Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $2.3 Million for School-Based Mental Health Training
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $2.3 million from the U.S. Department of Education Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program for DePaul University, Northeastern Illinois University, and the Illinois State Board of Education. This funding, which was provided by last year's landmark gun violence reduction law, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, will support the training of school-based mental health … Continue Reading
March 29, 2023
Duckworth Meets with IEMA Director to Discuss Illinois Emergency Preparedness
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau to discuss how Illinois can strengthen its state and federal government partnership to help in future emergency and recovery efforts. IEMA coordinates Illinois's disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery programs. Photos from today's meeting are available here. "As we've seen over the last few years with historic flooding and other … Continue Reading
March 29, 2023
Duckworth Chairs Commerce Committee Hearing on Improving Next Generation Aviation Technologies, Advocates for American-Grown Sustainable Aviation Fuel
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation-which has jurisdiction over the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-chaired today's full committee hearing to examine innovative, lower emission and sustainable aviation technologies to help support the next generation of commercial aircraft. During her remarks, Duckworth … Continue Reading
March 29, 2023
Duckworth Announces $750,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for Water Infrastructure Improvements in Sesser
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that $750,000 she secured through a Fiscal Year 2022 Congressionally Directed Spending Request will be sent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the City of Sesser for the rehabilitation of its sanitary sewer collection system. The funding Duckworth requested will be used to update and renovate the City's severely outdated sewer collection system, addressing a vital public health threat. In 2014, the Illinois … Continue Reading
March 29, 2023
Duckworth Applauds Senate Repeal of Decades-Old Authorizations for the Use of Military Force That Would Formally End Gulf and Iraq Wars if Signed Into Law
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Just days after marking the Iraq War's 20th anniversary, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of both the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and U.S. Senate Armed Services Committees, joined her Senate colleagues to pass bipartisan legislation, which Duckworth is a cosponsor of, that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) and formally end the Gulf and Iraq wars. For years, Duckworth has spoken out about … Continue Reading
March 29, 2023
Duckworth, Murray, Hirono Reintroduce EACH Act to Help Guarantee Abortion Coverage For Millions of Americans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and many states enacting extreme abortion bans, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA)-Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee-and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) today re-introduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act, a bicameral bill that would help guarantee abortion coverage-without restrictions-for millions of Americans. The EACH Act ends the Hyde Amendment and lifts … Continue Reading
March 29, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Urge United Airlines to Reconsider Decision to Halt Service at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), as well as Mayor of Springfield, Illinois, Jim Langfelder, today spoke by phone with Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, about the company's decision to cancel service at Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport beginning in June. On the call, the lawmakers urged United Airlines to reconsider the decision. "It's disappointing that an … Continue Reading
March 28, 2023
Duckworth Discusses Quad Cities Water Infrastructure with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), author of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA), which is helping rebuild our nation's crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure, this morning met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Rock Island District Commander Colonel Jesse Curry to discuss critical water infrastructure projects in the Quad Cities region, which includes several hundred miles of the Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway. Duckworth, a … Continue Reading
March 28, 2023
Duckworth, Durbin Join Shaheen, Senate Colleagues in Letter to Pentagon Underscoring National Security Imperative to Provide Abortion Leave for Servicemembers
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and their Senate colleagues this week in sending a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. In their letter, the lawmakers highlighted key U.S. national security priorities tied to providing access to non-covered reproductive healthcare for servicemembers. In the wake of the … Continue Reading
March 27, 2023
Duckworth Urges FTC to Investigate Pharmaceutical Sourcing Giant for Potential Anticompetitive, Unfair and Deceptive Distribution of Federally-Approved Medication
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following public reports indicating that pharmaceutical giant AmerisourceBergen-which is the sole wholesale distributor of Mifepristone-developed business plans refusing to distribute the pill to retail pharmacies in certain states while continuing to provide it to healthcare providers in the same state, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today is calling on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the company for this anticompetitive, unfair and deceptive … Continue Reading
March 24, 2023
Duckworth to Chicago Council on Global Affairs: Foreign Relations Affects Every American
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who recently led a Congressional delegation to Indonesia and Japan, joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) this evening for a fireside chat where she discussed her work to strengthen ties in the Indo-Pacific region and how that relationship affects the lives of working Americans. Duckworth, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, highlighted how U.S. relations with the Indo-Pacific influences everything from … Continue Reading
March 24, 2023
Duckworth Helps Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Vehicle Efficiency and Lower Fuel Costs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) in reintroducing the bipartisan Next Generation Fuels Act, legislation that would leverage higher-octane fuels to improve engine efficiency and performance. Allowing the sale of fuels with greater octane levels would increase the amount of ethanol that can be utilized in the fuel supply, in turn lowering prices at the pump for consumers. "It's … Continue Reading
March 24, 2023
Duckworth Discusses Future of U.S. Military Airpower at The Hill’s Future of Defense Event
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, joined The Hill's Bob Cusack to discuss the future of airpower in our nation's national defense strategy and military readiness. In her remarks, Duckworth highlighted the need to fund and encourage innovation and diverse ideas across all types of industry. A full video of the Future of Defense event can be found here. "Innovation is key to remaining competitive … Continue Reading
March 24, 2023
Duckworth Joins Reed, Brown to Call on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Supervise “Buy Now, Pay Later” Lenders
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In an effort to better protect American consumers and ensure that financial firms offering buy now, pay later (BNPL) products comply with consumer protection laws, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in sending a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra, urging the CFPB to quickly bring the nation's largest BNPL providers under federal supervision. "Supervisory expectations … Continue Reading
March 23, 2023
Duckworth Chairs Commerce Committee Hearing on Increasing Consumer Protections and Safety in Air Travel, Advocates for More Accessibility for the Disability Community
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation-the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-chaired today's full committee hearing that sought to find ways to enhance consumer protections during air travel. During her remarks, the Senator focused on ways to improve public safety during air … Continue Reading
March 22, 2023
Duckworth Discusses Corn Exports and Ethanol Production with Illinois Corn Growers Association
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with members of the Illinois Corn Growers Association to discuss her Illinois and legislative priorities ahead of Congress's reauthorization of the Farm Bill this year. Duckworth, who was joined by members of the Association when she recently led a Congressional delegation to Japan to highlight Illinois's importance on the international stage for agricultural trade, also underscored the importance of U.S. ethanol imports to … Continue Reading
March 22, 2023
After Norfolk Southern Derailment, Duckworth Questions Rail Safety in Illinois Amid Merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pushed National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy for answers about the safety and other impacts Illinoisans will see as a result of the recently-approved Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern rail merger, which the Senator vehemently opposed. In the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, Chair Homendy acknowledged that longer freight trains, as well as high tonnage, can pose … Continue Reading
March 22, 2023
Duckworth Joins Warren, Senate Colleagues to Call on the Fed to Strengthen Rules for Banks with Assets Over $100B
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and ten of their Senate colleagues in a letter to Federal Reserve (Fed) Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr, calling on him to exercise the Fed's authority to apply stronger regulation and supervision to banks with assets totaling $100 to $250 billion. "The fall of both SVB and Signature, the near-crash of First Republic, and the struggles of other regional banks shed new light on the … Continue Reading
March 22, 2023
Duckworth, Booker, Grijalva, Lee Introduce the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice For All Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Today, on World Water Day, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ)—co-chairs and co-founders of the Senate’s first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus—as well as Ranking Member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ-07) and U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) re-introduced the newly named A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice For All Act, the most comprehensive environmental justice legislation in history. The bill … Continue Reading
March 22, 2023
Duckworth Secures Support from Military Leadership for Her Efforts to Expand and Bolster DoD Recruitment, Addresses Additional Recruiting Challenges Facing Military
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - During a full committee hearing today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, discussed how the military can expand and improve recruitment efforts as well as how increasing diversity among the ranks improves our national security. During her remarks, Duckworth advocated for and secured support from the Under Secretary of the Army, the Under Secretary of the Navy and the Acting Under Secretary for the Air … Continue Reading
