Duckworth hosts veterans town hall in Crystal Lake

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, talked about veterans but also bipartisan legislation and other issues at a Crystal Lake town hall Saturday morning.

Duckworth, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Iraq War, focused the town hall, which was held at the IBEW Local 117 hall, on veterans and veterans issues.

David Trost of McHenry asked Duckworth about Medicare and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other similar programs, and how to get what he said was more support from Republicans.

Duckworth said she tries to speak in a way that doesn’t divide Democrats or Republicans. She believes most Republicans care about veterans, “but it comes down to a price tag.”

She said that when it comes to trying to fund tax cuts, Medicaid is one place lawmakers look, “but VA is the next.”

Duckworth said people can remind their representatives that the government has an obligation to care for veterans and the issue could affect military readiness later on.

If parents don’t think the country will take care of veterans, “they’re not going to allow their kids to enlist,” Duckworth said, adding she doesn’t want troops thinking “if I get hurt, am I going to be taken care of?”

Duckworth also denounced what she said were Republican efforts to privatize the VA; she said they want to give veterans an ID card that works like insurance. She said it sounds like a good idea, but is a bad idea when it comes to veterans.

“VA needs to be your medical center home,” Duckworth said, adding she talked with VA Secretary Doug Collins and supports a hybrid approach.

Duckworth said she gets her prosthetics made by a civilian provider but goes to the VA so they can check and make sure it’s what she needs and that is the model she supports.

Duckworth lost her legs in 2004 in Iraq when the helicopter she was piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

Duckworth also was asked about when politicians might work together.

“When they remember that we love this country more than ourselves,” Duckworth replied, which prompted applause from the crowd.

Duckworth mentioned bipartisan legislation she has worked on, including working with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, on legislation requiring hairdressers and barbers to be able to spot signs of domestic violence.

Dean Parr of Crystal Lake asked about protections for mail-in ballots for the military and asked about veterans of more “modest means.”

Duckworth said about 40% of sales at a commissary involve theSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and “it is shameful that we have active-duty troops who cannot feed their families.”

A spokesperson for Duckworth said it was the first veterans-focused town hall the senator hosted, but her office hopes to do more.

In April, about 200 people protested potential VA staff cuts outside the VA clinic in McHenry.

Duckworth said about 80,000 people were hired at the VA during the Biden administration.

According to the Associated Press, the agency expanded under Biden, but also expanded to cover veterans affected by burn pits under the 2022 PACT Act.

About 5.4% of McHenry County residents are veterans, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, and 4.7% of Illinoisans are veterans.

While attendees weren’t all McHenry County residents and the crowd of about 75 to 100 was generally friendly to Duckworth, McHenry County is the last Republican-leaning county in the Chicago suburbs; the party holds all countywide elected offices and a 15-3 supermajority on the County Board.

President Donald Trump won just fewer than 84,000 votes, about 52% of the county’s vote in November, and the county narrowly went for Kathy Salvi, Duckworth’s Republican opponent in 2022. Salvi is the current chair of the Illinois GOP.

While veterans sometimes have become the face of cuts made by the Trump administration, about 6 in 10 veterans supported Trump in the 2024 election, according to the AP.

Duckworth is not the first Illinois Democrat holding federal office to host a town hall in McHenry County since Trump took office in January. U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, hosted one in April at McHenry County College, with a fairly supportive crowd. Foster went into detail about the calculus his party is making about whether to impeach the president.

Duckworth, who said she helps veterans across the country, said she wanted people to share their stories with her “so that we can stay vigilant on all of this.”