Tammy Duckworth
Democrat junior Senator of Illinois
Representative
Illinois, district 8
January 3, 2013 - January 3, 2015
Representative
Illinois, district 8
January 6, 2015 - January 3, 2017
Senator
Illinois
January 3, 2017 - January 3, 2023
Senator
Illinois
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2029
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