U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks with “Chicago Tonight” via Zoom on Thursday, April 29, 2021. (WTTW News)

President Joe Biden made sweeping proposals in his address to Congress on Wednesday. Among them, a pledge to tackle lead in drinking water. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth has proposed $35 billion to update water infrastructure and improve drinking water quality across the country.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., accompanied by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., speaks at a news conference after the Senate passed a COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act on Capitol Hill, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
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The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would help combat the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

In this May 6, 2020, file photo, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Greg Nash / Pool via AP)

After the White House said it would add an Asian American Pacific Islander liaison to its staff, Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s spokesperson said the senator would not stand in the way of “qualified nominees — which will include more AAPI leaders.” 

In this May 6, 2020, file photo, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Greg Nash / Pool via AP)

Two Democratic senators lashed out Tuesday at the lack of Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet and even vowed not to support nominations until the White House better promotes diversity — moves that could stymie their own party’s administration in filling key posts.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Atlanta on Friday to meet with Asian American leaders in the wake of deadly shootings that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. (Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images)
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President Joe Biden on Friday condemned rising hate crimes against Asian Americans in the wake of the mass shooting in the Atlanta area that left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent.

U.S. Attorney John Lausch appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Nov. 13, 2019. (WTTW News)

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced Tuesday that President Joe Biden has agreed to keep John Lausch, Chicago’s top federal prosecutor, in office until a permanent replacement is confirmed.

U.S. Attorney John Lausch appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Nov. 13, 2019. (WTTW News)
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U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth intensified their push on Wednesday to convince President Joe Biden to keep John Lausch, Chicago’s top federal prosecutor, in office until a permanent replacement is confirmed.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth appears on "Chicago Tonight" on July 6, 2017.
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Twelve, a Hachette Book Group imprint, announced the deal with Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Thursday, the 16th anniversary of the day she was shot down in a helicopter while serving in Iraq and lost both of her legs.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker talks Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 at the newly opened veterans home. (WTTW News)

The first home for Illinois veterans in Chicago will welcome its first residents in February 2021 — more than four years after it was scheduled to open, officials announced Wednesday.

Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth appears on “Chicago Tonight” via Zoom on Wednesday, July 15, 2020. (WTTW News)

A one-on-one discussion with Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth on the possibility of being Joe Biden’s running mate, the federal response to COVID-19, whether schools should reopen in the fall and more.

(Free-Photos / Pixabay)

The Low-Income Solar Energy Act would expand an existing program and create new ones to make solar energy more affordable for low-income Americans. 

In this July 6, 2015 file photo, a fan is helped after being hit by a foul ball during the ninth inning of a baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves in Milwaukee. (AP Photo / Morry Gash, File)
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Illinois’ two senators continued their pressure campaign on Major League Baseball to be more proactive about fan safety at ballparks, urging greater transparency about how often and how seriously fans are hurt by foul balls.

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Tens of billions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater runoff end up in the Great Lakes each year, polluting the water and prompting beach closings and swimming advisories. How new legislation aims to help.

After reports of a dangerous gas being emitted from several suburban industrial sites, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and other lawmakers have introduced a bill that would force the EPA to more quickly disclose similar public health risks. 

Piles of coal ash after a 2008 spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee. (Brian Stansberry / Wikimedia Commons)

A group of U.S. senators are trying to preserve regulations for the disposal of coal ash generated by coal-burning power plants, a mixture that can pollute drinking water if disposed of improperly. 

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth says President Donald Trump is not behaving as the commander in chief of the United States military should and is ceding too much power to military commanders.