A Baby On The Senate Floor
Sen. Tammy Duckworth made history on Thursday. After a change in the Senate rules, the Illinois Democrat became the first U.S. senator to cast a vote with a baby in tow.
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
There was a fresh new face on the Senate floor this week.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Yeah. Let's explain here. Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth made history last week when she became the first senator to give birth while in office.
MARTIN: But while Duckworth was pregnant, she realized that she wasn't going to be allowed to bring her child onto the Senate floor. So she pushed to change a Senate rule which Duckworth told CNN was outdated.
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TAMMY DUCKWORTH: I thought, wow, I feel like I'm living in the 19th century instead of the 21st, and we need to make some of these changes.
GREENE: Well, the Senate agreed, and they passed the rule change with a unanimous vote on Wednesday. And then yesterday, Senator Duckworth took her 10-day-old daughter Maile onto the floor with her to vote.
MARTIN: Lots of applause for Ms. Duckworth and her baby, Maile, who was dressed for the occasion. Before going onto the Senate floor, Senator Duckworth tweeted out a photo of her daughter's outfit. She said, quote, "I may have to vote today, so Maile's outfit is prepped. I made sure she has a jacket so she doesn't violate the Senate floor dress code, which requires blazers. I'm not sure what the policy is on duckling onesies, but I think we're ready."
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