Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after representing Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms.
Agriculture is a cornerstone of Illinois’s economy and a foundational component of our state’s history. In Congress, Senator Duckworth is pushing to ensure that the hardworking men and women across the state who have fed generations of Americans have the tools, resources and support they need to grow, prosper and continue to feed and power our nation. She is working alongside Illinois farmers to ensure they have a fair shake and a powerful advocate in Federal policy debates.
In every corner of the state, the agriculture industry faces growing challenges from foreign competition and aging infrastructure. That is one reason Senator Duckworth is working to expand access to new markets and drive down the costs associated with getting agricultural products to market. She is committed to reinforcing the entrepreneurial spirit of Illinois farmers by supporting initiatives that eliminate unnecessary red tape, reduce uncertainty and expand opportunity.
Senator Duckworth spent 23 years in the Reserve Forces defending and supporting American values, including the civil rights of all Americans that have helped our people build the greatest nation the world has ever seen. She knows that while we have made great strides towards justice throughout our nation’s history, too many Americans continue to face harmful discrimination because of their age, the color of their skin, their disability or the person they love. Senator Duckworth is committed to advancing policies to protect Americans from discrimination in all areas of society.
Senator Duckworth believes our nation's complex criminal justice system must be reformed and that Congress has an important role to play in restoring trust between law enforcement and local communities. She introduced legislation to require independent and impartial investigations into law enforcement officials’ use of deadly force and has been a strong advocate for comprehensive sentencing reform, “ban the box” initiatives and Federal investments in additional training for law enforcement. She has also been a leader in efforts to bring more fairness to the prison video visitation and inmate calling services systems that make it harder for families to maintain contact with incarcerated relatives, something that studies show can reduce recidivism rates and save taxpayer dollars while producing better outcomes for everyone.
In the wake of daily gun violence in our communities and increasingly-frequent mass shooting incidents, Senator Duckworth believes Congress has a responsibility to do more than send thoughts and prayers. As a combat Veteran who grew up in a family of marksmen, she knows our nation can do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals while protecting Second Amendment rights. She supports common-sense legislation to curb gun violence, including establishing universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole, cracking down on gun trafficking and straw purchasers, banning assault weapons that are more suited for war than for civilian use, limiting the sale of high-capacity magazines and bump stocks that increase the number of people an active shooter can kill or injure in a short period of time and ensuring that individuals on the terrorist watch-list are not able to purchase weapons legally.
Senator Duckworth is committed to helping foster Illinois’s economic growth as well as building and supporting strong communities in urban, suburban and rural areas throughout our state.
Though many of the largest and most successful corporations in the world call Illinois home, Senator Duckworth knows that small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy, making up over 90 percent of employers, employing nearly half of Illinois’s private workforce and serving as the life-blood of our communities. That is why she works every day as a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to find innovative, common-sense ways for Illinois’ small enterprises to sustain, succeed and grow. She has also heard from countless employers and small businesses in Illinois that are struggling to find qualified workers to fill job openings, and she prioritizes workforce development by supporting career and technical education and private-public partnerships to train workers for 21st-century jobs.
As the United States competes in an increasingly global marketplace, Senator Duckworth’s position on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee affords her a platform to ask tough questions and carefully review international trade agreements to help make sure they are in the best interests of our nation’s economy and workers. While working in the Senate to open foreign markets for Illinois farmers and manufactures, she is also focused on preventing unfair trade agreements and practices that disadvantage our state's companies and workers.
Senator Duckworth strongly believes that every child in this country should have access to a quality public education. She is an advocate for needed investments in our public schools to ensure our nation’s workforce is competitive and that every child, regardless of income, has a shot at the American Dream. She supports access to early childhood learning and providing access to equal public education for all students, regardless of how they learn or whether they are able-bodied.
Senator Duckworth is also fighting to make post-secondary education, including college and vocational education, more attainable for all Americans. As someone who relied on Pell Grants and waitressing to pay her own college tuition, she believes expanding public financial aid for higher education will only help our nation’s people and economy. Duckworth is also working to allow students to refinance their student loan debt and to enable them to earn college credit through national service. She also supports making community college tuition-free for deserving students to help prepare them for high-skilled jobs and investing in apprenticeships and public-private workforce training partnerships that can help close the skills gap and make it easier for young people to find jobs after graduating.
Senator Duckworth believes that climate change poses grave national security, public health and economic threats to our nation that Congress must swiftly address. Already, Illinois and states across the country are witnessing more frequent and severe weather events that not only affect growing seasons, increase heat waves and intensify floods—they can also wipe out entire communities. Illinois is facing this global crisis head-on by supporting more than 100,000 clean energy jobs across the state. Clean energy—like wind, solar and biofuels—is not only good for the environment and our energy security but also helps support strong economic growth in Illinois. With the right investments, Senator Duckworth believes we can cut carbon emissions and provide clean affordable electricity for all, all while creating good paying jobs at the same time.
Senator Duckworth is also proud that our state is home to two National Laboratories—Fermi and Argonne—which work on cutting-edge, world-class clean energy research focused on mitigating the threats posed by climate change. As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Duckworth is working to ensure sustained and robust funding for the National Laboratory system, which stands at the frontier of our nation’s scientific advances. Our National Laboratories represent America’s crown jewels in scientific and technological investments.
As a mother and advocate for public health, Senator Duckworth understands how important it is that we protect our air, water and environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 headquarters is located in Illinois, and every day its scientists and public health experts work to make us healthier and safer by cleaning up the Great Lakes and protecting children and families from toxic pollution. Serving on the influential Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Duckworth is committed to supporting EPA’s dedicated employees who work tirelessly across the region day-in and day-out. She is also working to ensure that programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative continue to help Illinois and the region thrive, while reaching across the aisle to help bring more resources to the Midwest.
Senator Duckworth is focused on improving oversight and accountability across the government. Since entering Congress, Senator Duckworth has prioritized rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in government programs. For example, when the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the U.S. Department of Defense wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on purchasing duplicative camouflage uniforms, Senator Duckworth helped amend the law to crack down on this unnecessary government spending. As a result of this good government reform, the GAO reported that taxpayers saved $4.2 billion over 5 years when the Army avoided procuring a new family of camouflage uniforms. She is committed to developing bipartisan solutions that make our government more transparent and accountable to the people it serves.
Senator Duckworth will fight to achieve high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans, and she is willing to work with anyone—regardless of political party—to expand access to health insurance, bring down costs and improve the quality of care for hardworking Illinois families. That means helping develop and advance proposals that protect patients from abusive practices, lower prescription drug costs and guarantee that our nation’s Veterans, children, families and most vulnerable citizens receive the high-quality care every American deserves.
Senator Duckworth will continue to fight on behalf of hardworking Illinoisans to make sure Congress is focused on improving and protecting the health and well-being of all Americans.
As the daughter of an immigrant and a Daughter of the American Revolution, Senator Duckworth is an advocate for comprehensive, fair, humane and just immigration reform because she believes that America is at its best when we embrace our nation’s rich immigrant heritage. She understands that immigrants strengthen our economy and our communities by working hard every day to build a better life for themselves and their families and is working to advance immigration policies that reflect that reality.
Senator Duckworth devoted over twenty years of her life in service to this country in the Reserve Forces. As a former Army officer, she understands the security challenges our nation must contend with and the risks our Armed Forces face. As a Senator, she is committed to ensuring American troops have the equipment and technology they need to keep our nation safe, and to supporting policies that improve their quality of life. She is also committed to rooting out waste within the Department of Defense and opposing harmful policies that discriminate against or dishonor our nation’s warriors.
Senator Duckworth knows that Congress has an obligation to provide our troops downrange with clear guidance and legal authority for their operations and is helping lead the efforts to provide them with an updated Authorization for Use of Military Force for the war on terror. Illinois is home to Scott Air Force Base, Rock Island Arsenal and the Naval Station Great Lakes and Senator Duckworth is committed to advocating for these military installations to ensure they can continue to support our nation’s security and our state’s economic growth.
A strong and robust military is a principal pillar of our nation’s power, but is only one element in securing our national security. Senator Duckworth believes one of America’s greatest strengths is our system of democratic values and constitutionally-protected freedoms and rights. As the United States continues to lead in an increasingly interconnected world, it is important that we match our military power with the promotion of our values through diplomatic means. Defending and advancing our principles abroad will help our country effectively support international allies while confronting shared adversaries and threats.
She recognizes that the national security challenges facing our country will only grow in complexity and size in the coming years. Whether it’s countering the threats posed by global terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, sharing intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks or simply working together to respond to major global challenges, effective international cooperation is more important than ever when it comes to advancing our core security interests overseas to help make Americans safer at home.
Senator Duckworth believes Social Security represents a promise the government made to every American who pays into the system. Millions of seniors like her mother depend on the stability and security this program provides. After a lifetime of hard work, Americans deserve to retire with dignity and financial security.
Congress cannot balance the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable. As costs for food, rent and medication increase, seniors are forced to stretch their benefits and make hard choices about basic needs. That is why she is working with her colleagues to make sure families, both in the public and private sector, are able to save enough for retirement.
Senator Duckworth will continue to update the laws and regulations to make sure Congress continues to protect and strengthen the promise of Social Security.
Senator Duckworth understands the importance of our nation’s infrastructure systems to hardworking families and businesses across Illinois. A well-functioning transportation system is critical to our state’s economic competitiveness and improving Illinois’s infrastructure is one of her top legislative priorities. Whether you’re a farmer in Sangamon County, a teacher in Winnebago or a manufacturer from DuPage County, we all rely on our transportation networks to get to work, sell our products or take a much-deserved vacation.
As a member of the U.S. Senate Committees on Environment and Public Works as well as on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Senator Duckworth is committed to working with her colleagues in Congress to help rebuild our nation’s infrastructure better than before and ensure our airways, roadways, waterways and communication networks meet the needs of our communities and businesses.
Senator Duckworth successfully delivered for Illinois with her leadership on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is working to create jobs and deliver safer, more sustainable roads and bridges, faster broadband internet coverage and so much more. With her bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA) included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Senator Duckworth is helping our nation upgrade our nation’s crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure in order to get the lead of out of our children’s drinking water and ensure sewage doesn’t seep into families’ yards whenever it rains heavily in places like Cahokia Heights. The infrastructure package also included a modified version of her All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP Act) to help make public transit stations across the country accessible to all Americans, including Americans with disabilities. Illinoisans from Chicago to Cairo, communities large and small—urban, suburban and rural—are benefitting from this law and the jobs it is creating.
As an Iraq War combat Veteran who went on to serve at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and who still receives her medical care there, Senator Duckworth understands the unique needs our Veterans face. She believes in the VA’s integrated system of care and remains committed to improving it for Veterans in Illinois and across the country. She also knows our country has an obligation to support our Veterans by making sure they have timely access to the health, retirement, disability and educational benefits they earned through their service and sacrifice.
After serving 23 years in the Reserve Forces, Senator Duckworth remains committed to the brave men and women who serve our nation from the moment they put on the uniform to long after they transition into civilian life. As our military and Veteran population grows and changes, she is committed to updating and refining policies to meet the needs of current and future Veterans and their families.