Duckworth Highlights Key 2025 Efforts as 2025 Draws to a Close

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – As 2025 comes to a close, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) highlighted several key accomplishments she secured over the last year:
“Whether helping nearly 2,900 Illinoisans recover more than $13 million the federal government owed them, passing a law making it easier for new parents to travel with critical breast milk supplies, pushing back against Trump and Republicans as they work to jack up costs for everything from groceries to health care, fighting Donald Trump’s illegal and reckless invasion of our state or getting Veterans’ jobs back after this Administration cruelly fired Veterans Crisis Line workers—I’m proud of everything we’ve been able to do this past year,”Duckworth said.“While this year was far too difficult for far too many in our community, I am as committed as ever to showing up and getting things done for my fellow Illinoisans—and all those who feel targeted by the Trump Administration. I look forward to continuing my work for our state in 2026.”
Over the past year, Duckworth and her office responded to over 1,047,000 emails as well as other messages and assisted more than 2,800 Illinoisans who were experiencing difficulties navigating the federal bureaucracy, helping recover more than $13.2 million in Social Security payments, Veterans’ benefits, tax refunds and more for her constituents. A select list of Duckworth’s accomplishments from the past year is below.
Duckworth hosted a series of town halls and telephone town halls this year to hear directly from her constituents on how the Trump Administration is negatively impacting their lives and the lives of their families and communities, hearing from Illinoisans inMcHenry County,Rockford,CarbondaleandthroughoutChicagoland.
Key Efforts:
Duckworth’s BipartisanBABES Enhancement ActBecame Law:After passing the House and unanimouslypassingthe Senate, bipartisan legislation authored and championed by Senator Duckworth to make it easier for parents to safely embark on air travel with breast milk and breastfeeding supplies becameone of roughly 30 billsto be signed into law in 2025. Senator Duckworth’sBottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening (BABES) Enhancement Actrequires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to clarify and regularly update guidance on handling breast milk, baby formula and other related nutrition products, including ice packs, in consultation with leading maternal health groups.
Fighting to Prevent Healthcare Costs from Skyrocketing:As Republicans time and again voted to gut Medicaid with Trump’s Big, Beautiful Betrayal and did nothing to stop health insurance premiums from skyrocketing, Senator Duckworth fought against these efforts at every turn. She voted against the Republicans’Big Beautiful Billandvoted againstall of Republicans’extremepartisanfundingbills. She met with health care leaders throughoutCentral Illinois, Southern Illinois and theChicagolandarea to discuss how these cuts will impact health care access for all Illinoisans. Trump and Republicans plunged the nation into the longest government shutdown in history to guarantee that out-of-pocket health care costs will skyrocket, refusing to negotiate an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. Duckworth continuouslycalled out Republicansfor refusing to help stop health insurance bills from doubling or even tripling for millions of hardworking families, including their ownconstituents. Then, in December, when Republicans finally had thechance to voteto extend these ACA subsidies, theychoseto please Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies rather than serve the tens of millions of Americans who will see their premiums rise—or the four million who will lose coverage entirely.
Defending Reproductive Freedom and Expanding Access to IVF:Senator Duckworth has been a strong advocate for reproductive freedom and access to IVF in the face of Republicans’ anti-choice crusade. In June, sheintroducedtheProtect IVF Actto establish a nationwide right to IVF. She has also long pushed to pass herRight to IVF Act—which Senate Republicans blocked notonce, buttwicelast year—that would both establish a right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART), expand access for hopeful parents, Veterans and federal employees, as well as lower the costs of IVF for middle-class families across the country. This year, Duckworth successfullysecureda provision in theFY2026 National Defense Authorization Actrequiring TRICARE coverage of fertility services, including IVF, for servicemembers, reflecting her earlierIVF for Military Families Act. However, Speaker Mike Johnson single-handedly blocked her provision, denying troops the same IVF coverage available to Members of Congress despite broad bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. This isthe second timeDuckworth secured this provision in an NDAA bill that passed committee, only to have Republicansblockher amendment from the final NDAA—despite it being included in the committee-approved version.
Protecting Our State from Trump’s Unlawful Domestic Deployment:SenatorDuckworth, alongside Governor Pritzker and Senator Durbin, helped lead our state’s effective pushback against the Trump Administration’sunconstitutionalanddangerousdeploymentsof National Guard troops into American cities, includingChicago. Shesinglehandedly secured the first and only Senate hearingon Trump’s domestic deployments, during which top Trump Defense officialsadmittedto three damning revelations that had never been publicly stated before. In addition to numerous actions, includingvisitingNaval Station Great Lakes amid threats to deploy the military to Chicago andfilingan amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit against Trump for his misuse of the U.S. military, Duckworth successfully advanced herMilitary in Law Enforcement Accountability Actto finally help rein in Trump’s continued misuse of our military and troops.
Pushing Back on DHS’ Invasion on Chicago:In light of Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” Senator Duckworth continued her efforts as anoutspokenchampion fordefendingIllinoisans and their First Amendmentrights. ShecondemnedDHS’s excessive and aggressive force, includingunlawfulabductions, deployingtear gas near schoolsandraidingcommunity shelters. Additionally, shedemandedan end to forcing law enforcement to abandon criminal investigations in order to assist ICE andcalledon ICE and CBP to enforce body-camera requirements in compliance with federal orders. Duckworth and Senator Durbin alsovisitedthe grounds of the Broadview ICE processing center in their congressional oversight roles.
Supporting Servicemembers and Holding Pete Hegseth Accountable for Putting Them at Needless Risk:As a combat Veteran and member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Senator Duckworth hascondemnedSecretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’slack of experienceor qualifications to lead our troops, repeatedly calling on him toresign, especially afterreportsconfirmed he sent highly-sensitive war plans in an unclassified group chat with other Trump Administration officials, putting servicemembers atgreaterriskandunderminingmission effectiveness. Shedenouncedthe Trump Administration’s unlawful military strikes andsupporteda resolution to block illegal use of force in or against Venezuela without congressional approval, while raisingconcernsabout violating the laws of war andendangeringour servicemembers and national security.
Supporting Our Veterans:After Trumpfiredmore Veterans than any other President in history and imposed illegal pauses in federal funding and slashed Veterans’ care, Senator Duckworth continued her life’s mission ofadvocatingfor our brave servicemembers and their familiesaffectedby Trump’s recklessness. This year, she introduced legislation toprotectthe lifesaving Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) and restore collective bargaining rights for VA health care professionals. Shedemandedaccountability from Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins for the VCL firings. She also introduced herProtect Veteran Jobs Actto reinstate Veterans who were fired from their jobs as part of Trump and Elon Musk’s indiscriminate purge of federal employees. Duckworthspokeat the “Unite for Veterans”rallyon the National Mall, criticizing Trump for using Veterans as political pawns and undermining their care and benefits. She also hosted aVeterans town hallin Crystal Lake to hear directly from Veterans about the impact of the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s cuts to federal programs and mass federal worker firings.
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