Press Releases
Durbin Statement On President Trump's Budget Proposal
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement on President Trump’s abysmal budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026 that cuts funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by nearly half: “It’s no surprise that President Trump proposed a federal budget that reflects his true priority - funding tax breaks for billionaires by betraying … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Durbin Discusses Impact Of Trump's Tariffs On Chicago Small Businesses Owners
CHICAGO— U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined small business owners in Lincoln Park to discuss the impacts of President Trump’s tariffs. “The Trump Tariffs are already driving up costs for manufacturers, disrupting our supply chains, and inspiring retaliatory tariffs, which will hurt small businesses like Lori’s Shoes, Art Effect, and Lost Soul Found, as well as their customers,” said Durbin. “President Trump has doubled down on these tariffs with nothing to show for … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Durbin Demands Attorney General Bondi To Recuse Herself From Any Work Benefitting Private Prison Company Due To Conflicts Of Interest
CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to recuse herself from any Justice Department (DOJ)-related work that could benefit her former lobbying client, the GEO Group, a major private prison contractor whose largest source of revenue is from contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a letter to Attorney General Bondi, Durbin raises serious ethical concerns due … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Durbin Statement On President Trump's Executive Order To End Federal Funds For NPR And PBS
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to prohibit federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): “The ruthless cuts and attacks on our federal government was not enough for President Trump—now he is going after public broadcasting, which has been providing unbiased, informative, and … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Shares The Story Of The Dream Act At Hispanic Association Of Colleges and Universities Forum
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of the Dream Act, today delivered remarks at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) forum. In his remarks, Durbin spoke about meeting Tereza Lee, the daughter of South Korean parents who fled to Brazil following the Korean War. Born in Brazil, Ms. Lee and her family moved to the United States when she was just two years old in 1985. While applying to … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Statement On Senate Republicans' Support Of Social Security Administration Nominee Who Will Gut Agency, Prevent Americans From Accessing Benefits
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after he voted against moving forward with the nomination of Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration (SSA): “As if it wasn’t enough to tank the economy and decimate Americans’ retirement accounts, President Trump has put forth a nominee to lead the Social Security Administration that would be complicit in closing SSA offices, limiting SSA phone services, and perpetuating … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
During A Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting, Durbin Continued To Raise Serious Concerns Over Ed Martin's Nomination
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s executive business meeting where he continued to raise his serious concerns over Ed Martin—President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Attorney in D.C. Today’s executive business meeting also considered the nominations of John Eisenberg, nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division, and … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Amps Up Oversight Of Trump Administration's Immigration Detention Expansion
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, escalated congressional oversight of the Trump Administration’s aggressive expansion of immigration detention, which has created a major financial boon for private prison companies. This expansion raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and the humane treatment of detained individuals, particularly in light of repeated reports of detainee mistreatment, … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Joins Warren, Colleagues In Pressing Trump Administration On Impact Of Mass Firings At Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and 39 other Democratic Senators in a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Russell Vought outlining more than 80 congressionally mandated functions of the CFPB and pressing foranswers on how the agency would be able to fulfill them after firing almost the entire staff. In the letter … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Statement On Law Day And The Importance Of The Rule Of Law
WASHINGTON - On Law Day, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement in support of #ReaffirmTheOath—a grassroots effort that calls upon lawyers nationwide to publicly renew their commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law by reaffirming the oath they took when sworn in as attorneys. Law Day, which is observed on May 1, is a time to reflect on the importance of our legal system and the principles that … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Reintroduce Assault Weapons Ban
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) in the bicameral reintroduction of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025, legislation to revive a nationwide ban on assault weapons two decades after the original ban expired. The bill would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and import … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin Questions Witnesses During Spotlight Hearing On The Trump Administration's Attempts To Whitewash January 6
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Democratic spotlight hearing entitled “Clear and Present Danger: The Trump Administration’s Whitewashing of the January 6th Insurrection.” Durbin first questioned Mike Romano, a former Deputy Chief of the Capitol Siege Section of the D.C.U.S. Attorney’s Office and member of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Public Integrity Unit, and Sara … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin Delivers Remarks Honoring Fred Wertheimer As He Receives The Senator Paul H. Douglas Award For Ethics In Government
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered remarks honoring Fred Wertheimer, this year’s recipient for the University of Illinois System’s Senator Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government. In his remarks, Durbin praised Mr. Wertheimer’s work as founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to strengthening American democracy, safeguarding election integrity, and promoting government accountability. Named for the late Illinois … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Spotlight Hearing On The Trump Administration's Attempts To Whitewash January 6
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Democratic spotlight hearing entitled “Clear and Present Danger: The Trump Administration’s Whitewashing of the January 6th Insurrection.” The witnesses include Harry Dunn, former U.S. Capitol Police Officer, and Daniel Hodges, an 11-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who were both brutally attacked by the … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin In Appropriations Committee: Want To 'Make America Great Again?' Stick With The NIH
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today participated in a Committee hearing entitled “Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation.” During the hearing, Durbin emphasized the disastrous consequences of the Trump Administration’s desire to slash federal funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), effectively grinding medical research in the U.S. to a halt. Drawing from his family’s own … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Measure To Amend National Child Protection Act To Expand Nationwide Background Check Access
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced a bipartisan bill, the Comprehensive Health and Integrity in Licensing and Documentation (CHILD) Act, to amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993 (NCPA) to ensure that individuals with unsupervised access to children, such as those under contract with a school, are, once again, … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee Nominations Hearing For The Heads of DEA & USMS
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Gadyaces Serralta, nominated to be Director of the United States Marshals Service (USMS), during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Today’s hearing also featured Terrance Cole, nominated to be Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Durbin began by asking Mr. Serralta if he would commit, under oath, to enforcing all judicial orders if he is … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Association Of Illinois Electric Cooperatives
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) yesterday met with the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperative (AIEC), which represents 24 distribution co-ops and five generation/transmission co-ops that serve most of rural Illinois, to discuss protecting U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy programs and clean energy tax credits. During their meeting, the group stressed the importance of two … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Champaign County First
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) yesterday met with representatives from Champaign County First to discuss the region’s priorities and advocating for federal policies that improve the lives of those in Central Illinois. During the meeting, Durbin and Duckworth spoke about the Trump Administration’s decision to freeze federal funding, threatening the completion of major infrastructure projects planned in Illinois. “The … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Nominations Hearing For The Heads of DEA & USMS
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Terrance Cole, to be Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and Gadyaces Serralta, to be Director of the United States Marshals Service (USMS). Before addressing the nominees, Durbin spoke about President Trump’s assault on the Justice Department and the federal … Continue Reading