Sen. Tammy Duckworth on how coronavirus has made her schedule even 'busier than it was before'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., tells Fox News how her day-to-day has changed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
Quarantine Routine is a regular feature that asks political power brokers how their daily lives have changed -- and how they're still doing their jobs -- during the coronavirus crisis.
Like so many Americans, Sen. Tammy Duckworth's day-to-day routine has changed in the new reality that has come with the coronavirus pandemic.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duckworth, D-Ill., is working her regular full-time jobs -- as a U.S. senator from Illinois and a mother of two.
But she's also taken on some new responsibilities.
When she's not working with her Senate Democratic colleagues on new legislation to help Americans through the coronavirus crisis, she's taken on a new role: homeschooling her daughter as schools across the country shuttered due to the pandemic.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duckworth explained her new daily routine in a Q&A with Fox News:
How has your daily routine changed since social distancing measures began?
Duckworth: The main change has been my new role as teacher to my 5-year-old daughter, Abigail, which takes up most of my mornings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}My days seem to start earlier in the morning and end later in the evening than before.
I’m home with both of my girls all day, which is good because I get to spend more time with them but it’s also challenging when they interrupt my work at all times of the day.
What are the biggest challenges in doing your job during this crisis?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duckworth: Trying to fit everything in. Since there’s no longer as clear a demarcation between work time and family time, the two now bleed into each other much more.
People might think that I have more time because I’m at home, but my schedule is actually busier than it was before.
What do you miss the most about how you did your job before this began?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duckworth: I miss seeing my colleagues and having conversations with them. Those conversations are valuable to the work that I do representing the people of Illinois.
What surprised you the most about how life has changed?
Duckworth: How much busier my days are.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}How do you blow off steam?
Duckworth: Blowing off steam?? When do I get to do that?? Does eating Ben & Jerry’s count?