Durbin: No One Is Entitled To A Seat On The Supreme Court

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on Senate Republicans to support a nonpartisan, independent FBI investigation into the serious and credible sexual assault allegations against President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin pushed back on claims made by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that the sexual assault allegations against Judge K… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $15 Million For Regional Airports Throughout Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that 10 Illinois regional airports will receive a total of $14,774,459 in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) State Block Grant Program. "Investing in our regional airports is key to our state's economic success," said Durbin. "This funding will help modernize our aviation infrastructure and improve experience for travelers. I will continue working with Senator Duckworth to ensure Illin… Continue Reading

Durbin, Brown Urge Purdue University Board To End Practice Of Mandatory Arbitration For Enrollment At Global University

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today urged the Board of Trustees at Purdue University - which purchased the predatory for-profit Kaplan University, now Purdue University Global - to end the for-profit college industry practice of forcing students to sign pre-dispute mandatory arbitration clauses and class action bans as a condition of the new entity. Mandatory arbitration clauses prevent students from bringing suit against a school in a court of law when … Continue Reading

Durbin And Bustos Highlight Key Provisions In Fight Against Opioid Epidemic

ROCK ISLAND - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos today discussed their work to address the opioid epidemic. The Senate passed an opioid package on Monday and the House passed similar legislation in June. These bills both include critical legislative provisions that Senator Durbin and Congresswoman Bustos fought to include to prevent addiction, help survivors, and save lives. The measures will now be negotiated to reconcile differences between the House and Senate-passe… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth: Defense, Labor, Health, Education Appropriations Package Provides Critical Funding For Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), today released the following statements on Senate passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Department of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations package - which provides $674.4 billion for the Department of Defense and $178.1 billion for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies. The legi… Continue Reading

Durbin, King, Smith Secure $5 Million For Competitive Grants Supporting Open Textbooks In FY19 Funding Bill

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Angus King (I-ME) and Tina Smith (D-MN) today applauded the inclusion of a provision allocating $5 million in additional funding for the continued implementation of the Open Textbooks Pilot in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Department of Defense, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Education Appropriations package. The Open Textbooks Pilot, based on the Senator's Affordable College Textbook Act, is a competiti… Continue Reading

Durbin: FBI Must Complete An Investigation Into Serious & Credible Sexual Assault Allegation Against Judge Kavanaugh Before Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on the Trump White House to request that the FBI's career professionals conduct an independent investigation into the serious and credible sexual assault allegation against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump's Supreme Court nominee. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that the FBI needs to interview witnesses, review all of the evidence, and report their findings … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces New Compromise Legislation To Lift IMD Exclusion, Help More Americans Get Treatment For Addiction

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Ben Cardin (D-MD), today introduced new bipartisan legislation to expand Americans' access to treatment for opioid addiction by lifting the Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion. The IMD exclusion is an arcane, decades-old policy that prohibits states from using federal Medicaid dollars to pay for treatment at residential mental health or substance abuse… Continue Reading

Durbin, Feinstein Statement on Trump Administration Decision To Slash Refugee Resettlement Goal For Second Year In A Row

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Trump administration announced that it will aim to admit 30,000 refugees to the U.S. in the coming year, down from the current level of 45,000: The Trump administration has once again dropped America's moral standing to a new low by setting the refugee ceil… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $3.2 Million In Funding To Support Low-Income Illinoisans With Disabilities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded nine Illinois communities a total of $3,291,834 to provide affordable housing to people with disabilities. The funding is awarded through HUD's Section 811 Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher Program, which helps individuals with disabilities live as independently as possible in the communities with access to supportive services. "Thi… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Bill To Fight Opioid Epidemic

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded Senate passage of a bipartisan opioid legislative package to help address both causes and effects of the nation's worst-ever drug overdose epidemic. The legislative package includes major provisions from Durbin's bipartisan bill to strengthen the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) ability to adjust quotas determining the number of opioid drugs allowed to be produced in the United States each year, and his bil… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Sexual Assault Allegation Against Judge Kavanaugh, President Trump's Supreme Court Nominee

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the allegation of sexual assault against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee: We cannot meet our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent without a fair and careful review of the serious and credible allegations made by Dr. Ford. The Thursday Judiciary Committee vote must be postponed and the FBI … Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Successes In Senate's Bipartisan Opioid Package

CHICAGO - As the Senate prepares to vote on a major legislative package aimed at addressing the opioid crisis, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today outlined several key initiatives he included in the bill to help address both causes and effects of the nation's worst-ever drug overdose epidemic. The legislative package, which is expected to pass the Senate on Monday, includes major provisions from Durbin's bipartisan bill to strengthen the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) ability to adju… Continue Reading

Durbin & Duckworth: Appropriations Bill Provides Critical Funding For Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced Illinois priorities included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Energy & Water; Military Construction & Veterans Affairs; and Legislative Branch Appropriations Bills. The legislation passed the Senate yesterday and will now head to the House of Representatives for final passage. "This bill supports Illinois is a variety of ways, like funding c… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Bipartisan Amendment To Take On Big Pharma, Require Disclosure Of Drug Prices In TV Ads

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital to tout his bipartisan Senate-passed amendment requiring pharmaceutical companies to list prices of their prescription drugs in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements. The amendment helps to empower patients, promote transparency, and lower prescription drug costs, and it was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Angus King (I-ME). The provision was included in the Senate's Labor-Health and H… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On FDA Announcement of New Enforcement Actions On Kid-Friendly E-Cigarette Flavors

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to issue new enforcement actions on e-cigarette companies' use of kid-appealing flavors, in order to better protect children and teens from using addictive and dangerous e-cigarettes: "We have seen an increase in children using e-cigarettes and vaping of 75 percent this year - and 12 percent of kids are vaping in America today. Th… Continue Reading

Document Shows Judge Kavanaugh Misled Durbin Under Oath About His Work On Controversial Judicial Nomination

In sworn testimony in 2006, Judge Kavanaugh stated, "I've-I know Jim Haynes, but it was not one of the nominations that I handled;" so-called "Committee Confidential" document shows otherwise CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released a document that shows Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, gave misleading testimony in 2006 about his work on the judicial nomination of William (Jim) Hayn… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos, Kinzinger, and Mayor McNamra Announce $450,000 In Federal Funding To Help Victims Of Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault In Rockford

ROCKFORD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) and U.S. Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-16) today joined Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara to announce that the City of Rockford has received $449,870 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women. The funding will allow Rockford to establish a Family Justice Center, which will provide comprehensive services to aid victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human tr… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses Supreme Court Nominee Kavanaugh On His Views Of President Trump's Power

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today pressed President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to clarify his views on executive power given that, if confirmed, he will likely rule on President Trump's sweeping assertions of authority. "You have been nominated to be a Justice on the United States Supreme Court by President Donald Trump. We have to take your nomination in the context of this mo… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join New Effort To Protect Seniors And Americans With Pre-Existing Conditions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and 41 other Democratic Senators on legislation to overturn the Trump Administration's expansion of "junk health insurance plans." As of today, 44 Senators have cosponsored the resolution of disapproval of the Trump Administration's final "junk health insurance plan" rule, which only needs the support of 30 Senators to force a vote. These year-long "junk plans" can exclude basic health … Continue Reading