04.08.20

Durbin, Duckworth Discuss COVID-19 Response with Chicago Mayor Lightfoot

SPRINGFIELD – Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke with Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot about Chicago’s COVID-19 pandemic response and how they can continue to assist her efforts to protect Illinoisans. Durbin and Duckworth discussed strategies to support minority and women owned businesses, protecting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, protecting frontline transit workers and investing in infrastructure to help get people back to work, and efforts to combat health disparities by working with hospitals and a range of neighborhood stakeholders in underserved and highly infected areas.

“It was good to hear from Mayor Lightfoot and discuss some of the critical issues she’s facing in Chicago as the city responds to this public health and economic crisis.  I thanked the Mayor for leading the city during this unprecedented time and I reiterated that Senator Duckworth and I are committed to help her protect the health and safety of Illinois families,” Durbin said.

“Mayor Lightfoot, Senator Durbin and I had a productive discussion about how the city of Chicago is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the status of incoming federal funding, the new health facility at McCormick Place and how the virus is disproportionately impacting the African American community,” Duckworth said. “I’ll keep working with Senator Durbin and Mayor Lightfoot to help make sure Chicago has access to the supplies, federal funding and testing it needs to deal with this public health crisis.”

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