September 24, 2021
Paul Simon Institute to host event with U.S. Sen. Duckworth
CARBONDALE, Ill. — U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois will join Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute for a virtual conversation at noon on Oct. 4.
Institute director John Shaw will interview Duckworth about the legislative agenda on Capitol Hill, challenges facing American foreign policy and Duckworth’s new memoir, “Every Day Is a Gift.”
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be over Zoom. Registration is required at paulsimoninstitute.org to access the webinar.
Duckworth, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms. She is a veteran of the Iraq War and received the Purple Heart after the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting was hit by a grenade in November of 2004, causing Duckworth to lose her legs. She was the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and served as assistant director of the nation’s Department of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011.
Duckworth serves on several Senate committees, including Armed Services; Environment and Public Works; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. In 2018, she became the first person to give birth while serving in the Senate.
“Sen. Duckworth has had a remarkable military and political career,” Shaw said. “She served with distinction and courage in the U.S. Army and has held important positions in Illinois state government and the federal government. A highly respected United States senator, we are eager to hear Sen. Duckworth’s views on the packed and consequential legislative agenda on Capitol Hill this fall and the raft of pressing questions about the future of American foreign policy.”
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Duckworth with their registration or send them by email to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.
The event is part of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute’s “Understanding Our New World” virtual conversation series with government and private sector leaders, policy experts, political analysts, authors and journalists.