Meet Senator Tammy Duckworth, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot, Purple Heart recipient, and top-tier. Prior to being elected to the United States Senate in 2016, Tammy served as Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, and then as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Obama. During that time, she implemented initiatives to better support female veterans, and was a leader in the fight against veteran homelessness, As Senator, Tammy continues to protect, empower, and advocate for veterans.
And Tammy is a number of firsts: the first Asian American woman elected to Congress in Illinois (and the second Asian American woman to serve in the Senate), the first woman with a disability to be elected to Congress, the first female double amputee in the Senate, the first member of Congress born in Thailand, and the first Senator to give birth while in office.