--- description: The National Republican Senatorial Committee accused an Illinois lawmaker who lost both her legs in Iraq of “not standing up" for veterans title: Republicans Attack Amputee Lawmaker For 'Not Standing Up' For Veterans image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8af9a6237af8b6c0/69888a34cf40a8552bc4253b/tammy-duckworth-nrsc.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Republicans Attack Amputee Lawmaker For 'Not Standing Up' For Veterans  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 8, 2016 9:48 PM CUT  U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) (3rd L) stands with female members of the Democratic Caucus during a photo op on January 3, 2013 in Washington, DC. U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) (3rd L) stands with female members of the Democratic Caucus during a photo op on January 3, 2013 in Washington, DC.Mark Wilson—Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 8, 2016 9:48 PM CUT The [National Republican Senatorial Committee](http://www.nrsc.org/ "undefined") (NRSC) on Tuesday [accused an Illinois lawmaker and Army veteran who lost both her legs](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/272242-nrsc-faces-heat-for-tweet-about-duckworth-not-standing-up-for "undefined") in Iraq of “not standing up for our veterans.” The group blasted Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who is running to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, in a tweet that it promptly deleted. “Tammy Duckworth has a sad record of not standing up for our veterans,” the NRSC wrote on Twitter. It later issued a statement on the tweet that slammed Duckworth again. “It would be great if reporters would pay as much attention to a deleted tweet as they should to Tammy Duckworth being sued by VA whistleblowers for ignoring claims of mistreatment and corruption,” NRSC spokesman Greg Blair said. > [](https://twitter.com/ryanbeckwith/status/707299921003683840) The lawsuit referenced by the NRSC alleges [ethics violations from nearly a decade ago](http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/VA-Whistleblowers-Accuse-Duckworth-of-Ignoring-Veteran-Abuse-Corruption.html "undefined") and has become a point of contention in her campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, the [Chicago _Tribune_](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-tammy-duckworth-lawsuit-20150803-story.html "undefined") reported last August. Duckworth was a U.S. Army helicopter pilot when she lost both legs and partial use of her right arm in a 2004 explosion during the Iraq War. She was awarded the Purple Heart as a result of her injuries, [according to her website](http://tammyduckworth.com/meet-tammy/ "undefined"). Duckworth’s spokesman, Matt McGrath, called the tweet “tasteless and dishonest,” according to a statement obtained by NBC News. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4251633/tammy-duckworth-nrsc-tweet/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4251633/tammy-duckworth-nrsc-tweet/"},"headline":"Republicans Attack Amputee Lawmaker For 'Not Standing Up' For Veterans","datePublished":"2016-03-08T21:48:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:20:23.263Z","description":"The Army veteran lost both of her legs in Iraq","url":"https://time.com/4251633/tammy-duckworth-nrsc-tweet/","keywords":["Illinois"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8af9a6237af8b6c0/69888a34cf40a8552bc4253b/tammy-duckworth-nrsc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8af9a6237af8b6c0/69888a34cf40a8552bc4253b/tammy-duckworth-nrsc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Democratic Leader Pelosi Highlights Increased Number Of Women In The House","caption":"Democratic Leader Pelosi Highlights Increased Number Of Women In The House","creditText":"Mark Wilson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4251633/tammy-duckworth-nrsc-tweet/","name":"Republicans Attack Amputee Lawmaker For 'Not Standing Up' For Veterans"}}]}] ```