U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois has announced she is pregnant, meaning she would become the first senator to give birth while in office.
The 49-year-old Army veteran lost both legs in 2004 after being hit while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter over Iraq.
The Democrat has not been afraid to confront President Trump on issues affecting the military and veterans.
Duckworth, a retired lieutenant colonel, is married to Army National Guard Maj. Bryan Bowlsbey. They welcomed their first child, Abigail, in 2014.
“Women have been getting pregnant and continuing to work to support their families for years and so to me it seems very ordinary. But it’s 2018, and it’s about time we started breaking down some barriers in the Senate,” Duckworth said Wednesday on the Today show.
She recently made headlines during the government shutdown when she assailed Trump’s remarks about needing a strong military. “I will not be lectured about what our military needs by a … draft dodger,” she said.
Her second child, a girl, is due in April.
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