SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly released a proposed set of new congressional district maps Friday, just days before lawmakers return to the Statehouse for the start of their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 19.
All states redraw their congressional districts following each decennial census. The proposed new maps reflect the fact that Illinois will have only 17 congressional districts after the 2022 elections, down from its current 18 districts, due to the state’s loss of population since the 2010 census.
The draft proposal includes a number of oddly-shaped districts, many of which would create entirely new constituencies for incumbent members of Congress, particularly Republicans.
As expected, southern Illinois, which saw the most dramatic population declines, would essentially be compressed from having two districts to just one. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, would see his 12th District nearly double in size geographically to take in almost the entire southern end of the state, from an area just east of the Metro East region all the way to the Ohio River.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, who represents what is currently called the 15th District in southern and east-central Illinois, would be placed in an entirely new 16th District that takes in Oakland, curls around the city of Champaign and stretches west across much of central Illinois to an area just south of the Quad Cities.
SPRINGFIELD – Despite opposition from Republicans as well as reform groups, Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed into law the revised state legislative district maps that lawmakers passed in August, opening the door to almost certain court challenges.
“These legislative maps align with the landmark Voting Rights Act and will help ensure Illinois’ diversity is reflected in the halls of government,” Pritzker said in a statement.
But not everyone agrees that the maps do reflect the state’s diversity. The political action arm of the reform group CHANGE Illinois issued a statement arguing that they actually dilute minority voting power.
“Many major groups agree the new maps reduce the numbers of majority Black voting age population districts and majority Latino voting age population districts,” the group said in a statement. “The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s lawyers have said they believe the state representative and Senate maps dilute Latino voting power. The Latino Policy Forum asked Pritzker to veto the maps for the same reason. Illinois African Americans for Equitable Redistricting also said the maps do not create enough Black majority voting age districts.”
Lawmakers initially adopted maps during the spring legislative session in order to meet the state constitution’s June 30 deadline, despite the fact that they didn’t yet have the official, detailed U.S. Census data needed to draw districts with nearly equal population.
SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly pushed through a new set of legislative maps during a one-day special session Tuesday, Aug. 31, although the process they used sparked the ire of Republicans and voting rights advocates alike.
If accepted by Gov. JB Pritzker, as they are expected to be, the new maps would replace those adopted in May, which were passed without the benefit of official 2020 U.S. Census data. But they will also have to pass muster with a federal court, where two lawsuits are pending, and possibly the Illinois Supreme Court.
The plan adopted Tuesday night was actually the third draft of a redistricting plan that had been introduced in the span of less than 48 hours. The first was formally released Monday afternoon and was the subject of a contentious public hearing that night. A second, amended version was introduced Tuesday morning, barely one hour before the start of a hearing in the House Redistricting Committee, and that plan was changed slightly again just before the House came into session to debate the package.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of bills Friday, June 4, that redraw state legislative and appellate court districts, despite the fact that official U.S Census data needed to ensure equal representation has not yet been delivered.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Pritzker said he signed the measures after reviewing the maps to make sure they complied with state and federal law by ensuring minority representation.
“Illinois’ strength is in our diversity, and these maps help to ensure that communities that have been left out and left behind have fair representation in our government,” Pritzker said in the statement. “These district boundaries align with both the federal and state Voting Rights Acts, which help to ensure our diverse communities have electoral power and fair representation.”
Reaction to Pritzker’s announcement was swift. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch called the signing “a win for the people of this great state.”
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of bills Friday, June 4, that redraw state legislative and appellate court districts, despite the fact that official U.S Census data needed to ensure equal representation has not yet been delivered.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Pritzker said he signed the measures after reviewing the maps to make sure they complied with state and federal law by ensuring minority representation.
“Illinois’ strength is in our diversity, and these maps help to ensure that communities that have been left out and left behind have fair representation in our government,” Pritzker said in the statement. “These district boundaries align with both the federal and state Voting Rights Acts, which help to ensure our diverse communities have electoral power and fair representation.”
Reaction to Pritzker’s announcement was swift. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch called the signing “a win for the people of this great state.”
Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill aiming to improve ethics standards for elected officials after it was filed just hours earlier.
An amendment to Senate Bill 539, introduced by Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, passed with bipartisan approval despite House Republicans’ concerns that it was watered down.
“This legislation takes the first steps in addressing some of the most egregious scandals in our state’s history,” Gillespie said in a news conference Monday night. “While it won’t end corruption overnight, it closes many of the loopholes that have allowed bad actors to game the system for decades.”
The measure passed the House 113-5 Monday and the Senate unanimously early Tuesday morning. The bill will only need a signature from the governor to become law.
SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly released a proposed set of new congressional district maps Friday, just days before lawmakers return to the Statehouse for the start of their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 19.
All states redraw their congressional districts following each decennial census. The proposed new maps reflect the fact that Illinois will have only 17 congressional districts after the 2022 elections, down from its current 18 districts, due to the state’s loss of population since the 2010 census.
The draft proposal includes a number of oddly-shaped districts, many of which would create entirely new constituencies for incumbent members of Congress, particularly Republicans.
As expected, southern Illinois, which saw the most dramatic population declines, would essentially be compressed from having two districts to just one. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, would see his 12th District nearly double in size geographically to take in almost the entire southern end of the state, from an area just east of the Metro East region all the way to the Ohio River.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, who represents what is currently called the 15th District in southern and east-central Illinois, would be placed in an entirely new 16th District that takes in Oakland, curls around the city of Champaign and stretches west across much of central Illinois to an area just south of the Quad Cities.
SPRINGFIELD – Despite opposition from Republicans as well as reform groups, Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed into law the revised state legislative district maps that lawmakers passed in August, opening the door to almost certain court challenges.
“These legislative maps align with the landmark Voting Rights Act and will help ensure Illinois’ diversity is reflected in the halls of government,” Pritzker said in a statement.
But not everyone agrees that the maps do reflect the state’s diversity. The political action arm of the reform group CHANGE Illinois issued a statement arguing that they actually dilute minority voting power.
“Many major groups agree the new maps reduce the numbers of majority Black voting age population districts and majority Latino voting age population districts,” the group said in a statement. “The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s lawyers have said they believe the state representative and Senate maps dilute Latino voting power. The Latino Policy Forum asked Pritzker to veto the maps for the same reason. Illinois African Americans for Equitable Redistricting also said the maps do not create enough Black majority voting age districts.”
Lawmakers initially adopted maps during the spring legislative session in order to meet the state constitution’s June 30 deadline, despite the fact that they didn’t yet have the official, detailed U.S. Census data needed to draw districts with nearly equal population.
SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly pushed through a new set of legislative maps during a one-day special session Tuesday, Aug. 31, although the process they used sparked the ire of Republicans and voting rights advocates alike.
If accepted by Gov. JB Pritzker, as they are expected to be, the new maps would replace those adopted in May, which were passed without the benefit of official 2020 U.S. Census data. But they will also have to pass muster with a federal court, where two lawsuits are pending, and possibly the Illinois Supreme Court.
The plan adopted Tuesday night was actually the third draft of a redistricting plan that had been introduced in the span of less than 48 hours. The first was formally released Monday afternoon and was the subject of a contentious public hearing that night. A second, amended version was introduced Tuesday morning, barely one hour before the start of a hearing in the House Redistricting Committee, and that plan was changed slightly again just before the House came into session to debate the package.
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of bills Friday, June 4, that redraw state legislative and appellate court districts, despite the fact that official U.S Census data needed to ensure equal representation has not yet been delivered.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Pritzker said he signed the measures after reviewing the maps to make sure they complied with state and federal law by ensuring minority representation.
“Illinois’ strength is in our diversity, and these maps help to ensure that communities that have been left out and left behind have fair representation in our government,” Pritzker said in the statement. “These district boundaries align with both the federal and state Voting Rights Acts, which help to ensure our diverse communities have electoral power and fair representation.”
Reaction to Pritzker’s announcement was swift. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch called the signing “a win for the people of this great state.”
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of bills Friday, June 4, that redraw state legislative and appellate court districts, despite the fact that official U.S Census data needed to ensure equal representation has not yet been delivered.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Pritzker said he signed the measures after reviewing the maps to make sure they complied with state and federal law by ensuring minority representation.
“Illinois’ strength is in our diversity, and these maps help to ensure that communities that have been left out and left behind have fair representation in our government,” Pritzker said in the statement. “These district boundaries align with both the federal and state Voting Rights Acts, which help to ensure our diverse communities have electoral power and fair representation.”
Reaction to Pritzker’s announcement was swift. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch called the signing “a win for the people of this great state.”
Shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill aiming to improve ethics standards for elected officials after it was filed just hours earlier.
An amendment to Senate Bill 539, introduced by Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, passed with bipartisan approval despite House Republicans’ concerns that it was watered down.
“This legislation takes the first steps in addressing some of the most egregious scandals in our state’s history,” Gillespie said in a news conference Monday night. “While it won’t end corruption overnight, it closes many of the loopholes that have allowed bad actors to game the system for decades.”
The measure passed the House 113-5 Monday and the Senate unanimously early Tuesday morning. The bill will only need a signature from the governor to become law.
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This Illinois onAir hub supports its citizens to become more informed about and engaged in federal and state politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow Illinoians
Illinois onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to reinvigorate our imperiled democracy.
Virginia onAir is US onAir’s model of how a state’s onAir Council and curators can enhance a state Hub with fresh Top News and state legislature content, moderated discussions, and production of zoom aircasts with committees, interviews and debates with candidates, and presentations.
For more information about the many opportunities to learn about and engage with this Illinois onAir hub, go to this US onAir post on the US onAir central hub.
Our two minute vision video about the US onAir network is below.
Current Position: US Senator since 1997 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position(s): US Representative from 1983 – 1997
Featured Quote: This country needs a new Civilian Conservation Corps for the 21st century. We can put Americans to work, preserve our precious natural parks, and protect the environment—all at once. More about my plan with @RepBobbyRush
Featured Video: Sen. Dick Durbin’s closing remarks at Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court hearing
Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about the global significance of the United States’ participation in the U.N.’s 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) climate summit in Glasgow. In his remarks, Durbin praised President Biden for reaffirming the U.S.’ position as a global leader in the fight against climate change.
“This gathering is an opportunity for the United States and our allies to come together – for the first time in years- around a shared goal: taking bold steps to address the climate crisis. One of those steps is the “Build Back Better World Partnership.” It’s an initiative that will bring together the world’s major democracies to support sustainable development in low and middle-income countries…Fortunately, over the past two weeks, President Biden has shown the world that, if you want a partner in saving the planet – follow America’s lead, work together, across borders. And already, this strategy is working. Yesterday, a coalition of more than 40 countries – including the U.K., Poland, and Vietnam – announced that they will phase out coal power over the next two decades,” Durbin said.
Durbin also spoke in support of climate change provisions in the Build Back Better package that create economic prosperity and growth through the innovation of electric vehicles and renewable energy.
During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Dereliction of Duty: Examining the Inspector General’s Report on the FBI’s Handling of the Larry Nassar Investigation,” U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked FBI Director Christopher Wray to explain the FBI’s abdication of responsibility and failure to investigate the Nassar case.
“What strikes me here is there doesn’t ever seem to be a sense of urgency or immediacy in that Indianapolis Field Office,” Durbin said. “What am I missing here? This is like a child kidnapping case. This man is on the loose molesting children and it appears that [the case] is being lost in the paperwork of the agency.”
Wray answered by stating he shares Durbin’s bewilderment and outrage over the FBI’s failures and that it has been utterly jarring to him. Wray said what happened in the Nassar case is totally inconsistent with what FBI trains its people on and how hundreds of other agents approach these kinds of cases every day. Wray added that within the past week, the FBI fired a Supervisory Special Agent who attempted to cover up his mishandling of the Nassar allegations by doctoring paperwork and lying to the Inspector General.
Durbin then asked Wray whether the FBI has learned to improve how it questions individuals – such as the USA Gymnastics athletes – for cases involving sexual abuse.
“For three hours [McKayla Maroney] is sitting on her bedroom floor, going through an interview, in which you could tell was by a person, whoever it was, was totally insensitive to this young woman’s tragic experience. What has the FBI learned from that?” Durbin asked.
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with leaders of Illinois environmental groups to discuss the state’s clean energy and infrastructure priorities. On the call, Durbin provided details on the passed budget resolution and suggested provisions in the upcoming reconciliation bill, including a Clean Electricity Payment Program (CEPP), which would pay utilities to produce more clean energy each year. Durbin and the environmental leaders went on to discuss the electric vehicle revolution taking place in Illinois and the proposed inclusion of the Clean Energy for America Act in the reconciliation bill to form the basis of clean energy tax provisions. Durbin also touched on his support for organized labor in the clean energy movement and formally protecting collective bargaining through the PRO Act.
“With Congress set to take up President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda in the coming months, we have a real opportunity to dedicate ourselves to instituting new forms of clean energy across industries,” said Durbin. “Illinois is fortunate to have engaged organizations leading the effort for a cleaner planet for future generations.”
Summary
Current Position: US Senator since 1997 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position(s): US Representative from 1983 – 1997
Featured Quote: This country needs a new Civilian Conservation Corps for the 21st century. We can put Americans to work, preserve our precious natural parks, and protect the environment—all at once. More about my plan with @RepBobbyRush
Featured Video: Sen. Dick Durbin’s closing remarks at Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court hearing
Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about the global significance of the United States’ participation in the U.N.’s 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) climate summit in Glasgow. In his remarks, Durbin praised President Biden for reaffirming the U.S.’ position as a global leader in the fight against climate change.
“This gathering is an opportunity for the United States and our allies to come together – for the first time in years- around a shared goal: taking bold steps to address the climate crisis. One of those steps is the “Build Back Better World Partnership.” It’s an initiative that will bring together the world’s major democracies to support sustainable development in low and middle-income countries…Fortunately, over the past two weeks, President Biden has shown the world that, if you want a partner in saving the planet – follow America’s lead, work together, across borders. And already, this strategy is working. Yesterday, a coalition of more than 40 countries – including the U.K., Poland, and Vietnam – announced that they will phase out coal power over the next two decades,” Durbin said.
Durbin also spoke in support of climate change provisions in the Build Back Better package that create economic prosperity and growth through the innovation of electric vehicles and renewable energy.
During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Dereliction of Duty: Examining the Inspector General’s Report on the FBI’s Handling of the Larry Nassar Investigation,” U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked FBI Director Christopher Wray to explain the FBI’s abdication of responsibility and failure to investigate the Nassar case.
“What strikes me here is there doesn’t ever seem to be a sense of urgency or immediacy in that Indianapolis Field Office,” Durbin said. “What am I missing here? This is like a child kidnapping case. This man is on the loose molesting children and it appears that [the case] is being lost in the paperwork of the agency.”
Wray answered by stating he shares Durbin’s bewilderment and outrage over the FBI’s failures and that it has been utterly jarring to him. Wray said what happened in the Nassar case is totally inconsistent with what FBI trains its people on and how hundreds of other agents approach these kinds of cases every day. Wray added that within the past week, the FBI fired a Supervisory Special Agent who attempted to cover up his mishandling of the Nassar allegations by doctoring paperwork and lying to the Inspector General.
Durbin then asked Wray whether the FBI has learned to improve how it questions individuals – such as the USA Gymnastics athletes – for cases involving sexual abuse.
“For three hours [McKayla Maroney] is sitting on her bedroom floor, going through an interview, in which you could tell was by a person, whoever it was, was totally insensitive to this young woman’s tragic experience. What has the FBI learned from that?” Durbin asked.
SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with leaders of Illinois environmental groups to discuss the state’s clean energy and infrastructure priorities. On the call, Durbin provided details on the passed budget resolution and suggested provisions in the upcoming reconciliation bill, including a Clean Electricity Payment Program (CEPP), which would pay utilities to produce more clean energy each year. Durbin and the environmental leaders went on to discuss the electric vehicle revolution taking place in Illinois and the proposed inclusion of the Clean Energy for America Act in the reconciliation bill to form the basis of clean energy tax provisions. Durbin also touched on his support for organized labor in the clean energy movement and formally protecting collective bargaining through the PRO Act.
“With Congress set to take up President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda in the coming months, we have a real opportunity to dedicate ourselves to instituting new forms of clean energy across industries,” said Durbin. “Illinois is fortunate to have engaged organizations leading the effort for a cleaner planet for future generations.”
Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Springfield, is the 47th U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois, the state’s senior senator, and the convener of Illinois’ bipartisan congressional delegation.
Durbin also serves as the Democratic Whip, the second highest ranking position among the Senate Democrats. Senator Durbin has been elected to this leadership post by his Democratic colleagues every two years since 2005.
Elected to the U.S. Senate on November 5, 1996, and re-elected in 2002, 2008, and 2014, Durbin fills the seat left vacant by the retirement of his long-time friend and mentor, U.S. Senator Paul Simon.
Durbin sits on the Senate Judiciary, Appropriations, Agriculture, and Rules Committees. He is the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and the Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee.
Senator Durbin makes approximately 50 round trips a year between Washington and Illinois. He is married to Loretta Schaefer Durbin. Their family consists of three children–Christine (deceased), Paul and Jennifer–as well as six grandchildren. They reside in Springfield.
Durbin was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, to an Irish-American father, William Durbin, and a Lithuanian-born mother, Anna (née Kutkin; Lithuanian: Ona Kutkaitė).[3] He graduated from Assumption High School in East St. Louis in 1962. During his high school years he worked at a meatpacking plant. He earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1966. Durbin interned in Senator Paul Douglas‘s office during his senior year in college, and worked on Douglas’s unsuccessful 1966 reelection campaign. Durbin adopted the nickname “Dick”, which he did not previously use, after Douglas mistakenly called him by that name.[4]
Durbin earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1969 and was admitted to the Illinois bar later that year. After graduating from law school, Durbin started a law practice in Springfield. He was legal counsel to Lieutenant GovernorPaul Simon from 1969 to 1972, and then legal counsel to the Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee from 1972 to 1982. Durbin was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the Illinois State Senate in 1976.[5] He ran for lieutenant governor in 1978 as the running mate of State Superintendent of Schools Michael Bakalis. They were defeated by Republican incumbents Jim Thompson and Dave O’Neal. Durbin then worked as an adjunct professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine for five years while maintaining his law practice.
U.S. House of Representatives
In 1982, Durbin won the Democratic nomination for the now-eliminated 20th congressional district, which included Macon and most of Springfield. He scored a 1,400-vote victory, defeating 22-year incumbent Paul Findley, a U.S. Navy veteran, whose district lines had been substantially redrawn to remove rural farms and add economically depressed Macon, replacing 35% of the voters[6][7] and including more Democrats as part of the decennialredistricting. Durbin’s campaign emphasized unemployment and financial difficulties facing farmers, and told voters that electing him would send “a message to Washington and to President Reagan that our economic policies are not working.” Durbin benefited from donations by pro-Israel groups, especially AIPAC,[8] that opposed Findley’s advocacy on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization[9] in the year before the election. Durbin was reelected six times, rarely facing serious opposition, and winning more than 55% of the vote in each election except 1994.[10][11][12]
In 1996, Durbin defeated Pat Quinn to become the Democratic nominee to replace the retiring incumbent, Senator Paul Simon, a longtime friend. He faced Republican State RepresentativeAl Salvi in the general election. Although the election had been expected to be competitive, Durbin benefited from Bill Clinton‘s 18-point win in Illinois that year and defeated Salvi by 15 points. He was reelected in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020, each time by at least 10 points.
In November 1998, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle appointed Durbin Assistant Democratic Whip. After the 2004 election, Durbin became the Democratic Whip in the 109th Congress. He became the first senator from Illinois to serve as a Senate Whip since Everett Dirksen in the late 1950s, and the fifth to serve in Senate leadership.[16] Durbin served as assistant minority leader from 2005 to 2007, when the Democrats became the majority party in the Senate. He then assumed the role of assistant majority leader, or majority whip.
In addition to his caucus duties, Durbin chairs the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.[17]
When Majority Leader Harry Reid faced a difficult reelection fight in 2010, some pundits predicted a possibly heated fight to succeed him between Durbin and Senator Chuck Schumer, who is well known for his fund-raising prowess.[20] Reid’s reelection rendered such speculation moot. In 2021, Durbin became Senate Majority Whip again for the 117th Congress, as well as becoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This is the first time that the whip of either party has served as chair of this committee.
Durbin is considered one of Congress’s most liberal members.[better source needed]Mother Jones has called him a “top Senate liberal.”[21] His voting record typically defers to the Democratic caucus position, consistent with his leadership position as Whip, which has the duty of persuading senators to follow the party line in their votes. Harry Reid called him “the best debater” in the U.S. Senate and his experience as a trial lawyer has earned him that reputation.[citation needed]
As a congressman, Durbin voted consistently to uphold existing restrictions on abortion or impose new limitations, including supporting a Constitutional amendment that would have nullified Roe v. Wade.[24] Beginning in his second Senate term, he reversed his position and has since voted to maintain access to abortion, including support for Medicaid funding of it, and opposed any limitation he considers a practical or potential encroachment upon Roe.[25] Durbin has maintained that this reversal came about due to personal reflection and his growing awareness of potentially harmful implications of his previous policy with respect to women facing dangerous pregnancies.[26] While visiting a home for abused children in Quincy, Illinois, the director, a friend, asked him to speak with two girls who were about to turn 18 and be turned out of state care. Talking with those girls, victims of gang rape and incest, made him reconsider his position on the subject. He says, “I still oppose abortion and would try my best to convince any woman in my family to carry the baby to term. But I believe that ultimately the decision must be made by the woman, her doctor, her family, and her conscience.”[27]
In September 2020, Durbin voted to confirm judges Stephen McGlynn and David W. Dugan, who have criticized Supreme Court rulings such as Roe, to lifetime appointments to the federal judiciary in Illinois.[28]
Child care
In 2019, Durbin and 34 other senators introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act. The bill was expected to create 770,000 new child care jobs and ensure families under 75% of the state median income would not pay for child care, with higher-earning families having to pay “their fair share for care on a sliding scale, regardless of the number of children they have.” The legislation also supported universal access to high-quality preschool programs for all three- and four-year-olds. Additionally, it would have changed child care compensation and training to aid both teachers and caregivers.[29] The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where it did not receive a hearing or vote.[30]
China
In April 2017, Durbin was one of eight Democratic senators to sign a letter to President Trump noting government-subsidized Chinese steel had been placed into the American market in recent years below cost and had hurt the domestic steel industry and the iron ore industry that fed it, calling on Trump to raise the steel issue with President of the People’s Republic of ChinaXi Jinping in his meeting with him.[31]
Criminal justice reform
In July 2017, Durbin, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris introduced the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, legislation implementing a ban on the shackling of pregnant women and mandating the Bureau of Prisons to form superior visitation policies for parents along with providing parenting classes and health products such as tampons and pads. The bill also restricted prison employees from entering restrooms of the opposite sex except in pressing circumstances.[32]
In December 2018, Durbin voted for the First Step Act, legislation aimed at reducing recidivism rates among federal prisoners by expanding job training and other programs in addition to expanding early-release programs and modifying sentencing laws such as mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, “to more equitably punish drug offenders.”[33]
Darfur
On March 2, 2005, then-Senator Jon Corzine presented the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (S. 495) to the Senate. Durbin was one of 40 senators to co-sponsor the bill. The bill asked all people involved in or deemed in some way responsible for the genocide in Darfur to be denied visas and entrance to the U.S.
In 2006, Durbin co-sponsored the Durbin-Leahy Amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations bill for emergency funding to instill peace in Darfur. In 2006, he also co-sponsored the Lieberman Resolution and the Clinton Amendment.
On June 7, 2007, Durbin introduced the , which was aimed “at enhancing the U.S. Government’s ability to impose penalties on violators of U.S. sanctions against Sudan.” The bill called for the U.N. Security Council to vote on sanctions against the Sudanese Government for the genocide in Darfur.
Durbin has voted for all Darfur-related legislation. In addition to the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, he also supported the , the Hybrid Force Resolution, and the .
In 2005, Durbin compared the U.S. treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to the atrocities committed by “Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime—Pol Pot or others—that had no concern for human beings.” Demands that he apologize were initially rebuffed,[35] but Durbin later apologized to the military for his remarks, which he said were “a very poor choice of words.”[36]
After the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Durbin was one of 24 senators to sign a letter to National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins espousing the view that it was critical the NIH “dedicate a portion of its resources to the public health consequences of gun violence” at a time when 93 Americans die per day from gun-related fatalities and noted that the Dickey Amendment did not prohibit objective, scientific inquiries into shooting death prevention.[41]
In January 2019, Durbin was one of 40 senators to introduce the , a bill that would require background checks for either the sale or transfer of all firearms including all unlicensed sellers. Exceptions to the bill’s background check requirement included transfers between members of law enforcement, loaning firearms for either hunting or sporting events temporarily, providing firearms as gifts to members of one’s immediate family, firearms transferred as part of an inheritance, or giving a firearm to another person temporarily for immediate self-defense.[42]
HIV/AIDS
In March 2007, Durbin introduced the of 2007 to the Senate. The bill was designed so that over three years, the U.S. would supply over $600 million to help create safer medical facilities and working conditions, and to recruit and train doctors from all over North America.
In December 2007, Durbin and two other senators co-sponsored Senator John Kerry‘s . In March 2007, he joined 32 other senators to co-sponsor the Early Treatment for HIV Act.
On September 29, 2002, Durbin held a news conference in Chicago to announce that “absent dramatic changes” in the resolution, he would vote against the resolution authorizing war on Iraq.[46] On October 2, at the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally in Federal Plaza, he repeated his promise to oppose the resolution in a letter read during the rally.[47]
On October 10, the U.S. Senate failed to pass Durbin’s amendment to the resolution to strike “the continuing threat posed by Iraq” and insert “an imminent threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction”, by a 30–70 vote, with most Democratic senators voting for the amendment and 21 joining all 49 Republican senators voting against it.[48] On October 11, Durbin was one of 23 senators to vote against the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War.[49]
On April 25, 2007, Durbin said that as an intelligence committee member he knew in 2002 from classified information that the Bush Administration was misleading the American people into a war on Iraq, but could not reveal this because, as an intelligence committee member, he was sworn to secrecy.[50] This revelation prompted an online attack ad against Durbin by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.[51]
Fair Sentencing Act
Durbin authored the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, legislation that corrected some of the imbalance in cocaine sentencing.[52]
Durbin is the chief proponent of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The bill would provide certain students who entered or were brought to the nation illegally with the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they arrived in the U.S. as children; graduated from a U.S. high school; have been in the country continuously for at least five years before the bill’s enactment; submit biometric data; pass a criminal background check; and complete two years toward a four-year degree from an accredited university or complete at least two years in the military within a five-year period. In 2013, the presented Durbin with the inaugural Nancy Pelosi Award for Immigration & Civil Rights Policy for his leadership on this issue.[53]
On January 28, 2013, Durbin was a member of a bipartisan group of eight senators, the Gang of Eight,[54] which announced principles for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).[55]
In April 2018, Durbin was one of five senators to send acting director of ICE Thomas Homan a letter about standards the agency used to determine how to detain a pregnant woman, requesting that pregnant women not be held in custody except in extraordinary circumstances after reports “that ICE has failed to provide critical medical care to pregnant women in immigration detention—resulting in miscarriages and other negative health outcomes”.[56]
In July 2018, Durbin said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen should resign over the Trump administration family separation policy. He argued it “is and was a cruel policy inconsistent with the bedrock values of the nation,” adding someone “in this administration has to accept responsibility.” , a DHS spokesman, replied on Twitter that “obstructionists in Congress should get to work”.[57]
In July 2019, after reports that the Trump administration intended to end protections of spouses, parents and children of active-duty service members from deportation, Durbin was one of 22 senators to sign a letter led by Tammy Duckworth arguing that the program allowed service members the ability “to fight for the United States overseas and not worry that their spouse, children, or parents will be deported while they are away” and that the program’s termination would cause personal hardship for service members in combat.[58]
In October 2019, Durbin blocked the passage of S.386, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act,[59] which aims to eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for all employment-based immigrants and to increase the per-country limitation for all family-sponsored immigrants from 7% to 15%.[60] He was one of the original co-sponsors of a similar bill, in the 112th Congress (2011–2012).[61] The only difference between the two versions is that S.1983 had the language “Includes nationals of Ireland coming to the United States under a treaty of commerce to perform specialty occupation services” in the nonimmigrant E-3 visa category.
The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, argued, “The per country limits caused the backlog to develop unevenly. They result in an inequity between the proportion of applicants from certain countries and the proportion of green cards that nationals of those countries receive. The Indian backlog means that they carry almost the entire burden of the green card shortage. While they wait in line, nationals of other countries get to cut to the front of the line. Going forward, new EB2/EB3 applicants from India in 2019 will face astronomical wait times. At the current pace, it will take 49 years to process the Indian backlog—if people stick it out that long—and nearly 50,000 Indians would die before then. During that entire half century, other immigrants would keep bypassing Indians with almost no wait at all.”[62]
Durbin argued that bill S.386 would prioritize people of Indian and Chinese origin, who have been in the green card backlog for years, at the expense of future immigrants from other countries. After blocking S.386, Durbin proposed his own bill, which would almost triple the number of employment-based green cards and eliminate country caps.[63]
Durbin agreed that his bill would not pass in the current administration and promised for a bipartisan agreement to pass S.386.[64]
“The point is, it cannot pass. Not with Trump in office”, said Aman Kapoor, the leader of Immigration Voice, an activist group. “Indians need a solution now”, Kapoor said. “Every day, you see someone in the backlog is dying. Or kids are aging out. People are very stressed out because of the backlog.” Proponents of S.386 argue the bill will be a fair first-in-first-out system in place of the current discriminatory system that has resulted in a decades-long backlog of high-skilled immigrants who have already applied for a green card.[65] They also argue that basing employment green card allotment on an immutable characteristic like national origin goes against the spirit of Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws national origin discrimination in employment, since national origin has no place in employment decisions. But opponents of the bill, mostly those who currently benefit from the birth-country reservation, argue that the discrimination argument is flawed, as getting a green card is not a protected right of any foreign worker. Opponents also argue that legislative proposals such as S.386 do not address the issue of too few employment-based green cards for an economy that has doubled in size since the law establishing their current statutory limits was passed in 1990. Opponents want to keep the per-country reservation in place in skilled immigration until visa numbers are increased.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a report stating that with the current immigration laws, the wait time for an Indian national of FY2020 would be 195 years, for a Chinese national 18 years, and for a national from any other country 0 years. Under amended S.386, the wait time for all applicants would be 37 years, regardless of their national origin by FY2030.[66] Increasing green card numbers, along with ending per-country limits on employment-based green cards would be an ideal solution.[67]
The immigrants in backlog frustrated by Durbin’s silence conducted several rallies, including a peaceful rally on July 4.[68] On August 31, 2020, he released his hold and agreed to pass the bill with unanimous consent. But Senator Rick Scott blocked the bill, seeking an 18,000 green-card reservation for people from certain countries.
Tobacco regulation
In 1987, Durbin introduced major tobacco regulation legislation in the House. The bill banned cigarette smoking on airline flights of two hours or less. Representative C. W. Bill Young joined him in saying that the rights of smokers to smoke ends where their smoking affects other people’s health and safety, such as on airplanes. The bill passed as part of the 1988 transportation spending bill. In 1989, Congress banned cigarette smoking on all domestic airline flights.[69]
In March 1994, Durbin proposed an amendment to the Improving America’s Schools Act that required schools receiving federal drug prevention money to teach elementary and secondary students about the dangers of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. The amendment also required schools to warn students about tobacco and teach them how to resist peer pressure to smoke.[70]
In February 2008, Durbin called on Congress to support a measure that would allow the Food and Drug Administration to oversee the tobacco industry. The measure would require companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products, restrict advertising and promotions, and mandate the removal of harmful ingredients from tobacco products. It would also prohibit tobacco companies from using terms like “low risk,” “light,” and “mild” on the packaging.
Durbin attributes his stance against tobacco smoking to his father, who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and died of lung cancer.
Russia
Durbin spearheaded a nonbinding resolution in July 2018 “warning President Trump not to let the Russian government question diplomats and other officials”. The resolution states the U.S. “should refuse to make available any current or former diplomat, civil servant, political appointee, law enforcement official or member of the Armed Forces of the United States for questioning by the government of Vladimir Putin“. It passed 98–0.[71]
In December 2018, after United States Secretary of StateMike Pompeo announced the Trump administration was suspending its obligations in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 60 days if Russia continued to violate the treaty, Durbin was one of 26 senators to sign a letter expressing concern over the administration “now abandoning generations of bipartisan U.S. leadership around the paired goals of reducing the global role and number of nuclear weapons and ensuring strategic stability with America’s nuclear-armed adversaries” and calling on Trump to continue arms negotiations.[72]
Freedom of expression
In 2007, speaking as Senate Majority Whip, Durbin said on record that “It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine.”[73]
In 2010, Durbin cosponsored and passed from committee the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, a bill to combat media piracy by blacklisting websites. Many opposed to the bill argue that it violates First Amendment rights and promotes censorship.[74][75] The announcement of the bill was followed by a wave of protest from digital rights activists, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, calling it censorship and stating that action could be taken against all users of sites on which only some users are uploading infringing material.[76]
On April 27, 2009, in an interview with WJJG talk radio host Ray Hanania, Durbin accused banks of creating the financial crisis of 2007–2010. Durbin expressed a belief that many of the banks responsible for creating the crisis “own the place”, referring to the power wielded by the banking lobby on Capitol Hill.[78]
On September 18, 2008, Durbin attended a closed meeting with congressional leaders, then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, and was urged to craft legislation to help financially troubled banks. That same day (trade effective the next day), Durbin sold mutual fund shares worth $42,696 and reinvested it all with Warren Buffett.[79]
On February 26, 2009, Durbin introduced the of 2009, calling for a maximum annual interest rate cap of 36%, including all interest and fees.[80] The bill was intended to put an end to predatory lending activities.
Rod Blagojevich
Shortly after Governor Rod Blagojevich‘s arrest on federal corruption charges on December 9, 2008, Durbin called for the Illinois legislature to quickly pass legislation for a special election to fill then-President-elect Barack Obama‘s vacant Senate seat.[81] He stated that no United States Senate appointment of Blagojevich’s could produce a credible replacement.[82]
Durbin and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led all 50 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in writing Blagojevich to urge him to resign and not name a successor to Obama following Blagojevich’s arrest.[83]
Trade
In January 2005, Durbin changed his longstanding position on sugar tariffs and price supports. After several years of voting to keep sugar quotas and price supports, he now favors abolishing the program. “The sugar program depended on congressmen like me from states that grew corn”, Durbin said, referring to the fact that, though they were formerly a single entity, the sugar market and the corn syrup market are now largely separate.[84]
In May 2006, Durbin campaigned to maintain a $0.54 per gallon tariff on imported ethanol. He justified the tariff by joining Barack Obama in stating that “ethanol imports are neither necessary nor a practical response to current gasoline prices”, arguing instead that domestic ethanol production is sufficient and expanding.[85] The gave him a rating of 100%.[citation needed]
American Airlines praised Durbin for arguing for the need to lower rising oil prices.[86]
Durbin has also been a major proponent of expanded Amtrak funding and support. In October 2007, he opposed a bill in the Illinois General Assembly that would allow three casinos to be built, saying, “I really, really think we ought to stop and catch our breath and say, ‘Is this the future of Illinois? That every time we want to do something we’ll just build more casinos?’”[87]
Durbin reintroduced the Fair Elections Now Act during the 112th Congress. The bill would provide public funds to candidates who do not take political donations larger than $100 from any donor.[88]
In April 2013, Durbin chaired a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights about the moral, legal and constitutional issues surrounding targeted killings and the use of drones. Durbin said, “Many in the national security community are concerned that we may undermine our counterterrorism efforts if we do not carefully measure the benefits and costs of targeted killing.”[89]
In August 2013, Durbin was one of 23 Democratic senators to sign a letter to the Defense Department warning of some payday lenders “offering predatory loan products to service members at exorbitant triple-digit effective interest rates and loan products that do not include the additional protections envisioned by the law” and asserting that service members and their families “deserve the strongest possible protections and swift action to ensure that all forms of credit offered to members of our armed forces are safe and sound.”[90]
In March 2018, Durbin was one of 10 senators to sign a letter spearheaded by Jeff Merkley lambasting a proposal by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai that would curb the scope of benefits from the Lifeline program during a period when roughly 6.5 million people in poor communities relied on Lifeline to receive access to high-speed internet, arguing that it was Pai’s “obligation to the American public, as the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, to improve the Lifeline program and ensure that more Americans can afford access, and have means of access, to broadband and phone service.” The senators also advocated insuring that “Lifeline reaches more Americans in need of access to communication services.”[91]
In March 2019, Durbin was one of 10 Democratic senators to sign a letter to Salman of Saudi Arabia requesting the release of human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair and writer Raif Badawi, women’s rights activists Loujain al-Hathloul and Samar Badawi, and Dr. Walid Fitaih. The senators wrote, “Not only have reputable international organizations detailed the arbitrary detention of peaceful activists and dissidents without trial for long periods, but the systematic discrimination against women, religious minorities and mistreatment of migrant workers and others has also been well-documented.”[92]
In April 2019, Durbin was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to Trump encouraging him “to listen to members of your own Administration and reverse a decision that will damage our national security and aggravate conditions inside Central America”, asserting that Trump had “consistently expressed a flawed understanding of U.S. foreign assistance” since becoming president and that he was “personally undermining efforts to promote U.S. national security and economic prosperity” by preventing the use of Fiscal Year 2018 national security funding. The senators argued that foreign assistance to Central American countries created less migration to the U.S. by helping to improve conditions in those countries.[93]
In April 2019, Durbin was one of six senators to send CFPB director Kathy Kraninger a letter expressing concern that “CFPB leadership has abandoned its supervision and enforcement activities related to federal student loan servicers” and opining that such behavior displayed “a shocking disregard for the financial well-being of our nation’s public servants, including teachers, first responders, and members of the military.” The senators requested that Kraninger clarify the CFPB’s role in overseeing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness’s student loan servicers handling since December 2017, such as examinations.[94]
In April 2019, Durbin was one of 41 senators to sign a bipartisan letter to the housing subcommittee praising the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 4 Capacity Building program as authorizing “HUD to partner with national nonprofit community development organizations to provide education, training, and financial support to local community development corporations (CDCs) across the country” and expressing disappointment that Trump’s budget “has slated this program for elimination after decades of successful economic and community development.” The senators wrote of their hope that the subcommittee would support continued funding for Section 4 in Fiscal Year 2020.[95]
In June 2019, Durbin was one of 15 senators to introduce the , legislation intended to promote transparency by mandating that pharmaceutical companies disclose the amount of money going toward research and development in addition to both marketing and executives’ salaries. The bill also abolished the restriction that stopped the federal Medicare program from using its buying power to negotiate lower drug prices for beneficiaries and hinder drug company monopoly practices used to keep prices high and disable less expensive generics entering the market.[96]
In August 2019, Durbin, three other Senate Democrats, and Bernie Sanders signed a letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless in response to Novartis falsifying data as part of an attempt to gain the FDA’s approval for its new gene therapy Zolgensma, writing that it was “unconscionable that a drug company would provide manipulated data to federal regulators in order to rush its product to market, reap federal perks, and charge the highest amount in American history for its medication.”[97]
When you read some of the graphic descriptions of what has occurred here – I almost hesitate to put them in the record, and yet they have to be added to this debate. Let me read to you what one FBI agent saw. And I quote from his report:
On a couple of occasions, I entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food or water. Most times they urinated or defecated on themselves, and had been left there for 18–24 hours or more. On one occasion, the air conditioning had been turned down so far and the temperature was so cold in the room, that the barefooted detainee was shaking with cold…. On another occasion, the [air conditioner] had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room well over 100 degrees. The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.
If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime – Pol Pot or others – that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.[100]
Durbin’s comments drew widespread criticism that comparing U.S. actions to such regimes insulted the United States and victims of genocide. Radio host Rush Limbaugh and White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove accused him of treason,[101] while former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called on the Senate to censure him.[102] Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, whose son Patrick was serving in U.S. Army, also called on Durbin to apologize for his remarks, saying that he thought it was a “disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military would act like that.”[103] John Wertheim, Democratic state party chairman of New Mexico, and Jim Pederson, Arizona Democratic party chairman, also criticized Durbin’s remarks.[104] The leader of the Veterans of Foreign Wars also demanded an apology,[105] as did the Anti-Defamation League[103]
Durbin initially did not apologize, but on June 21, 2005, he went before the Senate, saying, “More than most people, a senator lives by his words … occasionally words fail us, occasionally we will fail words.”[106]
In July 2014, Americas PAC, a Political Action Committee designed to elect conservative Republicans, released a radio advertisement attacking Durbin’s staff salaries.[110] This was based on a Washington Times article that stated Durbin’s female staff members made $11,000 less annually than his male staffers.[111] In response, lawyers representing Durbin submitted a letter claiming the information in the ad was false and that the radio stations would be liable for airing the ad, with the possibility of losing their FCC license.[112] The radio station stated the sources provided to back up the information provided by Americas PAC were checked and verified and that they would keep the ad on air.[113]
Durbin and his wife Loretta have had three children, Christine, Jennifer and Paul. After several weeks in the hospital with complications due to a congenital heart condition, Christine died on November 1, 2008, at age 40.[130]
As of 2017, according to OpenSecrets.org, Durbin’s net worth was more than $1.9 million.[131]
Conflict of interest issues
Durbin’s wife was a lobbyist, and it was reported by the Chicago Tribune in 2014 that some of her “clients have received federal funding promoted by [Durbin]”.[132] In addition to announcing the award of monies to ten clients of his wife’s lobbying firm, these conflicts included her lobbying firm receiving a one-year contract with a housing nonprofit group around the time Durbin went to bat for the organization; a state university receiving funds through an earmark by Durbin when his wife was its lobbyist; and Durbin arranging federal money for a public health nonprofit when his wife was seeking state support for the same group.[132][36] The Durbins maintain that they try to avoid conflicts of interest.[132]
Religion
Durbin is Roman Catholic. In 2004, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois barred him from receiving communion because he voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. The current bishop of the diocese said Durbin stays away from his Springfield parish because “he doesn’t want to make a scene”.[133] Durbin responded to the communion ban in 2004 that he is accountable to his constituents, even if it means defying Church teachings.[134] In 2018, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki affirmed the decision to deny Durbin communion in the Springfield Diocese after Durbin’s vote against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
In 2017, Durbin was criticized for requesting a clarification from then Court of Appeals nominee Amy Coney Barrett during her Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing about her self-descriptive terminology “orthodox Catholic.” He contended that might unfairly characterize Catholics who may not agree with the church’s positions about abortion or the death penalty. She contended, “litigants and the general public are entitled to impartial justice, and that may be something that a judge who is heedful of ecclesiastical pronouncements cannot dispense.” Barrett opined that judges aren’t bound by precedent conflicting with the Constitution.[135] She wrote that judges could recuse themselves from hearing matters if their faith conflicted with issues to be decided in cases they might otherwise hear.[136] An article in the National Review contended, “Senators must inquire about these issues when considering lifetime appointments because ensuring impartiality and fidelity to precedent are critical for the rule of law.”[135][137] The issue prompted questions regarding the application of Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution, which mandates: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”[138]
^Dorner, Sydney (July 4, 2020). “Illinois Immigrants March for Reform”. newchannel20.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — On a day where most people are celebrating the country’s Independence, many immigrants here in Springfield are asking for citizenship. Immigrants organized a Freedom March on Saturday with the key goal of getting Senator Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, to help pass a bill that would make receiving employment-based green cards a first-come first-served system.
^“Durbin Invests With Buffett After Funds Sale Amid Market Plunge” June 13, 2008,“Archived copy”. Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link). Retrieved September 14, 2008.
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE Senator Durbin is the first Illinois Senator in more than a quarter century to serve on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, a position that allows him to advocate for federal priorities important to Illinois. In his service with the committee, he has helped secure funding for everything from veterans care and schools to highways and health care clinics. In 2013 and 2014, Senator Durbin served as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense, and today is the Subcommittee’s Ranking Democrat. The Defense Appropriations Subcommittee controls nearly half of the nation’s annual discretionary budget and is important for Illinois, home to Naval Station Great Lakes, the Rock Island Arsenal, and Scott Air Force Base. RULES AND ADMINISTRATION Serving on the Rules Committee since 2007, Senator Durbin has worked to increase access to voting and improve the election process, including through efforts to strengthen our election security in the aftermath of the Russian government’s attacks on our election system in 2016. Senator Durbin has also supported efforts to improve and strengthen Congressional transparency and ethics standards, as well as the policies and procedures available to victims of harassment and discrimination in Congress. JUDICIARY Senator Durbin first served on the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1997. Senator Durbin became the founding Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, the first standing body of the Senate focused on human rights, in 2007. In January 2011, the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction expanded to include constitutional and civil rights issues and was renamed the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights. As Chairman, Senator Durbin convened hearings and worked with colleagues to modernize human rights law, examine human rights abuses in our criminal justice system, and the role of American technology companies in promoting global internet freedom. In 2015, Senator Durbin served as the Ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee. In 2017, Senator Durbin became the top Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, and remains in that position today. AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY Senator Durbin joined the Committee on Agriculture, Rules, and Forestry this year for the 116th Congress. The Committee’s work centers on helping to establish, guide, and examine agricultural policies in the United States. This includes maintaining a strong safety-net for family farms, trade, food safety, nutrition, and conservation. Illinois is one of the top agriculture states in the nation, and Senator Durbin pushes for Illinois agricultural priorities that strengthen the economy and rural communities across the state.
Senator Durbin is currently the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he has served as a member for more than 20 years. As Chair, Durbin leads this historic Committee as they consider immigration and criminal justice reform, work to combat hate crimes and domestic terrorism, oversee the nominations process for our nation’s federal courts up to and including the Supreme Court, and more.
During his tenure on the Committee, Durbin has led efforts to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, increase transparency in federal courts, conduct Department of Justice oversight, reduce gun violence, reform bankruptcy laws to help students and workers, and protect intellectual property. Read more about Durbin’s work as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee here.
Senator Durbin is the first Illinois Senator in more than a quarter century to serve on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, a position that allows him to advocate for federal priorities important to Illinois. In his service with the committee, he has helped secure funding for everything from veterans care and schools to highways and healthcare clinics. In 2013 and 2014, Senator Durbin served as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense, and today is the Subcommittee’s Ranking Democrat. The Defense Appropriations Subcommittee controls nearly half of the nation’s annual discretionary budget and is important for Illinois, home to Naval Station Great Lakes, the Rock Island Arsenal,and Scott Air Force Base.
Senator Durbin joined the Committee on Agriculture, Rules, and Forestry this year for the 116thCongress. The Committee’s work centers on helping to establish, guide, and examine agricultural policies in the United States. This includes maintaining a strong safety-net for family farms, trade, food safety, nutrition, and conservation. Illinois is one of the top agriculture states in the nation, and Senator Durbin pushes for Illinois agricultural priorities that strengthen the economy and rural communities across the state.
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have been actively working to make our communities safer and promote justice both in Illinois and across the nation. Addressing these issues takes a comprehensive approach. We need to provide better options for young people who are at risk of becoming involved in gangs or other criminal activities. We need to ensure that our criminal justice laws are not just firm, but fair. And we need to protect the civil and human rights of all Americans.
To promote long-term economic growth and create jobs for the 21st century, America must invest now in our physical, human, and intellectual capital. We must out-build, out-educate, and out-innovate our international competitors so that our companies can produce the best products and hire the best people. This is why Senator Durbin supports investments in national labs and world-class universities in Illinois, Illinois’ infrastructure, youth workforce development, and retraining Illinois’ workers for jobs of the future.
Education is the key to future individual success and a strong economy. We must work to expand educational opportunities for all students in Illinois and throughout the nation. The future of our country depends on the education we provide to our children today.
Access to a quality education—from pre-Kindergarten through higher education—should not be a luxury only for the wealthy. The cost of higher education has increased dramatically in recent decades, and student debt has tripled over the last decade. This debt often destroys personal financial security and threatens national economic growth as young people put off buying cars and homes, starting families and businesses, and saving for retirement.
I am working to ensure that all students, regardless of their economic status, receive a quality college education that will help them get ahead without saddling them with a mountain of debt. I have fought for legislation to maintain affordable federal student loan rates; increase access to free and open textbooks; investigate the deceptive practices of many for-profit colleges; and encourage our best and brightest students to choose a profession in public service. I will continue to focus on making a quality education accessible and affordable to all.
Illinois has an abundance of resources including coal, agriculture, prairie, lakes, and rivers. These resources keep our economy moving. They give water to sustain us, provide recreation, and tell the story of our history. While abundant, these resources are not unlimited. Fortunately, Illinois is also home to cutting-edge technology to efficiently use and preserve these resources. From clean coal technology to biofuels to our national laboratories at Argonne and Fermi, our world-class research is paving a path for sustainability for the entire nation. Clean, renewable energy supports jobs for Illinoisans in a growing industry.
We depend on clean water and a vibrant ecosystem for our health, recreation, and economy. The Great Lakes are the largest fresh water supply in the nation, containing about 20 percent of all the fresh water in the world. The Lakes serve as the source of drinking water for nearly 40 million people throughout the region and support a wide range of recreational and commercial pursuits. I am committed to preserving wilderness areas in Illinois and across the country for future generations to enjoy.
The security of health care should not be a privilege for a fortunate few, but a right for every American. The health and wellness of the American people reflects the health of our nation, both physically and financially.
The cost of healthcare has gone up more quickly than inflation, making it difficult for families and businesses to keep up. The Affordable Care Act is curbing the growth of health care costs, giving patients more control over their care, and providing coverage to millions of Americans who otherwise would not have access to health care. I am committed to continue improving the health of our country now.
If we are serious about improving the economy, we must control health care costs and promote a healthy, productive populace. The best way to do that is to reverse the staggering growth of chronic diseases and invest in public health prevention that keep people healthy in the first place. In the 20th century, we made tremendous strides improving infant and maternal mortality rates, reducing smoking, ensuring the safety and health of our food supply chain, and immunizing more infants. I have helped lead many of these improvements and will continue to support public health and health care, which not only save millions of lives but secures our nation’s health and stability.
As the proud son of an immigrant, Senator Durbin believes that immigration makes America great. Senator Durbin serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration.
A strong national economy depends on a dependable transportation infrastructure, and Illinois operates as the nation’s transportation hub. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport consistently ranks as one of the world’s busiest airports. Illinois’ rivers and Lake Michigan are the backbone of our inland waterway network. All of the nation’s freight rail lines converge in Illinois. The state’s highway system serves as the crossroads of America. And Illinois is home to the second largest mass transit system in the country. To maintain the state’s status as the nation’s transportation epicenter, Senator Durbin is working to bring vital federal funding home to Illinois and to make sure federal transportation policy provides Illinois with the support it needs to maintain, expand, and modernize Illinois’ transportation network.
As a leader of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I work every day to ensure that our men and women in uniform are the best trained, best equipped force in the world and that their families receive the support and recognition they deserve. The needs of all our servicemembers – active duty and reserve, in theatre, or here at home – are our first concern.
Thousands of Illinois’s finest serve in the military today. Illinois’ 13,000 National Guard men and women and the tens of thousands of active duty, reservists, and civilian personnel serving at Naval Station Great Lakes, Rock Island Arsenal and Scott Air Force Base defend our nation every day from domestic emergencies and foreign threats. I have worked to secure critical support and resources over multiple years for military missions in or near Illinois, supporting thousands of jobs.
In addition to advocating for our troops, I support those who have served in uniform. Veterans – 750,000 of whom live in Illinois – deserve our deepest gratitude and unqualified support. We, as a nation, have promised veterans that in exchange for their service they will have access to certain benefits and care. These men and women answered the nation’s call to serve, but doing so put strain on them, their families, and their finances. It is our duty in Congress to ease this burden as much as possible and deliver on our promise.
Rural and Agriculture
As one of the top agriculture states in the nation, Illinois and its farmers have an important role to play in many elements of American life from the economy to the environment. Corn is Illinois’ leading crop, followed closely by soybeans. Livestock, dairy and poultry also contribute to farming’s $9 billion in economic impact each year. Illinois also enjoys a strong market in farm machinery manufacturing and biofuels production. To help maintain the agricultural strength of our state and our nation, I have supported tax fairness for farmers, improvements in crop insurance, expanded use of clean-burning and environmentally safe biofuels, increased support for local food production, and increased trade opportunities for agricultural commodities. I have advanced initiatives to strengthen this crucial sector of our economy because boosting the vitality of our nation’s rural regions boosts the vitality of our nation as a whole.
Foreign Policy
Our nation’s foreign policies should advance security and prosperity while promoting American values of freedom, democracy, tolerance, compassion, trade, and the rule of law. The United States has many important diplomatic and security interests around the world and Senator Durbin believes the United States must remain a leader and active participant on the international stage with our allies, NATO partners, and others.
The United States has strong economic interests and relationships around the world, with many Illinois jobs directly linked to exports. Senator Durbin has led efforts to encourage economic growth and opportunities for American exports in emerging markets around the world.
Additionally, U.S. foreign policy extends beyond diplomatic and military initiatives to include humanitarian and development assistance aimed at saving lives and building more stable nations. Senator Durbin has championed U.S. assistance that helps provide clean water and access to sanitation to the world’s most poor as well as to reduce rates of HIV/AIDS and malaria—both as an expression of American values and to strengthen America’s standing abroad. Senator Durbin has also been an active advocate for humanitarian assistance in areas of conflict and for refugees fleeing violence or repression. He has supported programs and funding to help children in need and to increase access to education, as well as to protect young girls forced to marry at a young age or young boys forced to become child soldiers. Senator Durbin has also been a champion of global human rights standards, and as such, regularly advocates for the release of political prisoners around the world.
At times, international crises demand additional U.S. attention, including the potential use of our military. In those situations in which U.S. military action may be warranted, Senator Durbin has exercised the utmost deliberation for this most critical decision that requires Congressional authorization.
Current Position: US Senator since 2017 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position(s): Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2009 – 2011
Other Positions: Chair, U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee – Airland Subcommittee Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works – Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife,
Featured Quote: As many of us have come to know, the road to parenthood isn’t always easy. Today, @RepPressley and I are introducing the Support Through Loss Act to support families across the nation who are suffering through the unimaginable.
Featured Video: Tammy Duckworth on a “more perfect union”
Evacuating the Capitol on January 6 was no easy task, but for Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who uses a wheelchair to get around, it would have been almost impossible.
Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, was heading through the tunnels to the Senate to give a speech when a Capitol police officer told her the violent mob had breached one of the doors. As a veteran who lost her legs in a crash when her helicopter came under fire in Iraq in 2004, she had a split-second decision to make.
“Do I go and still be with the other senators? Or try to secure myself and hope that I can stay someplace secure until they can come get me?” she recalled to Insider as part of an oral history of January 6 with interviews from 34 lawmakers, staffers, journalists, and police.
Duckworth has served in Congress since 2013, first in the House before ascending to the Senate in 2017. Meaning she’d had eight years of experience with the US Capitol’s shortcomings when it came to allowing people with disabilities to navigate the complex.
Current Position: US Senator since 2017 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position(s): Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2009 – 2011
Other Positions: Chair, U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee – Airland Subcommittee Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works – Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife,
Featured Quote: As many of us have come to know, the road to parenthood isn’t always easy. Today, @RepPressley and I are introducing the Support Through Loss Act to support families across the nation who are suffering through the unimaginable.
Featured Video: Tammy Duckworth on a “more perfect union”
Evacuating the Capitol on January 6 was no easy task, but for Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who uses a wheelchair to get around, it would have been almost impossible.
Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, was heading through the tunnels to the Senate to give a speech when a Capitol police officer told her the violent mob had breached one of the doors. As a veteran who lost her legs in a crash when her helicopter came under fire in Iraq in 2004, she had a split-second decision to make.
“Do I go and still be with the other senators? Or try to secure myself and hope that I can stay someplace secure until they can come get me?” she recalled to Insider as part of an oral history of January 6 with interviews from 34 lawmakers, staffers, journalists, and police.
Duckworth has served in Congress since 2013, first in the House before ascending to the Senate in 2017. Meaning she’d had eight years of experience with the US Capitol’s shortcomings when it came to allowing people with disabilities to navigate the complex.
Senator Tammy 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.
In 2004, Duckworth was deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the Illinois Army National Guard. On November 12, 2004, her helicopter was hit by an RPG and she lost her legs and partial use of her right arm. Senator Duckworth spent the next year recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she quickly became an advocate for her fellow Soldiers. After she recovered, she became Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, where she helped create a tax credit for employers that hire Veterans, established a first-in-the-nation 24/7 Veterans crisis hotline and developed innovative programs to improve Veterans’ access to housing and health care.
In 2009, President Obama appointed Duckworth as an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs, where she coordinated a joint initiative with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help end Veteran homelessness, worked to address the unique challenges faced by female as well as Native American Veterans and created the Office of Online Communications to improve the VA’s accessibility, especially among young Veterans.
In the U.S. House, Duckworth served on the Armed Services Committee and was an advocate for working families and job creation, introducing bills like her bipartisan Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act to ensure new mothers have access to safe, clean and accessible lactation rooms when traveling through airports, which is now law. She helped lead passage of the bipartisan Clay Hunt SAV Act, which enhanced efforts to track and reduce Veteran suicides. She also passed the Troop Talent Act to help returning Veterans find jobs in the private sector and worked to cut waste and fraud at the Pentagon and throughout government, including passing a common-sense provision that was projected to save taxpayers $4 billion by reducing redundancy in military uniforms.
In the U.S. Senate, Duckworth advocates for practical, common-sense solutions needed to move our state and country forward like rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, protecting Illinoisans from lead poisoning, growing manufacturing jobs while supporting minority-owned small businesses, investing in communities that have been ignored for too long and making college more affordable for all Americans. She co-founded the Senate’s first-ever Environmental Justice Caucus and also continues her lifelong mission of supporting, protecting and keeping the promises we’ve made to our Veterans as well as ensuring that we stand fully behind the troops our nation sends into danger overseas. In 2018, after Duckworth became the first Senator to give birth while serving in office, she sent a message to working families across the country about the value of family-friendly policies by securing a historic rules change that allows Senators to bring their infant children onto the Senate floor.
As Senator, she advocates for practical, common-sense solutions needed to move our country and our state forward Senator Duckworth serves on several influential committees that give her an important platform to advocate for Illinois’s working families and entrepreneurs: the Armed Services Committee; the Environment & Public Works Committee; the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee; and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee. The first Senate bill she introduced—which supports Illinois jobs by helping prevent bureaucratic delays in infrastructure projects—became law in record time. As a result of her achievements, Duckworth has been recognized by the Center for Effective lawmaking as among the top five most effective Democratic Senators overall and the most effective on transportation issues in the 116th Congress. She was also recognized as the most effective freshman Democratic Senator in the 115th Congress.
Duckworth is fluent in Thai and Indonesian. She attended college at the University of Hawaii and earned a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University. Following graduation, Duckworth moved to Illinois and began pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science at Northern Illinois University and later worked for Rotary International. To this day, the Senator volunteers at local food pantries and participates in community service projects in her free time.
Senator Duckworth and her husband Bryan are the proud parents of two daughters, Abigail and Maile.
Duckworth ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2006, then served as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and as assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011. In 2012, Duckworth was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served two terms. Duckworth was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, defeating Republican incumbent Mark Kirk.[4] She is the first Thai American woman elected to Congress, the first person born in Thailand elected to Congress, the first woman with a disability elected to Congress, the first female double amputee in the Senate, and the first senator to give birth while in office. Duckworth is the second of three Asian American women to serve in the U.S. Senate, after Mazie Hirono, and before Kamala Harris.
Early life and education
Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, the daughter of Franklin Duckworth and Lamai Sompornpairin.[5] Under long-standing US law, she is a natural-born citizen because her father was American.[6][7] Her father, who died in 2005,[8] was a veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps[9] who traced his family’s American roots to the American Revolutionary War.[10] Her mother is Thai Chinese[11] and originally from Chiang Mai.[12] Her father worked with the United Nations and international companies in refugee, housing, and development programs,[13] and the family moved around Southeast Asia. Duckworth became fluent in Thai and Indonesian, in addition to English.[14]
Duckworth was working toward a Ph.D. in political science at Northern Illinois University, with research interests in the political economy and public health of southeast Asia, when she was deployed to Iraq in 2004.[28] She lost her right leg near the hip and her left leg below the knee[31] from injuries sustained on November 12, 2004, when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents.[32] She was the first American female double amputee from the Iraq War.[3] The explosion severely broke her right arm and tore tissue from it, necessitating major surgery to repair it. Duckworth received a Purple Heart[32] on December 3 and was promoted to Major on December 21 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center,[33] where she was presented with an Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal.[32] She retired from the Illinois Army National Guard in October 2014 as a lieutenant colonel.[34]
Duckworth being sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, by Judge John J. Farley with her husband Bryan Bowlsbey beside her
On November 21, 2006, several weeks after losing her first congressional campaign, Duckworth was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs by Governor Rod Blagojevich.[36][37] She served in that position until February 8, 2009. While director, she was credited with starting a program to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and veterans with brain injuries.[38]
On September 17, 2008, Duckworth attended a campaign event for Dan Seals, the Democratic candidate for Illinois’s 10th congressional district. She used vacation time, but violated Illinois law by going to the event in a state-owned van that was equipped for a person with physical disabilities. She acknowledged the mistake and repaid the state for the use of the van.[39]
In 2009, two Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs employees at the Anna Veterans’ Home in Union County filed a lawsuit against Duckworth.[40] The lawsuit alleged that she wrongfully terminated one employee and threatened and intimidated another for bringing reports of abuse and misconduct of veterans when she was head of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.[41] Duckworth was represented in the suit by the Illinois Attorney General’s office.[42] The case was dismissed twice but refilings were allowed.[43][44] The case settled in June 2016 for $26,000 with no admission of wrongdoing.[43] The plaintiffs later indicated they no longer wanted to settle, but the judge gave them 21 days to sign the settlement and canceled the trial.[45][46]
On February 3, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Duckworth to be the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).[47] and the United States Senate confirmed her for the position on April 22.[48] As Assistant Secretary, she coordinated a joint initiative with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help end Veteran homelessness, worked to address the unique challenges faced by female as well as Native American Veterans and created the Office of Online Communications to improve the VA’s accessibility, especially among young Veterans.[49] Duckworth resigned her position in June 2011 in order to launch her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Illinois’s 8th congressional district.[50]
After longtime incumbent Republican Henry Hyde announced his retirement from Congress, several candidates began campaigning for the open seat. Duckworth won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 44%, defeating 2004 nominee Christine Cegelis with 40%, and Wheaton College professor Lindy Scott with 16%. State SenatorPeter Roskam was unopposed in the Republican primary. For the general election, Duckworth was endorsed by EMILY’s List, a political action committee that supports female Democratic candidates who back abortion rights.[51] Duckworth was also endorsed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Fraternal Order of Police.[52][53] While she raised $4.5 million to Roskam’s $3.44 million, Duckworth lost by 4,810 votes, receiving 49% to Roskam’s 51%.[54]
Duckworth as a U.S. representative during the 113th congress
In July 2011, Duckworth launched her campaign to run in 2012 for Illinois’s 8th congressional district. She defeated former Deputy Treasurer of IllinoisRaja Krishnamoorthi for the Democratic nomination on March 20, 2012, then faced incumbent Republican Joe Walsh in the general election.[55] Duckworth received the endorsement of both the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald.[56][57] Walsh generated controversy when in July 2012, at a campaign event, he accused Duckworth of politicizing her military service and injuries, saying “my God, that’s all she talks about. Our true heroes, the men and women who served us, it’s the last thing in the world they talk about.” Walsh called the controversy over his comments “a political ploy to distort my words and distract voters” and said that “Of course Tammy Duckworth is a hero … I have called her a hero hundreds of times.”[58]
On November 6, 2012, Duckworth defeated Walsh 55%–45%,[59] making her the first Asian-American from Illinois in Congress,[60] the first woman with a disability elected to Congress,[61] and the first member of Congress born in Thailand.[62]
In the 2014 general election, Duckworth faced Republican Larry Kaifesh, a United States Marine Corps officer who had recently left active duty as a colonel.[63] Duckworth defeated Kaifesh with 56% of the vote.[64]
Tenure
Duckworth was sworn into office on January 3, 2013.[65]
On April 3, 2013, Duckworth publicly returned 8.4% ($1,218) of her congressional salary for that month to the United States Department of Treasury in solidarity with furloughed government workers.[66]
On June 26, 2013, during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Duckworth received national media attention after questioning Strong Castle CEO Braulio Castillo on a $500 million government contract the company had been awarded based on Castillo’s disabled veteran status.[67][68] Castillo had injured his ankle at the US Military Academy’s prep school, USMAPS, in 1984.[69]
On March 30, 2015, Duckworth announced that she would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk for his seat in the 2016 Senate election in Illinois.[70] Duckworth defeated fellow Democrats Andrea Zopp and Napoleon Harris in the primary election on March 15, 2016.[71]
During a televised debate on October 27, 2016, Duckworth talked about her ancestors’ past service in the United States military. Kirk responded, “I’d forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington.” The comment led to the Human Rights Campaign withdrawing their endorsement of Kirk and switching it to Duckworth, stating his comments were “deeply offensive and racist.”[72][73]
Duckworth was endorsed by Barack Obama, who actively campaigned for her.[74]
On November 8, Duckworth defeated Kirk 55 percent to 40 percent to win the Senate seat.[75] Duckworth and Kamala Harris, who was also elected in 2016, are the second and third female Asian American senators, after Mazie Hirono who was elected in 2012.[4]
Duckworth has announced her candidacy for reelection in 2022.[76]
Tenure
Senate Diversity Initiative in support of diversity in the Senate and its staff, June 21, 2017
2010s
According to The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), a joint partnership between the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and Vanderbilt University,[77] Duckworth’s “Legislative Effectiveness Score” (LES) is “Exceeds Expectations” as a freshman senator in the 115th Congress (2017–2018), the 11th highest out of 48 Democratic senators.[78]
GovTrack’s Report Card on Duckworth for the 115th Congress found that among Senate freshmen, she ranked first in favorably reporting bills out of committee and “Got influential cosponsors the most often compared to Senate freshmen.”[79] GovTrack also found that in the first session of the 116th Congress, Duckworth ranked first in favorably reporting bills out of committee and “Got influential cosponsors the most often compared to Senate sophomores.”[80]
During the 115th Congress, Duckworth was credited with saving the Americans with Disabilities Act.[81] Specifically, she led public opposition to a controversial bill, H.R. 620,[82] and led 42 senators in pledging to oppose any effort to pass H.R. 620 through the Senate.[83] The Veterans Service Organization and Paralyzed Veterans of America recognized Duckworth’s leadership in defending the Americans with Disabilities Act.[84]
In January 2018, when the federal government shut down after the Senate could not agree on a funding bill, Duckworth responded to President Trump’s accusations that the Democrats were putting “unlawful immigrants” ahead of the military:
I spent my entire adult life looking out for the well-being, the training, the equipping of the troops for whom I was responsible. Sadly, this is something that the current occupant of the Oval Office does not seem to care to do—and I will not be lectured about what our military needs by a five-deferment draft dodger. And I have a message for Cadet Bone Spurs: If you cared about our military, you’d stop baiting Kim Jong Un into a war that could put 85,000 American troops, and millions of innocent civilians, in danger.[85]
Stop Kavanaugh press conference on September 6, 2018
In 2018, Duckworth became the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office.[86] Shortly afterward, the Senate passed Senate Resolution 463, which Duckworth introduced on April 12, 2018,[87] by unanimous consent. The resolution changed Senate rules so that a senator may bring a child under one year old to the Senate floor during votes.[88] The day after the rules were changed, Duckworth’s daughter became the first baby on the Senate floor.[87][89]
2020s
On April 15, 2020, the Trump administration invited Duckworth to join a bipartisan task force on the reopening of the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[90]
Duckworth was publicly critical of Trump’s decision to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in September 2020. Barrett, a devout Catholic, is a member of a group that considers in vitro fertilization morally illicit. Duckworth said that Barrett’s membership in such an organization was “disqualifying and, frankly, insulting to every parent”. Both of Duckworth’s children were conceived by IVF.[91]
The Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint initiative of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, ranked Duckworth the fifth most effective Democratic senator in the 116th Congress and the most effective Democratic senator on transportation policy.[92] Professors Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman, co-directors of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, stated, “While still in her first term, Senator Tammy Duckworth has risen to the top five among effective Democratic lawmakers in the Senate. She sponsored 77 bills in the 116th Congress, with four of them passing the Republican-controlled Senate and two becoming law.”[93]
In April 2019, Duckworth was one of 12 senators to sign a bipartisan letter to top senators on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development advocating that the Energy Department be granted maximum funding for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), arguing that American job growth could be stimulated by investment in viable options to capture carbon emissions and expressing disagreement with Trump’s 2020 budget request to combine the two federal programs that include carbon capture research.[105]
Foreign policy
Duckworth narrates the Salute to Fallen Asian Pacific Islander Heroes in Arlington, Virginia, June 2, 2005.
During her unsuccessful congressional campaign in 2006, Duckworth called on Congress to audit the estimated $437 billion spent on overseas military and foreign aid since September 11, 2001.[106]
On September 30, 2006, Duckworth gave the Democratic Party’s response to President George W. Bush‘s weekly radio address. In it, she was critical of Bush’s strategy for the Iraq War.[107]
In May 2019, Duckworth was a cosponsor of the South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Act,[110] a bipartisan bill reintroduced by Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin that was intended to disrupt China‘s consolidation or expansion of its claims of jurisdiction over both the sea and air space in disputed zones in the South China Sea.[111]
Duckworth was rated by the National Rifle Association as having a pro-gun control congressional voting record.[114] Duckworth, who is a gun owner herself, cites violence in Chicago as a major influence for her support of gun control. She supports universal background checks and the halting of state-to-state gun trafficking.[115]
Duckworth participated in the 2016 Chris Murphy gun control filibuster. During the sit-in, Duckworth hid her mobile phone in her prosthetic leg to avoid it being taken away from her since taking pictures and recording on the House floor is against policy.[115]
In a 2016 interview with GQ magazine, Duckworth stated that gaining control of the Senate and “closing the gap” in the House would be necessary in order to pass common sense gun laws. She also stated that she believed moderate Republicans, who support common sense gun control, would have more power to influence gun control if they were not “pushed aside by those folks who are absolutely beholden to the NRA. And so we never get the vote.”[115]
Duckworth supports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for those in the country illegally. She would admit 100,000 Syrian refugees into the United States.[118]
In August 2018, Duckworth was one of seventeen senators to sign a letter spearheaded by Kamala Harris to United States Secretary of Homeland SecurityKirstjen Nielsen demanding that the Trump administration take immediate action in attempting to reunite 539 migrant children with their families, citing each passing day of inaction as intensifying “trauma that this administration has needlessly caused for children and their families seeking humanitarian protection.”[119]
Electoral history
Illinois 6th Congressional District Democratic Primary, 2006[120]
Duckworth is heavily decorated for her service in Iraq, with over 10 distinct military honors, most notably the Purple Heart, an award her Marine father had also received.[32]
Former Republican presidential candidate and Senator from Kansas Bob Dole dedicated his autobiography One Soldier’s Story in part to Duckworth.[130] Duckworth credits Dole for inspiring her to pursue public service, while she recuperated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; although, in 2006, Dole endorsed Duckworth’s Republican opponent, Peter Roskam.[131]
Personal life
Duckworth has been married to Bryan Bowlsbey since 1993.[132] They met during Duckworth’s participation in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and later served together in the Illinois Army National Guard.[132] Bowlsbey, a Signal Corps officer, is also a veteran of the Iraq War.[132][133] Both have since retired from the armed forces.[134]
Duckworth and Bowlsbey have two daughters: Abigail, who was born in 2014,[135] and Maile, born in 2018.[136] Maile’s birth made Duckworth the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office.[136][137] Former senator Daniel Akaka helped the couple with the naming of both daughters; Akaka died April 6, 2018, three days before Maile was born.[138] Shortly after Maile’s birth, a Senate rule change permitted senators to bring children under one year old on the Senate floor to breastfeed.[87] This was a symbolic moment for Duckworth, as she had previously introduced the bipartisan Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act to ensure new mothers access to safe, clean and accessible lactation rooms in airports.[49] The day after the rule change, Duckworth brought Maile with her during the casting of a Senate vote, making Duckworth the first senator to cast a vote while holding a baby.[87][89]
Duckworth helped establish the Intrepid Foundation to help injured veterans.[139]
^Maskell, Jack (November 14, 2011). “Qualifications for President and the “Natural Born” Citizenship Eligibility Requirement”(PDF). Federation of American Scientists. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. p. i. The weight of legal and historical authority indicates that the term “natural born” citizen would mean a person who is entitled to U.S. citizenship “by birth” or “at birth,” either by being born “in” the United States and under its jurisdiction, even those born to alien parents; by being born abroad to U.S. citizen-parents; or by being born in other situations meeting legal requirements for U.S. citizenship “at birth.”
^“Highlights from the New 115th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores”. The Center for Effective Lawmaking. February 27, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020. Finally, we note those new freshmen lawmakers who are off to a promising start in their first two years, scoring in our “Exceeds Expectations” category in their first term in office. Research suggests that performance in a lawmaker’s freshman term is highly correlated with subsequent lawmaking effectiveness, as well as with their overall career trajectory.
Among them are two Senators (out of the eleven Senators in their freshman class), John Kennedy of Louisiana and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. Kennedy sponsored 26 bills, including four that passed the Senate and eventually became law, on issues ranging from national flood insurance and small business disaster loans to mandatory disclosure of corrupt practices among lobbyists. Duckworth shepherded three of her 45 proposed bills into law, including the Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act of 2018.
^“Highlights from the New 116th Congress Legislative Effectiveness Scores”. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is also in her first term as a U.S. Senator. Looking back to the previous Congress, it is worth noting that she was one of only two freshmen Senators in the 115th Congress who was designated to be in our “Exceeds Expectations” categories, and she continues to retain that rating into the 116th Congress, in which she rounds out the top five most effective Democratic lawmakers in the Senate.