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Stories tagged with “Tammy Duckworth”

Education

GOP Rep. Joe Walsh Can’t Keep Facts Straight While Supporting Student Loan Interest Rate Hike

By Travis Waldron on May 14, 2012 at 3:30 pm

Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh (R) last month announced his opposition to legislation that would prevent the interest rates on federal student loans from doubling in July, saying it amounted to giving everyone “basically free college education.”

Last weekend, in his first debate against his challenger, Tammy Duckworth (D), Walsh reiterated that position and again struggled to maintain control of basic facts regarding student loans. Walsh said he opposed efforts to prevent rates from doubling from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent because it would bring minimal benefit to students while adding to the national deficit, the Chicago Tribune reports:

Walsh defended his vote against a plan to keep student interest rates at 3.6 percent [sic] after a July 1 deadline, saying it would not result in the savings that have been touted. Walsh said new students would save just $7 a month while the national deficit would rise by $6 billion.

“This was a perfect issue that just typifies everything that’s wrong in Washington,” Walsh said. “Here was this president whose numbers might be down among young Americans. So what’s he going to do? He’s going to try to throw a bone to young Americans.“

Walsh’s assertions aren’t quite correct. The doubling of the current interest rate would cost students an average of $1,000 a year, or about $83 a month. And neither the House nor Senate version adds a single cent to the national deficit. Senate Democrats paid for their version by closing a tax loophole that benefits wealthy individuals. House Republicans have thus far refused to cover the cost by closing tax loopholes, instead choosing to pay for their version with cuts to the prevention fund from the Affordable Care Act.

Health

Duckworth, Walsh Argue Over Medicare Spending In First Congressional Debate

By Amanda Peterson Beadle on May 14, 2012 at 3:05 pm

In their first debate, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) and his Democratic competitor Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, clashed over the budget debate that is dividing Congress. Among the issues debated, Walsh and Duckworth accused each other of trying to destroy Medicare.

Duckworth correctly pointed out that approving Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget proposal would end Medicare as we know it, but Walsh insisted that passing massive tax cuts for the rich would help save Medicare, according to the Chicago Sun-Times:

Duckworth continued: “You are on the front lines, giving money to people who don’t need it. Why are you so obsessed with ending Medicare? You call it a ‘Ponzi scheme.’”

“Tammy, I want to save it!” Walsh interjected. “Every Republican and Democrat in D.C. knows it’s gone in 10 years. What do you propose to do?”

“I propose to end the tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires to pay for it,” Duckworth said.

“Oh, Holy Cow, I would much rather be standing with a plan than with a president who has ignored Medicare,” Walsh told Duckworth. “If you’re going to continue down this road as the president is and say, ‘I’m just going to ignore Medicare,’ you, my dear, are ending it as we know it. And that is so wrong.”

Ryan’s budget plan would dramatically reshape Medicare and charge seniors more: led by Ryan, House Republicans voted to cut funds to Medicare, Medicaid, and other social programs so that they could protect defense spending. The Washington Post reports that Ryan’s plan is still a difficult issue on the campaign trail as Democrats continue to attack Republicans for supporting the plan.

But even if it may be proving a difficult topic for congressional Republicans, likely GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has staked out the same budget plan as Ryan.

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Security

Joe Walsh Challenged Duckworth To A Debate At The Same Time That She Was Serving Army Duty

By Faiz Shakir on Apr 16, 2012 at 1:34 pm

Last Friday, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) challenged his Democratic opponent — Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth — to a debate. Walsh posted an announcement on his campaign website which stated that the congressman would be hosting a town hall on Sunday, and that he “has invited his opponent Tammy Duckworth to join him because he believes the voters deserve to have the ability to directly compare their competing views on the issues.”

Unfortunately, she was unable to attend. Why? Because Duckworth, who serves in the Army National Guard, was on duty this past weekend. As VoteVets told ThinkProgress, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Duckworth was legally prohibited from appearing at any campaign events while on duty. VoteVets Chairman Jon Soltz issued the following statement:

Joe Walsh just cannot stop trying to use Tammy Duckworth’s service against her, and he needs to stop, now. Whether or not his campaign was aware of her Army obligations, he now is, and should immediately apologize for this stunt. We should be thankful for the service of all of our troops, not use their time in uniform as an opportunity to play a political stunt.

The Duckworth campaign has made clear that it would like to hold a series of debates with Walsh.

Walsh’s denigration of Duckworth’s service seems to be a recurring theme. In a recent interview with Politico, Walsh diminished Duckworth’s sacrifice for her nation (she lost both of her legs and has a damaged right arm because her helicopter was gunned down in Iraq in 2004) by saying, “What else has she done? Female, wounded veteran … ehhh…. She is nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat.” Walsh refuses to apologize for those remarks and has instead doubled down. “Wearing the uniform should immediately earn everyone’s respect. It should not, however, earn everyone’s vote,” he said earlier this month.

Since 2006, Duckworth has been serving our nation’s veterans, first by directing the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, and more recently by serving as an Assistant Secretary in the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. But Walsh has been “trying to pretend that [Duckworth’s] service ended when she came home from war.”

NEWS FLASH

Walsh Says His Opponent’s Military Service Should Win Praise, Not Votes | In an interview with Politico last week, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) downplayed his opponent Tammy Duckworth’s military service and injuries. “What else has she done? Female, wounded veteran … ehhh,” he said about Duckworth, who lost both legs and part of an arm while serving in Iraq. Walsh issued an explanatory statement to Politico today. He does not apologize for his insensitive remarks, and said that while Duckworth’s military service is praise-worthy, it is not a reason why voters should choose her. “Wearing the uniform should immediately earn everyone’s respect. It should not, however, earn everyone’s vote,” he said. “If that were the case, Ms. Duckworth and the Liberal advocacy group VoteVets would have both supported John McCain over Barack Obama.”

Security

Rep. Joe Walsh Says Of Opponent Tammy Duckworth: ‘Female, Wounded Veteran … Ehhh’

By Annie-Rose Strasser on Mar 30, 2012 at 1:15 pm

In an interview with Politico yesterday, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) downplayed his opponent Tammy Duckworth’s military service and injury.

Duckworth, who served in Iraq and then at the VA, lost both legs and part of her arm in combat. Walsh’s response? Ehhh:

“I have so much respect for what she did in the fact that she sacrificed her body for this country,” said Walsh, simultaneously lowering his voice as he leaned forward before pausing for dramatic effect. “Ehhh. Now let’s move on.”

“What else has she done? Female, wounded veteran … ehhh,” he continued. “She is nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat. David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel just picked her up and dropped her into this district.”

Walsh has since tried to walk back his statement. “I often catch myself when I’m talking. I meant something other than how it came out,” he told Chicagomag.com, although he did not expound on what he meant. But Walsh’s insulting comment is just another instance in a long, long, long line of offensive behavior against a range of marginalized groups.

Politics

Tammy Duckworth tapped for Assistant VA Secretary.

By Amanda Terkel on Feb 3, 2009 at 10:18 am

tammy_duckworth_wheelchair.jpg Today, the Obama administration announced that the President intends to nominate veteran Tammy Duckworth to be Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Duckworth, who lost both her legs serving in the Iraq war, is currently director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and ran for the House in the 2006 elections. From the Obama team’s press release:

As assistant secretary, Duckworth will direct VA’s public affairs, internal communications and intergovernmental relations. She also will oversee programs for homeless Veterans, consumer affairs and special rehabilitative events.

Duckworth was appointed director of the state Veterans office in Illinois in 2006. In previous testimony before Congress, she expressed her commitment to Veterans and the need for transformation of the Department. “The VA system faces new challenges as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” She also noted “the patient profile is changing. More wounded soldiers are surviving very serious injuries.”

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