Press Releases
Duckworth Votes Against Senate GOP’s Budget Proposal That Would Fund Tax Cuts for Billionaires at the Expense of Middle-Class Americans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting against Senate Republicans’ disastrous budget proposal that would fund tax cuts for billionaires—while doing nothing to help middle-class families struggling with rising costs: “In the dead of night, Senate Republicans rammed through a budget to greenlight massive tax cuts for billionaires at the expense of middle-class Americans who are struggling to get by due to rising costs. Worse yet, … Continue Reading
February 20, 2025
Duckworth Slams SecDef Hegseth’s Order to Cut Defense Budget by Eight Percent for the Next Five Years
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee—issued the following statement after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the military to reduce the defense budget by 8% for the next five years, jeopardizing our servicemembers, our national security and military readiness: “Abrupt far-reaching cuts to our defense budget won’t make Americans, our servicemembers and their families safer. I’m all for … Continue Reading
February 20, 2025
Duckworth Leads Fellow Democrats on Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in Demanding CFPB Immediately Restart Operations to Protect Veterans and Servicemembers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs (SVAC)—led her fellow Democratic SVAC colleagues Ranking Member Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in demanding that the Trump Administration and unelected billionaire Elon Musk immediately restart operations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), specifically sounding the alarm about the dangerous impacts that … Continue Reading
February 19, 2025
Duckworth Demands More Detailed Explanation of Mass FAA Layoffs in the Wake of Multiple Deadly Crashes
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Ranking Member of the CST Aviation, Space and Innovation Subcommittee—is demanding a more detailed explanation from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau on why the FAA abruptly fired hundreds of employees in the wake of multiple deadly airplane crashes. In her letter, Duckworth is requesting multiple answers … Continue Reading
February 19, 2025
Duckworth Joins Blumenthal, Senators in Demanding VA Secretary Collins Put Veterans First and Reverse Mass Terminations of VA Employees
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—joined U.S. Senator and SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and a group of 34 Democratic Senators calling on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to immediately reinstate the more than 1,000 VA employees terminated last week who serve Veterans and their families nationwide, including critical employees addressing … Continue Reading
February 19, 2025
Duckworth Reaction to Trump’s Latest Betrayal of Our Partners in Ukraine in Favor of Authoritarian Dictator Vladimir Putin
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s latest false claims about Russia’s unjustified war and his outrageous prioritization of Vladimir Putin over our partners in Ukraine: “Trump’s latest comments parroting Vladimir Putin’s talking points are a complete betrayal of the Ukrainian people, American leadership and our values. By inviting Putin to visit the U.S., suggesting President Zelenskyy is a … Continue Reading
February 19, 2025
Duckworth, Hirono, Takano Renew Push to Prevent Atrocities like Mass Japanese American Internment from Happening Again
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, on the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 that began the horrific internment of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA-39) re-introduced the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act, a bill that would establish a clear legal prohibition against un-American policies that seek to imprison individuals solely on the basis of race, religion, … Continue Reading
February 18, 2025
Duckworth Statement on Trump’s Mass Federal and VA Layoffs That Are Jeopardizing Veterans’ Access to Care and Leaving Veterans Jobless
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after President Donald Trump laid off more than 1,000 “probationary” employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and purged thousands of federal employees, including many Veterans who devoted their lives to service: “In the wake of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s mass federal layoffs, I’m continuing to hear from Veterans who suddenly found themselves jobless—including some Veteran federal … Continue Reading
February 18, 2025
Duckworth Votes Against Confirming Howard Lutnick to Serve as Commerce Secretary
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST)—released the following statement after voting against Howard Lutnick’s nomination to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Senate confirmed Lutnick by a vote of 51-45. “I cannot vote for any nominee who won’t publicly pledge without hesitation that they’d refuse an unlawful order from President Trump—and Mr. Lutnick failed that … Continue Reading
February 18, 2025
Duckworth Statement on Trump’s Overly Vague, Toothless IVF Executive Order
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—author of the Right to IVF Act that would protect individuals’ rights to access IVF and make it more affordable for middle-class Americans, Veterans and military families—released the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that requests policy recommendations to ensure reliable access to IVF: “Don’t be fooled. Donald Trump’s executive order does nothing to expand access to IVF. In fact, he’s … Continue Reading
February 18, 2025
Duckworth Joins Durbin, Casten, Illinois Delegation Members' Letter to Protect Regional EPA Workers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin urging him to reconsider reported plans to terminate more than 1,100 probationary EPA employees, including many based in Illinois. “We are deeply concerned about the negative impacts such terminations—done … Continue Reading
February 14, 2025
Duckworth, Durbin Help Unveil Bill to Raise Minimum Age to Buy Assault Weapons
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - On the seventh anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) in announcing legislation to raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines from 18 to 21, the same age requirement that already applies to … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
At AFGE Fireside Chat, Duckworth Urges Federal Employees to Be Wary of Trump’s Dangerous Buyout Offers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined members of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Region 7 to discuss many of the issues facing union members and other federal employees under the Trump Administration, including the dangerous federal buyouts being offered by President Trump and Elon Musk. In her remarks, Duckworth urged federal employees who have been offered a buyout to be wary of accepting, emphasizing that Trump is deliberately intimidating … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Duckworth, Durbin Renew Bipartisan Push to Approve Sale of E15 Year-Round
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—founding co-chair of the Senate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Caucus—and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) and a bipartisan group of Senators in reintroducing the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. This legislation would allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%—ending years of regulatory uncertainty and preventing a patchwork of uneven state regulations. … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Duckworth Presses for Answers on Cost of Trump Executive Orders to Deploy Troops to Guantanamo Bay, Impact on Military Readiness
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee—pressed officials for answers regarding how much President Trump’s calls to transfer 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo Bay would cost, in addition to the impact these efforts would have on our military readiness. In her remarks, Duckworth asked the witnesses to detail the timeline for facilities expansion, construction costs and personnel costs. Duckworth’s … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Duckworth, Durbin Join Entire Democratic Caucus To Raise Alarm Over Trump Administration Pushing Illegal, Indiscriminate Funding Cuts To NIH, Derailing Lifesaving Medical Research
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), as well as the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressing serious alarm over the Trump Administration’s recent decisions that threaten to undermine America’s biomedical research infrastructure and setting progress back generations. The … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Duckworth, Warren Press Trump Health Nominee Dr. Oz on Dangerous Anti-Abortion Views
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) pressed Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s nominee for the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on his hostile anti-abortion record as his nominee process begins. If confirmed as CMS Administrator, Dr. Oz would be in charge of Medicare, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage, exercising broad authority over reproductive health care access. “Leaving the issue of … Continue Reading
February 13, 2025
Duckworth Votes Against Confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Serve as HHS Secretary
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by a vote of 52-48 to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services: “I am extremely disappointed that my Republican colleagues lacked the basic courage necessary to vote against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This man is an unqualified, anti-science, anti-vax extremist—and it will be our kids, not Mr. Kennedy, who pay the price, when he … Continue Reading
February 12, 2025
Duckworth Outlines How Trump’s Attack on USAID is Hurting National Security and All Americans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—outlined how President Donald Trump’s illegal foreign assistance freeze and dismantling of USAID undermines our national security, empowers our adversaries and jeopardizes Americans’ economic security. Her discussion with the panel highlighted how USAID programs abroad help improve the global competitiveness of American products. Video of Duckworth’s full remarks can … Continue Reading
February 12, 2025
Duckworth Holds Senate Floor to Protest HHS Nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Underscores How RFK’s Extreme Views Would Endanger the Health of Millions of Middle-Class Americans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senate Democrats’ protest opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to serve as the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under President Trump. In her remarks, Duckworth underscored just how unqualified Kennedy is for the job and how his long-held, well-established extreme views would put programs and services that millions of middle-class Americans rely on—like Medicaid—at risk. Video of … Continue Reading