Press Releases
Durbin Statement On Results Of DOJ Investigation Of Chicago Police Department
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released the results of a 13-month civil rights investigation into the policies and practices of the Chicago Police Department. Durbin joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in requesting the investigation. "Following the shocking video of the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, I wrote Attorney General Lynch urging her to open an investigation … Continue Reading
01.13.17
Durbin, Menendez Praise Final Hud Lead Safe Housing Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today praised the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) final Lead Safe Housing Rule (LSHR), which revises the definition of "elevated blood lead levels" and strengthens protocols by which the Department identifies and investigates lead exposure in federally-assisted housing. Under the new rule, HUD will lower its threshold for blood lead levels requiring Department intervention from 20 micrograms per dec… Continue Reading
01.13.17
Durbin Praises Education Department Progress On Debt Relief For Students Defrauded By For-Profit Colleges
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised the U.S. Department of Education's continued progress in providing federal student loan debt relief through the defense to repayment process for defrauded students of for-profit colleges. Today, the Department announced that former students of Massachusetts-based American Career Institute will receive automatic discharges of their federal loans and that it has approved additional claims filed by former students of Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech… Continue Reading
01.12.17
Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley Announce $1 Million In Federal Funds For Additional Safety Indicators At CTA’s Control Center
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-5) today announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), has awarded the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) $1,078,300 to fund their Operations Control Center Safety Enhancements Project. The project would add additional safety indicators to the CTA's Control Center (CC) and better integrate critical information col… Continue Reading
01.12.17
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Over $4.5 Million For Illinois Community Health Centers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded four community health centers in Illinois a total of $4,884,191 through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program. Community health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver comprehensive, culturally competent, high-quality primary health care services. Community healt… Continue Reading
01.12.17
Graham, Durbin Reintroduce BRIDGE Act to Protect Undocumented Youth from Deportation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation to protect undocumented young people brought to the United States as children should the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program be discontinued under the next Administration. The Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act, which was first introduced in the Senate late last year, would provide temporary relief from deportation and work author… Continue Reading
01.11.17
Durbin: Repealing Americans’ Health Care Without Replacement Would Be Total Chaos
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called out congressional Republicans for initiating the process to repeal our health care system without any replacement plan to protect all Americans' access to quality health insurance. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin described how at least five Republican Senators have publically stated that repeal of our health care law should happen simultaneously with a replacement, but that Republicans in Congress have no replacement plan and have… Continue Reading
01.11.17
Durbin Statement On Further Reports Of Russian Interference In The United States, Changing Context Of Sessions Hearing
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin released the following statement on reports that the U.S. intelligence community briefed President Obama and President-elect Trump on Russian efforts to collect "personally and financially compromising" information on the President-elect. On Friday, Durbin reviewed classified and unclassified versions of the U.S. intelligence community's assessment of Russia's cyberattack on the 2016 election. "The American people need to know the credibility of these allegati… Continue Reading
01.10.17
Durbin And Duckworth Meet To Discuss Legislative Priorities For Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met to discuss priority issues for the state of Illinois. During the meeting, Durbin and Duckworth discussed short- and long-term goals and priorities for Illinois, including ways to create jobs, invest in infrastructure and grow the state's economy. "Senator Duckworth's journey to the Senate is an inspiration to me and people across America. She brings new energy, ideas and a unique experience in public service to address … Continue Reading
01.10.17
Durbin Meets With Illinois Community Health Center Representatives Amid Health Care Debate
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with representatives from community health centers across Illinois to discuss the impact these centers have around the state and what could happen should Republicans in Congress repeal health care. According to Illinois Community Health Centers, repealing health care would result in Illinois community health centers seeing a 54 percent increase in uninsured patients and a loss of $83 million - leading to a 10 percent reduction in health cent… Continue Reading
01.10.17
Durbin Grills Sessions On Immigration, Criminal Justice
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today raised concerns regarding the civil rights record of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who is nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney General, during the first day of his confirmation hearings. During his remarks, Senator Durbin recognized two guests who personify the most pressing issues facing our country's top law enforcement officer: former DREAMer and U.S. veteran Oscar Vazquez and Chicagoan Alton Mills, w… Continue Reading
01.09.17
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Require President And Vice President To Fully Divest Personal Financial Conflicts Of Interest
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Democratic members of Congress, introduced the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017 in the United States Senate and House that would require the President and Vice President to disclose and divest any potential financial conflicts of interest. It also would require presidential appointees to recuse themselves from any specific matters involving the President's financial conflicts of interest tha… Continue Reading
01.09.17
Durbin To IDOT: Continue Working With Community To Address Concerns For Increased Service On Amtrak’s Hiawatha Line
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today encouraged the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to continue to work with community leaders and area residents as planning moves forward for increased Amtrak service on the Hiawatha line between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. IDOT recently extended the proposal's public comment period to allow additional time for the consideration of surrounding communities' concerns. "Reducing any negative local impact of the proposed … Continue Reading
01.09.17
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $117 Million In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $117,920,000 in federal funding for Edgar, Kankakee, Madison, Perry Counties to support rural community development projects. Today's funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Community Development Initiative Grant, will provide assistance to benefit the City of Paris, Illinois, Olivet Nazarene University Foundation, the Village of St. Jacob, Illinois, and Pinckneyville Community … Continue Reading
01.09.17
Durbin, Senators Introduce Amendment To Protect Health Care For Seniors And Families Of Modest Means
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), and a group of 19 Senators in introducing an amendment to protect Medicare and Medicaid. "Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act make up the three pillars of our nation's health care system," Durbin said. "Democrats will not stand idly by while congressional Republicans - who themselves are assured good health coverage - attempt to repeal, dismantle, cut, voucherize, or otherwise throw o… Continue Reading
01.06.17
Durbin Statement on U.S. Intel Report on Russian Cyberattacks
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after reviewing classified and unclassified versions of the U.S. intelligence community's assessment of Russia's cyberattack on the 2016 election: Today, the United States Congress counted the electoral ballots and officially certified the election of Donald Trump as the next President of the United States. Hours later, we learned that President Vladimir Putin personally ordered a campaign to influence the outcome of the… Continue Reading
01.06.17
Durbin Announces $1.3 Million In HUD Funding For Illinois Housing And Community Development
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that five communities in Illinois will receive a total of $1,354,321 in grant funding through the Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Service Coordinators (SC) Grant Program. This federal grant program is administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide funding to hire and maintain Service Coordinators who will assess the needs of residents of public housing and coordinate available resour… Continue Reading
01.04.17
Durbin Meets With U.S. Attorney General Nominee Senator Sessions
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) about his nomination to serve as U.S. Attorney General. Durbin discussed an array of key issues with Sen. Sessions, including gun violence and Department of Justice funding in the city of Chicago, comprehensive immigration reform and the future of DACA, criminal justice reform, policing and civil rights, race relations, and President-elect Trump's call for a ban on Muslims in America. "I have a long personal relatio… Continue Reading
01.03.17
Durbin Welcomes New Democratic U.S. Senators
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after attending the swearing in of the five new Democratic U.S. Senators: Tammy Duckworth (IL), Kamala Harris (CA), Maggie Hassan (NH), Chris Van Hollen (MD), and Catherine Cortez Masto (NV). "It is an honor to welcome these newly sworn-in Democratic Senators to Washington, especially the arrival of four remarkable women, which raises the number of women in the Senate to an all-time high in U.S. history. All five … Continue Reading
12.22.16
Durbin Announces Over $12 Million For Community Health Centers
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded six community health centers in Illinois a total of $12,186,227 through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program. Community health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver comprehensive, culturally competent, high-quality primary health care services. Community health centers also often integr… Continue Reading