Washington DC (Washington Insider Magazine) — Radha Tammy Duckworth is an American politician and former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel. She served in the U.S. Senate from Illinois since 2017. As a member of the Democratic Party, she represented Illinois’ 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Born in Bangkok, Thailand, and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Duckworth studied at the University of Hawaii and the University of Washington.
She is an Iraq War veteran and she served as a helicopter pilot for the United States Army. When a rocket fired by Iraqi militants hit Black’s Hawk helicopter in 2004, she lost her left leg below the knee. She was the first female amputee of the war. Despite her injuries, she received a medical exemption to serve in the Illinois Army National Guard.
Biography
Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand. She was born on March 12 1958 to Franklin Duckworth and Lamai Sompornpearin. Although Duckworth was born outside the United States, she is Native American. Her father held American citizenship and was a U.S. Army and Marine Corps veteran. His family’s American roots date back to the American Revolutionary War. Her mother is Thai-Chinese and is originally from Chiang Mai.
Education
Duckworth attended the Singapore American School, Bangkok International School, and Jakarta International School. When Duckworth was 16, his family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii where Duckworth attended McKinley High School in Honolulu. Due to differences in grade levels between the school systems she attended, Duckworth skipped half her ninth grade and half her tenth grade.
She was a Girl Scout and won first class, now called the Gold Award. Her father was temporarily unemployed and her family depended on social assistance. She graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1989 with a BA in Political Science. In 1992, she received her master’s degree in international affairs from the George Elliott School of International Affairs at the University of Washington. She began her doctoral program at Northern Illinois University but was interrupted by her military service.
Political Career
Duckworth became as the right hand during Joe Biden’s vice presidential candidate selection. Her fellow U.S. Senator Kamala Harris become rather selected. Biden nominated Duckworth to have the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee seat, along with Gretchen Whitmer, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Filemon Vela Jr.
Political Positions
Tammy Duckworth has held the following political positions:
1.Environment
In April 2019, Duckworth became one of all 12 senators to give a bipartisan letter to pinnacle senators at the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. The organization promotes the Energy Department and its usage and storage. Tammy argued that the American task boom might be inspired by the aid of using funding in feasible alternatives. This can seize the carbon emissions and express a war of words with Trump’s 2020 price range request. He requested that 2 federal applications should encompass carbon seizure research.
2. Foreign Policy
During her unsuccessful congressional marketing campaign in 2006, Duckworth worked with Congress to audit the estimated $437 billion spent on foreign places. The money was invested in the navy and overseas useful resources and the mission was carried out on September 11, 2001.
On September 30, 2006, Duckworth gave the Democratic Party’s reaction to President George W. Bush’s weekly radio address. She supported Bush’s approach to the Iraq War.
In October 2006, Duckworth agreed with General Sir Richard Dannatt, for the presence of coalition troops exacerbating in the battle in Iraq
3. Health Policy
Duckworth promotes abortion rights. After Roe v. Wade become overturned in 2022, Duckworth stated she become “outraged and horrified.” She shared that this decision was a “nightmare”, robbing girls to make fitness care decisions. Duckworth supported the Affordable Care Act as well.
4. Immigration
Duckworth supported the complete immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for the ones living in the US illegally. She supported the decision to accept 100,000 Syrian refugees into the United States.
US Senate Elections
On March 30, 2015, Duckworth announced that she would be challenging the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk. She ran for the 2016 Senate election seat in Illinois. She defeated fellow Democrats Andrea Zopp and Napoleon Harris that were held on March 15, 2016.
Duckworth was supported by Barack Obama, and as a result, Duckworth defeated Kirk 55 percent to 40 percent to win the Senate seat. In March 2021, Duckworth revealed that she will be running the candidacy for reelection in the 2022 election. In 2022, Duckworth won her reelection to the U.S. Senate and defeated the Republican challenger Kathy Salvi.
Personal Life
Duckworth is married to Bryan Bowlsbey. The couple got married in 1993. They met during Duckworth’s participation in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. The couple got closer when they served together in the Illinois Army National Guard. Bowlsbey is a Signal Corps officer. He is also a veteran of the Iraq War. Both of them have retired from the armed forces.
Duckworth and Bowlsbey have two daughters. Their first daughter Abigail was born in 2014. The second daughter Maile was born in 2018. Maile’s birth made Duckworth the first U.S. senator who gave birth while in office.
The Former senator Daniel Akaka helped the couple and named their both daughters; Akaka passed away on April 6, 2018, which was three days before Maile was born. After Maile’s birth, a Senate rule change allowed the senators to bring children under one-year-old to the Senate floor to breastfeed.
This was a symbolic moment for Duckworth because she had previously introduced the bipartisan Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act. This act ensured that new mothers must get access to safe, clean, and accessible lactation rooms in airports. After the rule change, Duckworth brought Maile with her during the casting of a Senate vote. This made Duckworth the first senator to cast a vote with a baby in her arms.
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Net Worth
Tammy Duckworth net worth as of 2023 is $697,531. She serves in the American Senate and earns an annual salary. Her job as a politician is the major source of her income.
