a disability elected to Congress, and the first member of Congress born in Thailand. 2014 In the 2014 general election, Duckworth faced Republican Larry Kaifesh, a United States Marine Corps officer who had recently left active duty as a colonel. Duckworth defeated Kaifesh with 56% of the vote. Tenure Duckworth was sworn into office on January 3, 2013. On April 3, 2013, Duckworth publicly returned 8.4% ($1,218) of her congressional salary for that month to the United States Department of Treasury in solidarity with furloughed government workers. On June 26, 2013, during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Duckworth received national media attention after questioning Strong Castle CEO Braulio Castillo on a $500 million government contract the company had been awarded based on Castillo's disabled veteran status. Castillo had injured his ankle at the US Military Academy's prep school, USMAPS, in 1984. Committee assignments Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces (2013–2017) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (2013–2015) Subcommittee on Readiness (2015–2017) Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements (2013–2015) Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs (2013–2015) Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets, Ranking Member (2015–2017) Subcommittee on Information Technology (2015–2017) United States House Select Committee on Benghazi (May 2014–July 2016) U.S. Senate Elections 2016 On March 30, 2015, Duckworth announced that she would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk for his seat in the 2016 Senate election in Illinois. Duckworth defeated fellow Democrats Andrea Zopp and Napoleon Harris in the primary election on March 15, 2016. During a televised debate on October 27, 2016, Duckworth talked about her ancestors' past service in the United States military. Kirk responded, "I'd forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington." The comment led to the Human Rights Campaign withdrawing their endorsement of Kirk and switching it to Duckworth, stating his comments were "deeply offensive and racist." Duckworth was endorsed by Barack Obama, who actively campaigned for her. On November 8, Duckworth defeated Kirk 55 percent to 40 percent to win the Senate seat. Duckworth and Kamala Harris, who was also elected in 2016, are the second and third female Asian American senators, after Mazie Hirono who was elected in 2012. 2022 In March 2021, Duckworth announced her candidacy for reelection in the 2022 election. On November 8,