion in federal funding to help small and disadvantaged communities replace contaminated water … Continue Reading
July 10, 2018
Duckworth Meets with VA Secretary Nominee Robert Wilkie
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator, combat Veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met today with Robert Wilkie, the nominee to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to discuss his nomination and how to ensure America's Veterans can access the quality care and support they have earned. Duckworth served 23 years in the Reserve Forces and still receives her own healthcare services through VA. B-roll of the meeting is available here … Continue Reading
July 09, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh for a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "The newfound urgency to fill Justice Kennedy's Supreme Court seat from many of the same people who refused to even consider President Obama's nominee is transparent opportunism that represents everything Americans hate most about politics today. We can't ignore the reality that Donald Trump wants to take us back … Continue Reading
July 09, 2018
Duckworth, Heitkamp Introduce Bill to Support Women Entrepreneurs
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), both members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, introduced legislation to reauthorize a federal agency that helps coordinate federal resources and grow women-owned businesses. There are currently an estimated 11.6 million women-owned businesses operating in the United States, a number that has grown by 45 percent between 2007 and 2016. Duckworth and Heitkamp's bill would build … Continue Reading
July 09, 2018
Duckworth Statement on Trump Administration’s Opposition to World Health Assembly Breastfeeding Resolution
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In response to reports that the Trump Administration opposed a World Health Assembly resolution to encourage breastfeeding and threatened other countries in order to get them to drop their support of the resolution, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement: "There is no question that breastfeeding plays a critical role in children's development and helps reduce the risk of life-threatening diseases for children and mothers alike. The health … Continue Reading
