Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin, Klobuchar Urge Administration to Preserve Healthcare Providers’ Access to Pandemic Relief Funding
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and 18 of their colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar expressing concerns about the recent change in reporting requirements for hospitals and health systems that receive relief funds from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). This change could force providers to return relief funding that they have already … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Duckworth Discusses Environmental Justice & Climate Crisis with the Coalition for Clean Energy & Healthy Communities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-founder of the Senate's first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus, today spoke with members of the Coalition for Clean Energy & Healthy Communities in a virtual roundtable moderated by EarthJustice President Abbie Dillen. Duckworth spoke about her efforts to promote clean energy and how addressing the climate crisis and pushing for environmental justice will help ensure more equitable outcomes for all Americans, including those in … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Duckworth Discusses COVID-19 Impact on Illinois Manufacturers’ Association Members
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today spoke with members of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) and President and CEO Mark Denzler about how IMA's member companies are handling COVID-19 recovery and what assistance is needed from the federal level to assist these businesses and their employees. IMA represents more than 4,000 member companies across Illinois. "More than six months into this pandemic with a President unwilling to negotiate on a relief package, … Continue Reading
October 08, 2020
Duckworth, Hirono, Colleagues Announce Health Equity and Accountability Act to Create a More Equitable Healthcare System
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), along with their colleagues U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), today announced the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA), sweeping legislation that would address health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities as well as women, the LGBTQ+ community, rural … Continue Reading
October 07, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $1.18 Million for CTA Safety Improvements
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $1,183,091 in federal funding to support safety improvements for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), will support CTA's Station Third Rail Safety Enhancement Pilot Project, which would add additional safety features on the third rails in the vicinity of station platforms, including non-conductive side boards on both sides of the … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
Duckworth, Hirono, Colleagues Introduce Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), along with six of their colleagues introduced the Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act, legislation that will allow all federal workers to carry over the leave they have accrued when a national pandemic prevents employees from taking time off of work. "Over the past six months, communities across the nation have relied heavily on federal workers who have often been on the front lines of the COVID-19 … Continue Reading
October 05, 2020
After Trump’s Hospitalization, Duckworth Tells GOP Colleagues: Your Actions Now Can Set an Example and Save Lives
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement urging her Republican colleagues to do more to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, stop denying the reality and seize this difficult moment to set an example for the American people: "From day one, Trump and too many of my Republican colleagues' focus has been politicizing this pandemic rather than protecting Americans from it. Trump lied that it would magically disappear even as he was privately … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues In Calling For Investigation Into Political Interference With Coronavirus Information
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gary Peters (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in leading 24 of their colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General calling for an immediate investigation into allegations of political interference with public health information at the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $3.2 Million in FEMA Reimbursement for Flooding Recovery
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois has been awarded a total of $3,248,722 in federal funding to offset costs related to the historic flooding that occurred from February 24 to July 3, 2019. The funding, awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will go to the Illinois Department of Transportation to help cover the costs of emergency response and flooding prevention efforts in Springfield. "These … Continue Reading
October 02, 2020
Duckworth to GOP Senators Who Applauded Her Daughter’s First Visit to the Capitol: Reconsider Whether You Can Vote for a Supreme Court Nominee Who Supported an Organization that Believes My Daughter Shouldn’t Exist
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following reports that show Amy Coney Barrett's past support of a radical organization that believes life begins at fertilization and that steps in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process should be criminalized, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to her Senate colleagues today urging them to consider what a vote for this nominee would say to the millions of Americans hoping to start a family using IVF therapy. Duckworth used IVF to get pregnant with both of her … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth’s Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act Passes House of Representatives
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)'s bipartisan Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Improvement Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives today and is now headed to the President's desk to be signed into law. The legislation, which passed the Senate in July, will ensure that small airports across the country support nursing moms and promote breastfeeding-friendly environments by providing accessible, clean and convenient lactation rooms for travelers. The bill builds … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth, Bustos, Loebsack, Durbin, Grassley and Ernst Lead Bi-Partisan, Bicameral Modernization Effort to Utilize Unused Army Property
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) released a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to urge the authorization for the United States Army to launch a pilot program that certain users could access for details about Army real estate. This tool could resemble a … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Cosponsor Legislation To Build Core Public Health Infrastructure Needed To Save Lives, Fight Threats Like COVID-19
WASHINGTON- This week, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 16 of their Democratic Senate colleagues to introduce the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA). The legislation would establish a new core public health infrastructure program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with up to $4.5 billion in annual funding to bolster the nation's efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthen its … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth Statement on the Passing of Former Rockford Mayor John McNamara
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement on the passing of former Rockford, Illinois, Mayor John McNamara: "I'm saddened to hear of the passing of former Mayor John McNamara. His dedication to the people of Rockford and to improving his city was impressive, and I know he will be missed. Through his leadership, he worked to make his community and Illinois a better place. My thoughts are with his loved ones, friends and the people of Rockford." … Continue Reading
October 01, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Federal Funding For Gun Violence Prevention Research
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Northwestern University has been awarded more than $500,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the effects of gun violence. This is the first time in more than 20 years that federal funding has been appropriated for research related to firearm violence prevention at the CDC after Congress passed the Dickey Amendment in 1996, which … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Duckworth Introduces Bill to Improve Disaster Response and Recovery Plans in Prisons
WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation that would ensure prison disaster response and recovery plans protect the health, safety and civil rights of incarcerated individuals during a presidential disaster declaration. Duckworth's legislation follows reports of health and safety violations within the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and state prisons during recent major disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Correctional facilities must be … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Duckworth, Durbin Join Brown, Baldwin to Blast Trump Administration for Failing to Protect Workers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and 18 of their Democratic colleagues, calling on the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Eugene Scalia to take immediate action to protect workers from COVID-19 exposure, illness and death on the job. In their letter, the Senators urge Scalia to instruct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an Emergency Temporary … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Duckworth Statement on the Continuing Resolution to Fund the Government
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11, 2020. "I'm glad that Democrats and Republicans came together to avoid shutting down the federal government in the midst of a global pandemic. With that said, I'm deeply disappointed that Republicans continue to refuse to come to the table to address our country's most dire need: comprehensive relief from the COVID-19 public … Continue Reading
September 30, 2020
Duckworth, Murkowski Urge Senate Leadership to Include Head Start Funding in Next COVID Relief Package
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sent a bipartisan letter to Senate leadership requesting that any future COVID-19 relief package include emergency funding for Head Start programs that have experienced an uptick in operational costs due to expanded programming and services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Head Start programs deliver high-quality, evidence-based education and comprehensive services to children across the country and during this … Continue Reading
September 29, 2020
Duckworth Speaks To Illinois VFW On Its 121st Anniversary
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today on the 121st anniversary of the founding of The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW), combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke with VFW Department of Illinois's Legislative Committee Director Jay Hoffman to discuss the organization's legislative priorities. They also discussed the Senator's efforts on important issues impacting Veterans in Illinois and across the nation, including Veteran access to full benefits and high-quality healthcare. … Continue Reading
