Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and her newborn daughter Maile Pearl Bowlsbey made history Thursday after the lawmaker voted on the Senate floor with her baby in tow.
The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to change its longstanding rules and allow senators to bring their children under 1 year old onto the chamber floor during votes. Duckworth introduced the resolution earlier in the week after becoming the first sitting senator to give birth while in office.
Video of the moment shows Duckworth arriving on the floor to applause from her colleagues. The senator ensured baby Maile adhered to Senate floor dress code policy, wearing a jacket since blazers are required. She also wore a duck-print onesie.
“I’m not sure what the policy is on duckling onesies, but I think we’re ready,” Duckworth tweeted before the vote.
She then cast her vote opposing President Donald Trump’s pick to lead NASA. (The Senate nonetheless confirmed Jim Bridenstine as the agency’s new administrator.)
Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, welcomed her first child, Abigail, in 2014 while she served in the U.S. House of Representatives. On Wednesday, Duckworth thanked her Senate colleagues for swiftly passing her resolution so she could uphold her constitutional duty.
“By ensuring that no Senator will be prevented from performing their constitutional responsibilities simply because they have a young child, the Senate is leading by example and sending the important message that working parents everywhere deserve family-friendly workplace policies,” she said in a statement when the resolution passed.
As she was leaving the Senate floor Thursday, Duckworth told reporters it felt “amazing” to be able to cast her vote and bring her newborn. “And it’s about time,” she said.
Check out the moment in the video above.