Durbin Questions USDA Secretary About New Revenues From Clean Energy Generation On Farms

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today participated in a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing entitled "Oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture." During the hearing, Durbin questioned U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack about how the federal government can support farmers in creating new revenue streams from clean energy generation on the farm to help combat climate change. "Farm organizations are arguing that it … Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds The Administration’s Response To Collapse Of Silicon Valley Bank

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke about the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and applauded the Biden Administration's swift action to minimize the damage. During his speech, Durbin slammed former President Trump's decision in 2018 to roll-back critical parts of the Dodd-Frank Act-the strongest bank regulations since the Great Depression. "Americans woke up with a bad case of déjà vu. We witnessed the bigg… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Televise Supreme Court Proceedings In Real Time

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led a group of their colleagues in re-introducing the bipartisan Cameras in the Courtroom Act today. The legislation, which advanced out of the Judiciary Committee last Congress on a bipartisan 15-7 vote, would require the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open Court sessions, unless the Court decides by a majority vote of Justices that tele… Continue Reading

In Speech On Senate Floor, Durbin Honors The Work Of Public Defenders Ahead Of 60thanniversary Of Gideon V. Wainwright

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, honored public defenders ahead of the 60th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, in which the Court held that the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee a right of legal counsel to anyone accused of a crime. "Behind the scenes of our nation's courtrooms and jails, you'll find some of our most dedicated public servant… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Floor Remarks Ahead Of Senate Cloture Vote On Repeal Of 1991, 2002 Iraq AUMFs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor ahead of today's cloture vote to repeal both the 1991 and 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq. Durbin was one of 23 Senators to vote against the 2002 Iraq War AUMF. "When the Constitution was written, there were some fundamental principles included. One of them said that any declaration of war in the United States had to have the approval of the American people through their… Continue Reading

Durbin, Rubio Introduce Legislation To Reauthorize And Increase Funding For The National Health Service Corps Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today introduced bipartisan legislation to provide historic investments in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholarship and loan repayment program to address health workforce shortages throughout our country. Today's Restoring America's Health Care Workforce and Readiness Act includes a three-year reauthorization that would double the mandatory funding, which will expire on September 30th, from… Continue Reading

Durbin Probes DOJ, FDA Coordination, Urges Enhanced Enforcement Of Unlawfully Marketed Vaping Products

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf urging them to enhance interagency coordination to address unlawfully marketed vaping products, and requesting more information about their enforcement efforts. Following a scathing independent review of FDA's tobacco regulatory program that highlighted how inadequate enfo… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Bi-State Development President To Discuss Metrolink

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with the CEO and President of Bi-State Development Taulby Roach to discuss MetroLink, the bistate transit system serving St. Louis and Metro East. During their meeting, the Senators heard from Mr. Roach about MetroLink's new safety plan and proposed expansion to the transit system. Mr. Roach spoke about federal support for MetroLink, noting Durbin's efforts to secure Federal Transit Admi… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With International Atomic Energy Agency Director

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to discuss Iran's nuclear weapons program and threats to Ukraine's civilian nuclear energy facilities amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. "As I have repeatedly stated, former President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo's petulant withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement made the U.S. and world less safe. It recklessly threatened ou… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Public Safety & Gun Safety Laws In a Post-Bruen America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "Protecting Public Safety After New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen." The hearing focuses on the radical new standard for the constitutionality of modern-day gun safety laws set by the Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen in 2022. With that dec… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Krishnamoorthi, Ramirez Statement on Surface Transportation Board's Decision To Approve Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Merger

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) and Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03) today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Surface Transportation Board's (STB) decision to allow Canadian Pacific (CP) to acquire Kansas City Southern (KCS): "We are deeply disappointed that the Surface Transportation Board has sided with corporations over our constituents in the Chicago region. As we h… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Public Safety & Gun Safety Laws In A Post-Bruen America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned three witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Protecting Public Safety After New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen." Durbin first questioned Stephen Lindley, former member of law enforcement and current Program Manager for Combating Crime Guns Initiative at Brady, about how frequently law enforcement officers are called to respond to incidents … Continue Reading

Durbin, Shaheen Introduce Legislation to Allow Romania to Join the U.S. Visa Waiver Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, today introduced legislation granting Romania eligibility for participation in the U.S. visa waiver program. "Romania emerged from the ashes of Soviet tyranny to become a thriving member of the transatlantic community of democracies, NATO, and the EU,"said Du… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds President Biden’s FY24 Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) highlighted President Biden's outline of his Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget proposal. The proposal protects Social Security, strengthens Medicare, adds 25 additional years of solvency to the Medicare trust fund, improves access to affordable and reliable health coverage, including savings on prescription drugs, and invests in affordable housing and quality child care. The budget proposal also restore… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker, Hirono Express Support For Proposed Amendments To Federal Sentencing Guidelines To Implement First Step Act Reforms, Among Other Priorities

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice & Counterterrorism, and U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) submitted a public comment letter to U.S. Sentencing Commission Chair Carlton Reeves regarding proposed amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. This is the first amendment cycle of the newly-reconstituted Commission. In the l… Continue Reading

Durbin, Padilla, Nadler, Jayapal Encourage USCIS To Maintain And Expand Access To Legal Immigration System In Proposed Fee Changes

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, and U.S. Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-NY-12) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Members of the House Committee on the Judiciary and Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, submitted a public comment to the U.S. Citizenship and Immi… Continue Reading

Durbin: If You Care About The Financial Security Of Working Families, Pass The Paycheck Fairness Act

WASHINGTON - In observation of Equal Pay Day, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the impact of the gender pay gap. In his remarks, Durbin emphasized that pay inequality has long-term impacts on women's ability to save for retirement, afford child care, or support their families. Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963 that mandated that women should not be paid less for their work than men, the pay gap continues to exist. "Today is Equal Pay Day in A… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Urge SBA To Evaluate Rule Allowing Fintech Companies To Participate In SBA’s 7(A) Loan Program

WASHINGTON - Following the Small Business Administration's (SBA) November 7, 2022, Proposed Rule on "Small Business Lending Company (SBLC) Moratorium Rescission and Removal of the Requirement for a Loan Authorization," U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) expressed concern that the proposed changes to SBA's 7(a) Loan Program may undermine the integrity of the program. The November 7th rule would lift the moratorium on licensing new SBLCs to participate… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker, Whitehouse, Coons Raise Concerns About Proposed Changes To Bop Inmate Trust Accounts

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Chris Coons (D-DE), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a comment letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Colette Peters regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) and BOP's proposed rule on the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program. In the letter, the Senators a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker Urge State Department To Impose Sanctions Following Renewed Reports Of Rebel Group M23’s Use Of Child Soldiers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the rebel group M23's troubling activities in and around the Democratic Republic of Congo, and renewed reports of the group's use of child soldiers, and the consequences of such under the Child Soldier Prevention Act (Public Law 110-457). In the letter, the Senators urged Secretary Blinken to impose further sanctions on M23 under Public Law 112-23… Continue Reading