Tammy Duckworth

Democrat junior Senator of Illinois

  • Senator

    Illinois

    January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2029

202-224-2854

@SenDuckworth

duckworth.senate.gov

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6

Congresses Served

2

House Terms

2

Senate Terms

January 1, 1968 (56 years old)

Birthday

  • Retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and combat veteran of the Iraq War
  • First female double amputee from the Iraq War
  • Served as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and as assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
  • First Thai American woman elected to Congress, first person born in Thailand elected to Congress, first woman with a disability elected to Congress, first female double amputee in the Senate, and the first senator to give birth while in office
  • Second Asian American woman to serve in the Senate
  • Fluent in Thai and Indonesian
  • Holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science, a Master of Arts in international affairs, and a PhD in human services
  • Received numerous military honors, including the Purple Heart
  • Advocated for veterans with PTSD and brain injuries, worked to end Veteran homelessness, and defended the Americans with Disabilities Act
  • Criticized for attending a campaign event in a state-owned van while serving as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, acknowledged the mistake and repaid the state
  • Involved in a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination and intimidation, which settled with no admission of wrongdoing
  • First in the Senate to bring a child under one year old to the Senate floor during votes
  • Criticized President Trump’s decision to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, citing concerns over Barrett’s views on in vitro fertilization
  • Ranked highly for legislative effectiveness in transportation policy during her first term in the Senate
  • Participated in a mission to Taiwan to announce the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade
  • Sponsored the Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2022
  • Named chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in her second term
  • Criticized for opposing a proposed legislation to limit the amount of time an airplane pilot needs to train for certification
  • Organized a meeting with Israeli defense officials to discuss strategy in the Israel–Hamas war and expressed opposition to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
  • Member of several Senate committees and caucuses, including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Expand Social Security Caucus
  • Spoke at multiple Democratic National Conventions and was vetted as a possible running mate for Joe Biden
  • Advocates for gun control, supports abortion rights, and supports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship
  • Awarded honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Northern Illinois University and inducted into the Army Women’s Hall of Fame