Durbin To FCC Chairman Pai: Sinclair's Troubling Conduct Deserves Utmost Scrutiny In Sinclair-Tribune Mega-Merger

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai regarding his recent decision to halt its review of the proposed merger between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media Company and refer it to heightened legal scrutiny. Durbin has sent multiple letters to the FCC about troubling aspects of Sinclair's conduct and has called into question the legality of the details in the proposed merger. "Sinclair's… Continue Reading

Durbin, National Security Democratic Senate Leaders Press President Trump For Details On Putin Summit

WASHINGTON - Following President Donald Trump's meeting and press conference with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, where President Trump accepted Putin's election meddling denial, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined top Senate Democrats last night in a letter to President Trump listing a series of questions to clarify if and what commitments he made to Putin during their secretive and lengthy meeting. "American citizens and the whole world watched the leader of the free world alig… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses Heartland Alliance To Look Into Allegations Of Physical & Emotional Abuse At Chicago Facility

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged Heartland Alliance, an Illinois-based social services agency, to look into the disturbing allegations of physical and emotional abuse made by children who were recently cared for at Casa Guadalupe, a Chicago shelter run by Heartland, and take immediate steps to determine what happened, who was responsible, and to ensure that nothing like this happens to any child in the care of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services … Continue Reading

Durbin: My Colleagues Are Failing To Live Up To Their Oath, Refuse To Speak Up And Denounce President Trump's Actions In Helsinki

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on his Senate Republican colleagues to speak up and put country before party following President Donald Trump's remarks at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Yesterday, we watched in disbelief as the president not only refused to even acknowledge the act of cyber war against the United States, but incredibly blamed America first for our poor relationship with Russia. We watched our American … Continue Reading

Durbin: Trump Joins Putin In "Blaming America First"

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump's remarks at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin: President Trump's performance in Helsinki was appalling. By ignoring the evidence of Russian interference in our 2016 election, President Trump joined Vladimir Putin in blaming America for the charges and throwing our intelligence and justice officials under the bus. The President's no… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senior Dem Senators: President Trump Must Cancel Meeting With Putin Unless He Makes Attack On U.S. Election Number One Issue

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee; Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Ho… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Special Counsel Indictment Of 12 Russians For Hacking In 2016 U.S. Election

U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced Special Counsel Mueller's indictment of 12 Russians for their activities to interfere in the 2016 election by engaging in a sustained operation to hack into the computer networks of Democratic campaign organizations, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, and state and local election administrators and vendors. The indicted individuals were members of Rus… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With HUD Inspector General Nominee Rae Oliver Davis

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Rae Oliver Davis, a Southern Illinois native who's been nominated to be the next Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). During the meeting, Durbin and Oliver Davis discussed what her goals and priorities would be at HUD, and how the agency can provide greater oversight to ensure public housing residents have safe and healthy living conditions. Currently, HUD's Office of Inspector… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Rep. Kelly, Lawmakers Press Major Health Insurers To Ramp Up Their Efforts To Reduce Racial Disparities In Maternal & Infant Health Outcomes

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today led 23 Senators and 11 U.S. Representatives in pressing 15 major health insurers for information regarding what pregnancy and postpartum health care services are covered by their insurance plans in order to better understand what steps they are taking to reduce racial disparities and improve maternal and infant health outcomes. The members also urged the health insurers to… Continue Reading

Durbin, Smith, Reed, & Senators Introduce Bill To Prevent Unnecessary Private Student Loan Debt And Improve Transparency

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Jack Reed (D-RI), along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Ben Cardin (D-MD), today introduced the Know Before You Owe Private Education Loan Act of 2018 to prevent unnecessary private student loan debt and improve transparency. According to the Federal Reserve, total student loan debt in America is now $1.5 trillion. The Institute for College Access and Success reports that the volume of private educa… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Rep. Kelly, Dem Members Of Illinois Congressional Delegation Press Gov. Rauner On Racial Disparities In Maternal & Infant Health Outcomes in Illinois

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), and Bill Foster (D-IL-11) today pressed Governor Bruce Rauner on what steps his Administration is currently taking-or plans to take-to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Illinois, as well as to reduce the stark racia… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Senate Confirmation Of Brian Benczkowski

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate voted to approve the controversial nomination of Brian Benczkowski to lead the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division: I cannot believe the Republican Party just rubber-stamped a nominee to head the Justice Department's Criminal Division who has no prosecutorial experience, who chose to represent a Russian bank with deep ties to Vladimir Putin, and who would not commit to… Continue Reading

Durbin, Wyden, Feinstein, Murray Call Out Glaring Inaccuracies In HHS Secretary Azar's Testimony On Child Separation

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar questioning the truthfulness of testimony he gave to the Senate Finance Committee regarding HHS'care of children removed from their parents by the Tru… Continue Reading

Durbin: Failure To Reunite Separated Children Is A Toxic Mix Of Cruelty & Incompetency

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on his Senate colleagues to oppose President Donald Trump's cruel efforts to indefinitely detain migrant children. Durbin's speech on the Senate floor comes one day after a federal district court's deadline for reuniting children under the age of five that were separated from their parents under Trump's "zero tolerance" policy. Yesterday, the Trump administration notified the court that it had identified 102 separated chi… Continue Reading

Durbin: Trump Is Incapable Of Distinguishing Friends From Enemies

WASHINGTON - Ahead of President Trump's upcoming meetings with NATO allies and Russian President Putin, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor to express deep concern about the current course of American foreign policy under President Trump. Durbin slammed President Trump's willingness to recklessly undermine allies and instead cozy up to adversaries like Russia and North Korea. Durbin also criticized the stunning silence from most Republicans in Congress while … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With VA Secretary Nominee, Presses For Support Of Quincy Veterans' Home & To Protect Veterans From For-Profit Colleges

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Robert Wilkie, who has been nominated as the next Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). During the meeting, Durbin discussed ongoing efforts to update the Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) at Quincy - a state owned facility - and the importance of improving operations and timely care at VA facilities throughout Illinois and across the country. A photo of … Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Should Not Confirm Benzckowski, Controversial DOJ Nominee With Russia Ties

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Senate to oppose the controversial nomination of Brian Benczkowski to lead the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division. While he was seeking a DOJ position in 2017, Mr. Benczkowski chose to represent Alfa Bank, a massive private commercial bank in Russia closely allied with President Vladimir Putin and his government, and he has refused to pledge to recuse himself from Russia-related matters if confirmed. In a… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On President Trump's Supreme Court Nomination Of Brett Kavanaugh

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Trump's nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court: The next Justice will likely be the deciding vote on whether Americans will keep affordable health insurance for pre-existing conditions, whether women will lose the freedom to make their own health care choices, and whether we have a Constitution that protects the rights of all… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Trump Administration To Comply With Court Order, Reunite Families Separated By Trump's "Zero Tolerance" Policy

EAST ST. LOUIS-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on President Donald Trump to immediately announce his intention to fully comply with a federal district court's order to return children separated under his Administration's "zero tolerance" policy to their parents within 30 days, and within 14 days for children under age five, and to regularly update Congress on his progress towards meeting the court's deadlines. Durbin's letter to President Trump follows yesterday's br… Continue Reading

Senate passes Durbin, Roberts Farm Bill Amendment To Support Rural EMS Agencies

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate passed the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, which included an amendment by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Pat Roberts (R-KS), and cosponsored by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), to reauthorize a federal grant program that directly supports rural emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting courses to satisfy certification requirements, and purchasing equipment-… Continue Reading