Tammy Duckworth

This is peak corruption. Under the Trump Administration, you get the bill for the President's illegal war. The rich get richer. And nobody gets held accountable.

Costs are too high. Wages are too low. And Trump is focused on raising up monuments and building ballrooms to stroke his own ego. It's a "Golden Age" for no one but him.

You don't have to drive a diesel truck to feel the squeeze of Trump's illegal war. Diesel prices are up more than 75%, driving up the cost of growing your food, shipping your groceries and delivering everyday goods. Americans can’t go on like this. It’s time to end the war.

Happy 251st birthday, @USNavy!⚓️🇺🇸

The first reigning queen to pilot a fighter jet solo. From one pilot to another, congratulations to Her Majesty Queen Suthida of Thailand! 🇹🇭

Long before America was “discovered,” Indigenous people have taken care of these lands and called it home. Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor their resilience, their traditions and leadership across Illinois. We recommit to bringing restorative justice and protections to tribal communities. And we reject any attempt to erase our history.

[CHICAGO, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding Amtrak’s plans to relocate its current 14th Street maintenance facility to what is presently Union Pacific’s Canal Street Yard, citing concerns about the lack of constructive community engagement on the project and the impact the facility could have on the surrounding area. In August, Duckworth and Durbin requested additional information from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Amtrak regarding the project after fielding concerns from residents and local elected officials in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. “Any plan to relocate the Amtrak maintenance facility should not proceed without input from local leaders and the surrounding community whose lives will be impacted by the project. The lack of community involvement and speed with which this project has moved forward raises questions about the role of private interests. While this project would bring jobs to Illinois and help Amtrak improve its maintenance operations to alleviate ongoing issues and service disruptions that impact passenger rail, productive conversations with local elected officials and the community to address their concerns must come first.” -30-

Trump’s illegal war and disastrous policies are sending fuel costs soaring and leaving farmers behind. Governor Pritzker is taking action to help bring costs down and deliver relief.

I refuse to let Donald Trump trample the rights of children seeking safety in our country. The Trump Administration must abandon its heinous plan and restore access to independent lawyers for immigrant kids facing deportation. https://t.co/OYX8teaXcV

Putin told Iran the locations of our warships. Today, Trump rewarded him by lifting sanctions and allowing American dollars to fuel Russia’s war machine. Our troops are in harm’s way, and the President cut a deal with the adversary putting a target on their backs.

Robbing children of their right to due process is a new low our nation cannot stand for. Trump is detaining kids by the thousands, fast-tracking their deportations and cutting aid for independent legal services. Now, he wants to choose the lawyers who would represent them in court. This is wrong on so many levels. Full stop.

Few people are as synonymous with Chicago as Mike Ditka. Illinois will miss him dearly, but his legacy will never be forgotten. My heart goes out to his family and everyone who loved Da Coach.

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) issued the following statement, calling out the Trump Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for failing to reinstate the collective bargaining agreement with the National Council of Prison Locals, Council 33 (CPL-33), despite a federal judge’s order requiring them to do so, stalling efforts to restore worker protections and ensure prison safety. On September 29, 2026, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to reinstate its national collective bargaining agreement with the union, including related amendments, supplemental agreements and memoranda of understanding, but union officials say BOP is failing to comply with the court’s order. “Our unions help protect the workers and law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe, ensuring they have a voice on the job. These 30,000 Bureau of Prisons employees deserve fair wages, safe working conditions and the right to collectively bargain for both. A federal judge has made clear that this agreement must be reinstated, and the Trump Administration cannot simply ignore a court order because it doesn’t like the outcome. This Administration must follow the law and honor its obligations to these workers.” On March 27, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order excluding the Department of Justice from federal collective bargaining requirements, prompting BOP to terminate its collective bargaining agreement with CPL-33 on September 25, 2025—four years before it was set to expire. The union sued on November 13, 2025, and last month, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, finding it likely that BOP’s decision to terminate the agreement early was unlawful. -30-

[CHICAGO, IL] – After President Trump announced plans to handpick the lawyers who would represent the children his Administration is seeking to deport, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), advocates and families to demand that the Trump Administration reverse this heinous decision and restore the federal legal aid the President cut, which helped provide thousands of immigrant kids with independent legal representation. At the press conference, Duckworth underscored how this is just the latest cruel attempt to erode due process and strip unaccompanied immigrant children of their rights as the Trump Administration schedules hundreds of asylum interviews with little to no notice. Photos from today’s press conference can be found on the Senator’s website and the full video recording can be found on the Senator’s YouTube page. “Robbing children of their right to due process is a new low our nation cannot stand for,” said Duckworth. “None of this is happening by accident. After detaining kids by the thousands, shutting off aid to independent legal representation and rapidly scheduling asylum interviews with no notice, Donald Trump is now vindictively seeking to handpick the government lawyers that are supposed to defend these children against his own deportation machine. This is wrong on so many levels and a clear conflict of interest. The Trump Administration must immediately reverse this decision and restore the federal legal aid these kids depend on for a fair shot in court. Children who come to our country seeking safety deserve protection, not a fast-track to deportation.” “The danger and barriers to due process immigrant children face right now are unprecedented. First, they kept kids in detention for months on end, even when their parents were ready to care for them. Next, the Trump administration came for children’s lawyers, whose funding they terminated in August. And now, they are rushing them through court hearings and asylum interviews at an absurd pace. This is resulting in hundreds of Illinois children and teenagers being pushed into the mass deportation pipeline, right before our eyes. We are grateful to Senator Duckworth for standing with these children, and we will continue to fight for their safety and human rights,” said Cecilia Mendoza, Associate Director of Government Relations at the National Immigrant Justice Center. In July, the Trump Administration allowed a yearslong, $200 million-a-year federal contract with the Acacia Center for Justice to lapse, cutting off independent legal services for more than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children nationwide through more than 100 subcontractors, including NIJC. Without federally-funded independent legal services, hundreds of unaccompanied children in Illinois facing deportation may now be forced to navigate court proceedings and asylum interviews without an attorney, making it harder to understand and exercise their legal rights. Over the past five years, approximately 11,347 unaccompanied children have made Illinois their home. These children attend Illinois schools, have parents or caregivers in our communities and may have pending immigration cases. Last year, NIJC represented about 500 unaccompanied children in the Chicago area through the federal contract the Trump Administration cut because attorneys refused to hand over confidential client information. In the aftermath, many of these children have been forced to navigate the immigration system alone, often in a language they do not speak. Duckworth has fiercely pushed back against the Trump Administration’s mass deportation campaign and its aggressive immigration enforcement tactics in Illinois. Alongside Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), she conducted oversight at the Broadview ICE processing center, demanded greater transparency and accountability from federal immigration agents as well as called for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to comply with federal body camera requirements. Duckworth also referred potential constitutional violations by federal officials and agents during Operation Midway Blitz to the Department of Justice for investigation, citing reports of warrantless arrests and excessive force against Illinois residents, including U.S. citizens. Additionally, she pushed back against Trump’s threats to deploy the military and National Guard to Chicago and reintroduced legislation to protect immigrant servicemembers and Veterans from deportation, help deported Veterans return to the United States to access earned VA health care and create a pathway to citizenship through military service. -30-

Donald Trump wants to handpick the lawyers defending children from his own deportation machine. Absolutely not. https://t.co/lJCRwkbfy0

Hegseth likes to say “war is hell.” But keeping our troops at sea for over 300 days with dwindling supplies was a level of hell this Administration could’ve avoided, but didn’t. The toll this war has had on our troops and their families is too high. We need a public hearing now.

After Duckworth and colleagues sent a letter to SecNav demanding answers, it was revealed that eight of the USS Lincoln’s servicemembers attempted suicide [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – As the USS Lincoln finally returns to port today in San Diego after over 300 days at sea, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is renewing her call for public hearings to investigate the toll that Trump’s illegal war against Iran has had on our servicemembers, including the brave troops aboard the Lincoln, other ships and across bases in the region who suffered deteriorating conditions, rationed meals and dwindling supplies. Last month after Duckworth joined SASC Ranking Member Reed and her Senate Democratic colleagues to push for answers from Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, it was revealed that eight troops serving across the Lincoln’s strike group attempted to commit suicide—further illustrating the immense strain this reckless war has put on our servicemembers. “Pete Hegseth likes to say ‘war is hell,’ but what happened aboard the USS Lincoln was a level of pain that could’ve been avoided. The Trump Administration just chose not to. “Our nation’s servicemembers are as tough as they come. They will always answer the call and their families will always support them. But between rotten food, broken toilets and severe exhaustion, morale sank so low that eight servicemembers in the Lincoln’s strike group attempted suicide. That shocking number should make us all wonder how many others were experiencing severe mental health crises but stopped short of this breaking point. All of this suffering is the direct result of the Trump Administration’s incompetence and poor planning, recklessly throwing our troops into a war they have no idea how to end. And these conditions aren’t just happening on the USS Lincoln. “The growing toll of this disastrous war on our troops is unconscionable. Republicans cannot remain complicit and allow the Trump Administration to continue hiding behind closed door briefings. It’s past time we held public hearings to investigate the extent of how badly Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are failing our servicemembers while their families are worried sick at home. Our troops deserve better and the American people deserve the truth.” In August, Duckworth led her fellow Senate Democrats on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) in calling on Chairman Wicker to hold a hearing to investigate how this Administration’s failure to end Trump’s war has taken a widespread physical, emotional and mental toll on troops deployed to the region. That toll has extended even beyond the disturbing conditions aboard the USS Lincoln—with dwindling supplies and deteriorating conditions aboard numerous ships and across bases in the region. Reporting has shown how unplanned deployment extensions have inflicted emotional and financial strain on other servicemembers in the Middle East and their families, leaving troops without return dates and causing families to struggle balancing childcare with work back at home. Also in August, Duckworth introduced legislation to stop Trump’s desperate attempt to obscure how long his illegal war against Iran has lasted, dishonor the sacrifice of our troops injured and killed in combat and hide the true cost of his disastrous war from the American people Duckworth has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s illegal, needless war in Iran since it began. She is one of the Senate Six—the original group of Senators who have been forcing votes on War Powers Resolutions that would cease hostilities in Iran, which Republicans have shamefully blocked nine times. Duckworth also announced she would vote against the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (NDAA) as long as Trump’s war is ongoing. -30-

Trump’s FAA and DoD have yet to fully implement all recommendations made by the NTSB to fix the problems that led to America’s first deadly commercial aircraft collision since 2009 [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation—today released the following statement after the U.S. Army released its report that detailed numerous systemic failures leading up to the deadly DCA mid-air collision between a commercial aircraft and a Blackhawk helicopter that claimed the lives of 67 people: “Ever since the tragic DCA midair collision stole 67 lives, the families of Flight 5342, the National Transportation Safety Board, aviation experts and I have sounded the alarm and called for action to prevent the next tragedy. This long-awaited Army investigation reaffirms what we’ve been calling for all along. “Without delay, every aircraft must be equipped with and consistently use collision avoidance technology that is needed to see other aircraft in the sky and react in real time to keep the flying public safe. The FAA and Department of Defense must also improve coordination at all levels. And we urgently need to modernize our air traffic control system. In our modernization efforts, we need to focus on not just replacing outdated equipment but rebuilding a depleted controller workforce that has been chronically understaffed and overworked, including on that tragic night of the DCA crash when a single controller was forced to handle helicopter control and local control duties. “As much as ever, the DCA midair collision reminds us how catastrophic the toll can be if we don’t take action. With this report out, there are simply no more excuses keeping the DoD and FAA from immediately implementing and exceeding the urgent safety recommendations handed down by both the Army and NTSB. The families who lost their loved ones that tragic day deserve action and the flying public’s safety depends on it.” Duckworth has long been a leading voice in the push to make our skies safer. For years, she has been sounding the alarm that we must make critical aviation safety investments immediately to prevent all-too-often near-misses from becoming catastrophic tragedies. Last month, two bipartisan bills led by Duckworth and U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) to support the health of our aviation workforce and strengthen aviation safety passed the Senate with unanimous consent. Last Congress, Duckworth chaired two CST Aviation Subcommittee hearings—one last December and the other a year prior—to address our aviation industry’s chilling surge in near-deadly close calls and underscore the urgent need to improve air traffic control systems to protect the flying public. Duckworth helped author the landmark bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 that was signed into law to extend the FAA’s funding and authorities through Fiscal Year 2028. The reauthorization included several of her provisions to safeguard the 1,500-hour rule, improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities. -30-

Three years ago, Hamas committed the deadliest atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Today, we remember every hostage taken, every life stolen, every family forever changed and the millions of innocent Palestinians in Gaza still suffering. Three years later, a two-state solution remains a distant goal and the unacceptable devastation of Palestinian communities continues. There cannot be lasting peace in the region without a two-state solution that protects the safety and dignity of both innocent Israelis and Palestinians. We cannot tolerate the ongoing efforts to prevent one.

10 years ago, the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act was signed into law —affirming that all survivors of sexual assault deserve dignity, respect and justice. Today, as much as ever, we must listen to survivors, protect their rights and ensure no one who comes forward is ever ignored.

Declaring war on Chicago wasn't normal. Inciting treason and encouraging an active adversary to bomb Southern California isn't normal. Who's next? A President hellbent on going after "the enemy within" is a threat to us all.

Trump promised to cut your energy prices in half within 12 months. Today, a gallon of regular in Illinois costs $4.66. One year ago, it cost $3.31. That’s $20 more to fill a 15-gallon tank. Trump broke his promise to cut costs and avoid war. Now you’re stuck holding the bill.

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), co-chair of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, joined U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and other members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, in sending two letters opposing the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to eliminate the 30-day mandatory public notice period that allows communities to provide input on proposed facilities, like data centers, that may affect the air they breathe. One letter is addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urging him to withdraw the proposed rule. The other letter is addressed to nine major data center companies—Anthropic, AWS, Fermi, Google, Joule, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and xAI—calling on them to maintain current public participation standards regardless of the rule's outcome. “We agree that permitting should be efficient, predictable, and capable of supporting the infrastructure our country needs. But faster permitting should not come at the expense of transparency or communities’ ability to shape the decisions that affect them,” the Senators wrote. “Data center companies like yours also have a responsibility not to use weaker requirements to limit public participation or communities’ ability to meaningfully shape decisions that affect them,” wrote the Senators to the data center companies. “America can build the infrastructure needed to compete and innovate while keeping communities informed and involved in the decisions that affect them.” In addition to Duckworth, Kelly and Whitehouse, the letter to the EPA was co-signed by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Edward Markey (D-MA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA). In addition to Duckworth, Kelly and Whitehouse, the letter to the data companies was co-signed by Ron Wyden (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Adam Schiff (D-CA). The full letter to the EPA is available on Senator Duckworth’s website. The full letter to the data companies is also available on Senator Duckworth’s website. -30-

The lawmakers’ call comes as the public comment period closes on the FAA’s dangerous proposed rule that would make epinephrine optional on flights [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation—U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA-07), Co-Chair of the Congressional Food Allergy Research Caucus, led a group of 20 bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers in calling on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to guarantee that emergency medical kits (EMK) on every commercial aircraft include epinephrine, a life-saving medication to treat passengers who go into anaphylactic shock. Today is the final day for the American people to submit public comments on the FAA’s dangerous new proposed rule that would result in medications being less consistent and dependable for passengers experiencing health emergencies on commercial flights—a severely misguided proposal that prioritizes flexibility for air carriers over the safety of the flying public. “Without proper medications that can easily be administered on board, medical emergencies happening while 35,000 feet in the air could turn deadly,” wrote the lawmakers in their official public comment to the FAA’s proposed rule. “The provisions outlined in the FAA’s proposed rule threaten the safety of airline passengers traveling with allergies and reverse previous FAA action to ensure the safety of all passengers.” In the landmark 2024 FAA Reauthorization Law that she co-authored, Duckworth successfully secured a provision which required the FAA to ensure commercial airlines have adequate emergency medical kits on board to treat conditions like anaphylaxis. And yet, the FAA’s proposed rule would not require them to carry epinephrine—the only medication that reliably treats this medical emergency—in delivery methods that can be easily self-administered by individuals without medical training. Duckworth and Schumer have been pushing for years to require epinephrine designed for self-administration aboard all commercial aircraft, ever since they heard from their own constituents in 2019 who shared the life-threatening scares they experienced aboard flights that lacked this key medication and delivery method. The Senators detailed these harrowing stories in a letter to airline CEOs last month, in which they called on air carriers to ensure this life-saving medication is included in all their EMKs. The lawmakers continued, “If a passenger is experiencing anaphylaxis, they could have mere seconds until they are unable to breathe. Without FDA-approved epinephrine delivery methods designed to be easily self-administered, passengers rely on the chance that there will be a good Samaritan on the flight who is a trained medical professional, or a flight attendant, in consultation with a medical professional on the ground, to quickly measure an appropriate dose of epinephrine using a vial and syringe. This is both risky and unnecessary; it is why the FAA’s working group recommended ‘pre-measured auto-delivery device’ be on the EMK contents list.” In their letter, the lawmakers hammered the FAA’s proposed rule for ignoring expert recommendations, creating an even greater lack of transparency and consistency in EMKs for the flying public—who rely on EMKs during a medical emergency—and for needlessly putting the lives of commercial airline passengers at greater risk. “To ensure the safety of all airline passengers, we must guarantee that U.S.-based airlines include FDA-approved epinephrine delivery methods designed for self-administration on every flight,” the lawmakers concluded. In light of the FAA’s misguided and dangerous proposed rule change, Duckworth, Schumer and Matsui are calling on the FAA to heed their concerns—as well as the more than 1,500 public comments that have been submitted to express deep concern over this would-be policy failure that would place cost cutting and convenience for air carriers over the safety of the flying public. In addition to Duckworth and Schumer, the letter is co-signed in the Senate by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). In addition to Matsui, the letter is co-signed in the House by U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), Kelly Morrison (D-MN-03) and Mike Quigley (D-IL-05). Full text of the letter can be found below and on Senator Duckworth’s website: Dear Administrator Bedford: We write to provide our comments on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published on August 5, 2026, which would make drastic changes to how the FAA determines the composition of the emergency medical kit (EMK) carried aboard aircraft. The proposed rule is opaque and dangerous, and it threatens to undermine previous work the FAA has done to ensure the safety of the traveling public. EMKs are supposed to enable initial treatment of a passenger experiencing moderate to severe injuries or illnesses until the aircraft can land and the passenger can be transferred to emergency medical personnel. Without proper medications that can easily be administered on board, medical emergencies happening while 35,000 feet in the air could turn deadly. The proposed rule would make harmful steps to reverse work done at the agency to direct operators to include epinephrine in aircraft EMKs. Having multiple doses of epinephrine on every aircraft, in delivery methods that can be easily self-administered by individuals without medical training, is more urgent than ever. This is due to the on-flight presence of food items containing unlabeled allergens, a steady increase in the number of children with food allergies, the increased prevalence of a tick-borne illness that could create life-threatening allergies and the very real possibility that more than one passenger may require epinephrine during a single flight. The provisions outlined in the FAA’s proposed rule threaten the safety of airline passengers traveling with allergies and reverse previous FAA action to ensure the safety of all passengers. Our concerns about the proposed rule are outlined below: Lack of Alignment with Previous Recommendations The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 directed the FAA to assemble a panel of experts to make recommendations on EMKs and issue a proposed rule. The FAA Onboard Medical Kits Working Group included aerospace medicine experts and physicians, physiologists, psychologists, human factors specialists, cabin safety professionals and researchers. This working group submitted its report, dated May 1, 2025, to the FAA. The report stated: “The items proposed … are intended to provide initial stabilizing Basic Life Support (BLS) care for immediately life-threatening conditions such as cardiac arrest, airway emergencies, major hemorrhage, and anaphylaxis (emphasis added), as well as to facilitate provision of limited basic first-aid interventions for minor injuries and illnesses that are known to occur in-flight.” Importantly, the proposed EMK content list in the report includes both “pre-measured auto-delivery device” or “vial-drawn kit.” Yet, just one year later, the FAA publicly defied the recommendations in this report developed by the expert working group the FAA itself commissioned. No Clear Requirement for Epinephrine Through rulemaking, the Trump administration is seeking to downgrade the EMK content list, from a binding requirement to mere optional guidance. The proposed rule would allow operators to determine what components should be included in EMKs, so long as the EMK is “practical and sufficient” to address nine conditions, including anaphylaxis: “…FAA recommends sufficient resources for anaphylaxis (sudden/acute severe allergic reaction), which may include the following signs and symptoms: hives; swelling of the mouth, throat, or tongue; difficulty breathing, rapid or weak pulse, dizziness; stomach pain; nausea or vomiting; or loss of consciousness. Treatment options could (emphasis added) include medication such as epinephrine.” Epinephrine is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. The final rule must contain a clear directive that EMKs shall include epinephrine. No Requirement for Epinephrine in Easily Self-Administered Forms If a passenger is experiencing anaphylaxis, they could have mere seconds until they are unable to breathe. Without Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved epinephrine delivery methods designed to be easily self-administered, passengers rely on the chance that there will be a good Samaritan on the flight who is a trained medical professional, or a flight attendant, in consultation with a medical professional on the ground, to quickly measure an appropriate dose of epinephrine using a vial and syringe. This is both risky and unnecessary; it is why the FAA’s working group recommended “pre-measured auto-delivery device” be on the EMK contents list. Currently, JetBlue, Southwest, Breeze and Frontier stock their EMKs with epinephrine auto-injectors, and American Airlines’ EMKs include both adult- and pediatric-dose epinephrine auto-injectors. Delta is in the process of transitioning its fleet to include auto-injectors in their EMKs by September 2027, and, this year, United Airlines and Allegiant Airlines will begin the work to include auto-injectors in EMKs. Even with tight profit margins, including epinephrine in delivery methods that can be easily self-administered, is possible. Through the rulemaking process, the FAA must direct airlines to include epinephrine in delivery methods that can be easily administered and not reverse course from its previous recommendations by abandoning the requirement to include epinephrine in EMKs in entirety. Lack of Transparency on Compliance The proposed rule would eliminate the exemption process, which was created to account for challenges in stocking EMKs due to drug shortages and allow airlines to substitute drugs, “without requesting an FAA exemption.” Airlines are not required to publicly or centrally report the real-time inventory and exact contents of their EMKs and have continued to operate under exemptions granted by the FAA for years. EMK suppliers and airlines can track when an EMK is opened and needs restocking, but only in instances where the kit was used. There is no means of systematically tracking incidents of allergic reactions or anaphylaxis, especially when passengers use their own epinephrine. For medical conditions that can be treated by multiple, accessible options, eliminating the need for the exemption process may make sense. However, epinephrine is the only first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. The public also deserves to know when certain items are not included in a flight’s EMK, and a rationale for the exclusion. Conclusion The proposed rule will reduce public safety and trust when flying by increasing ambiguity, subjectivity and opacity of EMK components. The proposed rule argues that increased flexibility is needed to keep up with advances in medicine but, without appropriate reporting and tracking, the Trump administration is significantly increasing the risk of major inconsistencies in EMKs from flight to flight. Predictability, consistency and transparency are all necessary to ensure passengers’ safety, particularly in cases of anaphylaxis, when minutes, or even seconds, matter. To ensure the safety of all airline passengers, we must guarantee that U.S.-based airlines include FDA-approved epinephrine delivery methods designed for self-administration on every flight. We call on the FAA to address the concerns outlined in this letter. -30-

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that her Deputy Chief of Staff Kelsey Becker has been promoted to Chief of Staff following Kalina Thompson’s departure from the role. Becker, a Schaumburg native, has served Duckworth’s team since 2012 in a range of leadership roles in both the Senator’s House and Senate offices as well as her campaigns. “For over a decade, Kalina Thompson has been a kindred public servant, a true force for good, and beyond it all, a fiercely loyal friend,” said Duckworth. “While Kalina will be deeply missed, I’m excited to see all the good she’ll do in her next chapter and have the utmost confidence handing the reins over to Kelsey Becker.” “As Deputy Chief of Staff and after years of service to my team, Kelsey has proven herself to be more than ready for this new role and keep up our work for the people of Illinois,” continued Duckworth. “She has been a trusted advisor and an astute political strategist—helping deliver key wins to the benefit of her fellow Illinoisans. Through her tireless efforts, Kelsey has helped institute policies and pass legislation that has made being a working parent easier for so many folks in our office, in our state and throughout the nation. Having been a valued part of our office for so many years, Kelsey brings deep institutional knowledge and a consistent record of dedication that will continue to serve our team and the people of Illinois well.” Becker holds a Master of Arts in International Development, with a focus on Gender and Democracy, from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Butler University. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, where she partnered with a local women’s association to strengthen business practices and support economic development. For the past three years, Becker has served as Co-Lead of the Senate Moms Group, a bipartisan organization comprised of over 200 moms who work in the Senate and help drive policies that empower parents and families in Congress. Becker lives in the DC area with her husband and their three children. -30-