Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Meet with Association Of Illinois Electric Cooperatives
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, today met with Craig Sondgeroth, President of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC), and their members who represents 25 different distribution co-ops and five generation/transmission co-ops that serve most of Illinois. During their meeting, the Senators spoke about the $2.3 billion in federal funding, … Continue Reading
April 18, 2023
Duckworth, Dubrin Join Democrats to File Amicus Brief Urging Supreme Court to Prevent Dangerous Ruling from Restricting Access to Mifepristone Nationwide & Upending FDA Approval Process
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined more than 250 members of Congress in submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, in support of the Biden Administration's appeal of a federal district court ruling that suspends the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) more than 20-year-old approval of mifepristone as well as the decision … Continue Reading
April 14, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Klobuchar, Grassley and Bipartisan Group of Colleagues in Letter Urging Biden Administration to Strengthen Renewable Fuel Standard
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), along with a bipartisan group of 12 colleagues in urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In their letter, the lawmakers call for maintaining the blending requirements for 2023, denying all pending Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs), eliminating proposed retroactive cuts to the … Continue Reading
April 14, 2023
Duckworth Joins Peters, Fischer, Sinema, Moran to Announce New Bipartisan Legislation to Promote Women in Aviation
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation, joined U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) to announce the new, bipartisan Promoting Women in Aviation Act. "It is frustrating that women are still dramatically underrepresented among pilots, mechanics and other critical roles in our aviation workforce-especially at a time when we … Continue Reading
April 14, 2023
Duckworth, Carper, Booker Statement on EPA Providing $117 million for New Environmental Justice Technical Assistance Centers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.]—U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) founders and co-chairs of the Senate’s Environmental Justice Caucus (EJC), today issued the following statement on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) selection of 17 eligible entities to serve as Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTACs). These EJ TCTACs will receive $177 million to help underserved and overburdened communities across the … Continue Reading
April 12, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $1.6 Million In National Endowment for The Humanities Awards to Illinois Institutions
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for awarding a total of $1,693,306 in grants to Illinois institutions. Highly competitive NEH grants are awarded to projects that represent the highest level of humanities, including efforts to promote lifelong learning and preserve history. The funding allocated to Illinois institutions will support programs ranging from … Continue Reading
April 07, 2023
Duckworth Reaction to Court Decision Blocking Access to Federally Approved Medication that Millions of Americans Rely On
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) reacted today to a federal judge in Texas deciding to block access to mifepristone-a medication that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided was safe and effective more than 20 years ago: "Mifepristone was approved by the FDA 20 years ago after a rigorous scientific and legal process, but access to this critical medication that millions of Americans rely on was stripped away with a stroke of a pen by a single person who was … Continue Reading
April 06, 2023
Duckworth Statement on City of Chicago’s Violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after a federal judge found the City of Chicago liable for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): "More than 30 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, I'm incredibly disappointed that the City of Chicago is still in violation of the ADA. Accessible pedestrian signals are critical for people with disabilities to get to work, get to school and move through … Continue Reading
April 05, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Biden Administration in Announcing More Than $332 Million for Water Infrastructure Upgrades in Illinois
[ROCKFORD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)-author of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's water infrastructure division-and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) yesterday joined U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan in announcing more than $6.5 billion for states, Tribes and territories for essential drinking water infrastructure upgrades across the nation through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), including $332 million for Illinois. EPA is … Continue Reading
April 04, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Meet with Local Leaders in Belvidere Following Deadly Storms
[BELVIDERE, IL] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with local leaders and first responders in Belvidere after Friday's deadly storms caused the collapse of the Apollo Theatre, killing one and injuring dozens more. The Senators received recovery updates from Belvidere Mayor Clint Morris, Belvidere Police Chief Shane Woody, Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle and other city leadership as well as thanked first responders for their work in recovery efforts. … Continue Reading
April 04, 2023
Following Duckworth Visit, Japan Announces Regulatory Change to Allow Import of More U.S. Ethanol
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today applauded the regulatory change in Japan that will lead to an increase in imports from U.S. biofuel producers, supporting our farmers and growing Illinois's economy. Duckworth traveled to Japan in February to meet with Japanese government officials and stakeholders and urge the nation to import more Illinois biofuels for a more sustainable energy future, including meetings with Japan Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry … Continue Reading
April 04, 2023
Duckworth Applauds Finland Officially Joining NATO, Urges Sweden Be Added as Full Member Immediately
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of both the U.S. Senate's Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, today issued the following statement in reaction to Finland formally joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance: "With Finland officially joining NATO today, our alliance is now stronger and more capable than it has ever been-which is especially important as Vladimir Putin continues to wage his unjustified and … Continue Reading
April 03, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Kelly Urge Office Of Personnel Management to Address Delays in Delivering Federal Retirement Benefits
[CHICAGO, IL] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) led nine of their colleagues in sending a bicameral letter to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) urging the agency to address the delay with processing and delivering federal retirement benefits to federal employees. OPM, which manages government employees' health insurance and retirement benefit programs, has a substantial retirement … Continue Reading
April 03, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Lead Illinois Delegation in Urging President Biden to Grant Federal Disaster Declaration for 5 Illinois Counties Following Severe Weather
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led every member of the Illinois Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to President Biden urging the White House to grant Governor JB Pritzker's request for federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for five counties. The letter follows tornadoes, high winds, hail, and flash floods that caused widespread damage across Boone, Crawford, DuPage, Marion, … Continue Reading
March 31, 2023
Duckworth, Grassley, Wyden, Lankford, Markey Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Whistleblowers at DOE & NRC
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), James Lankford (R-OK) and Ed Markey (D-MA) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to make sure federal law provides U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) civil servants with the same due process rights provided to corporate employees who experience retaliation for blowing the whistle on nuclear safety violations. The bipartisan Department of Energy and Nuclear … Continue Reading
March 31, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues to Introduce “No Check, No Sale” Bill to Close the Charleston Loophole
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to introduce the Background Check Completion Act, legislation to close a current loophole that allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed within a certain time period, even if the gun buyer is not legally allowed to purchase a gun. The gap in existing law has allowed thousands of … Continue Reading
March 31, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Boost Gun Violence Prevention Research at CDC, Urge Stronger Action on Gun Safety in Wake of Tragic School Shooting
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As the nation reels from yet another tragic school shooting this week, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and U.S. Representatives Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-07), Mark Takano (D-CA-39), and Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10) to reintroduce legislation to fund research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to better understand and … Continue Reading
March 30, 2023
Duckworth Introduces Bill to Help Invest in Tech Talent in Our Armed Forces
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation to help invest in our military's technological workforce. While cultivating a strong and competitive workforce in computer programming, coding and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is key to bolstering our military readiness and national security, a September 2021 policy brief from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology revealed that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is failing to … Continue Reading
March 30, 2023
Duckworth Meets with Nominee to be Secretary of Labor Julie Su
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Julie Su, President Biden's nominee to be the next Secretary of Labor. Duckworth has previously voiced her strong support for Su and during their meeting, they discussed Su's priorities for the Department of Labor, if confirmed to this position. Video and photos from today can be found here and here. "It was a pleasure to meet with Julie Su today and to hear her vision for the Department of Labor. With her proven … Continue Reading
March 30, 2023
Duckworth Touts Support for Workforce Development with Dubuque Chamber of Commerce
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with Dubuque Chamber of Commerce members, local business leaders and local government officials to underscore her commitment to helping create good-paying regional jobs and career training programs in Illinois and throughout the nation. The Dubuque Chamber of Commerce represents businesses throughout the Dubuque area, which sits near the Mississippi River and encompasses Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. The area plays a crucial … Continue Reading
