Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin, Quigley Discuss Chicago Hub Improvement Project with Canadian National
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) who joined by phone, today met with Canadian National (CN) CEO Tracy Robinson to discuss the railroad’s involvement in the Chicago Hub Improvement Project (CHIP), Amtrak’s multi-phased project to revitalize Chicago Union Station (CUS) and revolutionize Midwest passenger rail. Critical to the region’s infrastructure, CHIP will improve … Continue Reading
March 19, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Quigley, Sorensen, Budzinski Demand Answers from Postmaster General on Plans to Eliminate Mail Processing Centers in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) authored a letter to Postmaster General (PMG) Louis DeJoy urging him to reconsider his decision to eliminate mail processing at Processing and Distribution Centers (P&DCs) located in Champaign, Peoria, Milan and Springfield, Illinois. In their letter, the lawmakers noted that any move … Continue Reading
March 15, 2024
Duckworth Secures Commitment from Boeing to Fix Safety Defect on the 737 MAX 10 Before Seeking Certification
[WASHINGTON, DC] - After pushing Boeing to do so, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the CST Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation—issued the following statement after successfully securing a commitment from Boeing to fix a known safety flaw that could have catastrophic consequences for passengers and crew on the MAX 10 aircraft—the same defect that is on the MAX 7, 8 and … Continue Reading
March 15, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Schneider Applaud New EPA Rule Restricting Dangerous Ethylene Oxide Emissions
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Ethylene Oxide Task Force, today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for finalizing its new rule, Final Amendments to Strengthen Air Toxics Standards for Ethylene … Continue Reading
March 15, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues to Send Letter to Postmaster General Dejoy Demanding Protection of Jobs and Mail Delivery
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), alongside 18 of their Senate colleagues, to send a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy urging him to stop any changes to United States Postal Service (USPS) service standards that would result in job losses and further degrade mail delivery performance, especially in rural areas. While the Postal Service claims that its “Mail Processing … Continue Reading
March 15, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, McConnell Urge Army to Procure Gray Eagles for 38th Infantry Division in Illinois and Kentucky
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today sent a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Daniel Hokanson requesting a detailed execution plan and fielding strategy for the acquisition of the first Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft Systems for the Army National Guard. Together, the Senators secured $350 million in the Fiscal … Continue Reading
March 14, 2024
Duckworth Announces Nearly $650,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to Help Bring Mental Health Services to Chicago’s West Side
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $649,000 she secured through a Fiscal Year 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending Request will be sent by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to BUILD for their Mobile Mental Health (MMH) Program Expansion—a project dedicated to bringing mental health services to Chicago’s Austin, Garfield Park and Humboldt Park communities. With this support, BUILD will now have two mobile teams, … Continue Reading
March 14, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Ramirez, Underwood Introduce Resolution Honoring Wadee Alfayoumi
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) along with U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and U.S. Representatives Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) introduced a resolution honoring Wadee Alfayoumi, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy who was murdered as a victim of a hate crime for his Palestinian-Muslim identity in Plainfield, Illinois on October 14th. In addition to Durbin and Duckworth, the resolution … Continue Reading
March 12, 2024
Duckworth Reacts to VA Expanding IVF Coverage for More Veterans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years—today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announcement expanding coverage of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for more Veterans by removing the marriage requirement and ban on donor sperm or eggs: “Because of the miracle of IVF, I was able to start my family and am a … Continue Reading
March 12, 2024
Duckworth Discusses Ethanol Production with Illinois Corn Growers Board of Directors
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with members of the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s Board of Directors to underscore her support for ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel production as well as increased agricultural exports. Photos of the meeting can be found on the Senator’s website. “America has always depended on our nation’s farmers to grow the food and fuel we need—and I’m always proud to advocate for them on both the national and international … Continue Reading
March 12, 2024
Duckworth, Collins, Shaheen Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Honor Girl Scouts of America
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—along with U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)—introduced a resolution to recognize the 112th birthday of the Girl Scouts of America and celebrate its historic legacy of empowering girls and building powerful female leaders across the country. “I still use the leadership skills that I developed in the Girl Scouts as a young woman every day,” said Senator Duckworth. “For 112 years, Girl Scouts have instilled the … Continue Reading
March 11, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues to Voice Concerns Over FAFSA Form Error Harming Students in Mixed-Status Families
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and 22 additional Senators in urging U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to address the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form error that is preventing students with contributors, including parents and spouses, who do not have a Social Security number (SSN) from completing the new FAFSA form. With the … Continue Reading
March 09, 2024
Senate Advances "Minibus" Spending Bills with Illinois Priorities Secured by Duckworth, Durbin
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the United States Senate passed six funding bills known as a “minibus” for Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Interior, Environment and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies; and … Continue Reading
March 08, 2024
Duckworth Votes to Prevent Partial Government Shutdown, Bring Public Safety Funding to Chicago
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to fund several federal agencies through September and avert a partial government shutdown: “I’m relieved we passed this bipartisan legislation to prevent a partial government shutdown that would have hurt working families across our nation,” said Duckworth. “Keeping the lights on and our government working for the people is the least the American people deserve … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Duckworth and Her State of the Union Guest Underscore Urgent Need to Protect IVF Access and Reproductive Rights for All Americans with Senate Democrats Ahead of President’s Address
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and her State of the Union guest, Illinois reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist Dr. Amanda Adeleye, joined Senate Democrats and their invited guests to continue to shine a light on the horrific and cascading consequences of Republicans’ anti-choice crusade—including the latest threat to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in Alabama after state’s Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created during the IVF process … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Duckworth Congratulates Sweden as it Officially Joins NATO
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees—issued the following statement as Sweden formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance: “My heartfelt congratulations to Sweden for becoming the 32nd member of NATO, making our alliance stronger and more capable than it has ever been. As Vladimir Putin continues to wage his unjustified war of aggression … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Duckworth Meets with the Illinois Chapter of Disabled American Veterans and Emphasizes her Commitment to our Nation’s Heroes
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and a Purple Heart recipient who served 23 years in the Reserve Forces, today met with several members of the Illinois Chapter of Disabled American Veterans. During the meeting, Duckworth and the group discussed comprehensive healthcare for Veterans including mental health support and how the implementation of the PACT Act is helping Veterans with illnesses … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Duckworth Reaction to President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address: “Tonight, President Biden underscored the historic progress Democrats have made for working families with one of the fastest and strongest post-pandemic economic recoveries in the world in addition to our efforts to bring down inflation, create millions of good-paying jobs and help middle-class families keep more of their hard-earned dollars—despite … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Duckworth on President Biden’s Plan to Build New Gaza Port to Help Increase Humanitarian Aid Deliveries
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees—issued the following statement after President Biden announced during tonight’s State of the Union that the United States will soon establish a new port in Gaza to help increase deliveries of humanitarian aid to Palestinians: “We must find new ways to deliver substantially more humanitarian aid to Gaza and I’ve been advocating to do … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Duckworth Reaction to New Alabama IVF Law
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—author of the Access to Family Building Act that would protect access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) nationwide—issued the following statement after Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed Republican state lawmakers’ intrinsically flawed legislation into law, which as written, validates the extreme Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos are human children under the state’s Constitution. The new state law actually affirms that the purposeful … Continue Reading