Press Releases
Durbin Statement On Successfully Blocking Trump Ballroom, All Justice Department Funding From Reconciliation Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after Senate Republicans stripped language from the reconciliation bill funding Donald Trump’s ballroom and the Department of Justice: “Thanks to the outrage of the American people and hard-fought challenges by Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans finally gave up on funding Trump’s billionaire ballroom for now. “But can we really be sure this is the … Continue Reading
June 03, 2026
Durbin Touts Rock Island Arsenal’s High-Quality Manufacturing In Meeting With Army Secretary Driscoll
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today met with U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll as the Senate Appropriations Committee reviews the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget request. Durbin and Secretary Driscoll’s conversation centered on the importance of supporting jobs at Rock Island Arsenal and ensuring that the Arsenal is valued as a critical producer of military equipment. Last … Continue Reading
June 03, 2026
As The Trump Administration Continues To Threaten DACA & Senate Republicans Push For Additional ICE, CBP Funding, Durbin Denounces The President’s Cruel Mass Deportation Campaign
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), author of the Dream Act, today denounced the Trump Administration’s continued threats to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and Senate Republicans’ reconciliation bill which would give the Trump Administration $70 billion additional dollars for the President’s mass deportation operation. “I’ve seen it firsthand [President Trump’s mass deportation campaign] in the city of … Continue Reading
June 03, 2026
In Senate Floor Speech, Durbin Calls For Opposition To FISA Section 702 Reauthorization Without Serious Reforms
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on his Senate colleagues to support serious reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire on June 12 after Congress passed an extension for the legislation in April. Section 702 grew out of a secret warrantless surveillance program conducted by the Bush Administration after the terrorist … Continue Reading
June 02, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $69 Million In Health Care Grants For Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $69,081,227 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. About $67.7 million of this funding was awarded through the Health Resources & Services Administration’s (HRSA) Health Center Program (H80), which offers federal funding for health centers that treat medically underserved communities. The other $1.4 million in grant funding will … Continue Reading
June 02, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Statement Calling For The Interim U.S. Attorney For The Northern District Of Illinois Andrew Boutros To Resign
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) released the following statement on Interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros: “Andrew Boutros’s time as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois has been riddled with chaos, deep internal dysfunction, and alleged misconduct. He must resign, and there must be an open, transparent, and … Continue Reading
June 01, 2026
Durbin Speaks Out Against Least Qualified Judicial Nominee Of Trump’s Second Term
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke against the nomination of Katie Lane, President Trump’s nominee to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana and the first judicial nominee to receive a “Not Qualified” rating from the American Bar Association (ABA) during Trump’s second term. “There are more than 3,000 licensed attorneys in the state of Montana. … Continue Reading
June 01, 2026
Durbin Denounces Trump’s Nearly $2 Billion Slush Fund For January 6 Insurrectionists & Political Allies
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today slammed the Trump Administration for its nearly $2 billion U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) slush fund, which will allow January 6 insurrectionists and the President’s corrupt allies to line their pockets with taxpayer dollars. While DOJ announced it will abide by a district court’s injunction and pause the slush fund for now, Senate Democrats … Continue Reading
May 29, 2026
New Rosecrance Behavioral Health Center Opens With Help From $1 Million Durbin Earmark
CHAMPAIGN - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony today for the new Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center at Rosecrance on Moreland. The redesigned space is equipped to provide rapid triage, comprehensive behavioral health assessments, and crisis stabilization services to ensure patients receive prompt, compassionate care when they need it most. “When Rosecrance told me that they wanted to construct a new Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center … Continue Reading
May 29, 2026
Durbin Condemns Authorization Of Fruit-Flavored Vapes Fueling Youth E-Cigarette Addiction
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a news conference to discuss recent actions by President Trump’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will unleash a new wave of youth e-cigarette addiction. Durbin was joined by Dr. Deanna Behrens of Advocate Health Care’s Pediatric Critical Care program; Dr. Marcus Belin, who serves as a board member for the National Association of Secondary School Principals; and Rob Anderson, the CEO of the Respiratory Health … Continue Reading
May 28, 2026
Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Weakening Landmark Criminal Justice Reform Law
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Supreme Court limited federal judges’ discretion under the compassionate release provisions of the First Step Act in rulings in Fernandez v. United States and Rutherford v. United States today: “The Supreme Court just significantly weakened a landmark, bipartisan criminal justice reform law in defiance of Congressional intent. “When we … Continue Reading
May 27, 2026
Durbin Gives Special Address To Joint Session Of The Illinois General Assembly
SPRINGFIELD - Today, the Illinois General Assembly honored U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) at the Illinois State Capitol. The Illinois House and Senate met in a rare joint session to salute Durbin’s nearly 44 years in Congress where Durbin addressed the lawmakers. In Durbin’s address, he shared how his life has been enriched by serving the people of Illinois and beyond as an elected official. The Joint Session was attended by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel … Continue Reading
May 26, 2026
Durbin Cracks Down On Crypto ATM Fraud
PEORIA - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Peoria Mayor Rita Ali and the AARP of Illinois to discuss crypto ATM fraud prevention in Peoria and Durbin’s Crypto ATM Fraud Prevention Act, which seeks to crack down on cryptocurrency scams by strengthening protections around crypto ATM transactions and increasing transparency from crypto ATM operators. “Crypto ATMs are found in almost every town in Illinois. You have probably seen one in your local gas station or grocery … Continue Reading
May 22, 2026
Durbin, Grassley Urge Defense Secretary Hegseth To Immediately Release Congressionally Approved Funding To The Baltic Security Initiative, Ukraine
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Co-Chairs of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, today sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to immediately release stalled Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 defense funding for Ukraine and $200 million for the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI). Durbin first created the BSI in 2021 and that was codified in the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators … Continue Reading
May 22, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth, Kelly, Budzinski Call On Secretary Of Commerce To Finally Approve Illinois Bead Program Proposal, Allow Illinoisans To Connect To The Internet
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) led all Democratic members of the Illinois delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick urging him to approve Illinois’ Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program Final Proposal immediately. While the Illinois Office of Broadband submitted its BEAD proposal in September … Continue Reading
May 21, 2026
Ranking Members Durbin, Raskin, Padilla, Jayapal Statement On Trump Administration’s Unlawful Refugee Consultation With Congress
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration; U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee; and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and … Continue Reading
May 21, 2026
Durbin Questions NIH Director, Rips Trump Administration For Bowing To Big Tobacco & Endangering Children
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today questioned the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dr. Jay Bhattacharya about the Trump Administration’s failure to protect children from nicotine addiction and exposure to toxic chemicals as Big Tobacco continues to push kid-friendly flavored e-cigarettes. Durbin’s questioning followed the Trump Administration’s outrageous recent actions, including authorizing … Continue Reading
May 21, 2026
Durbin, Hirono Call On Department Of Education To Strengthen Proposed Gainful Employment Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) submitted a public comment in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) proposed rule to establish a postsecondary education accountability framework. In their letter, the Senators noted that while they support the new rule’s “earnings premium” metric, they believe that the rule does not go far enough to weed out postsecondary programs, including those at for-profit colleges, that fail to … Continue Reading
May 21, 2026
Durbin Calls For Release Of Chicago High School Senior Currently Detained By ICE Despite His Pending Asylum Case And Lack Of Criminal Record
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling for the release of Ricardo Hernandez-Navarette, a high school senior in Chicago who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alongside his mother when they attended a routine check-in for their family’s pending asylum case. Durbin also reprimanded the Trump Administration for continuing its cruel mass deportation … Continue Reading
May 20, 2026
Durbin Demands Information Regarding President Trump’s Nearly $2 Billion Slush Fund For January 6 Insurrectionists & Trump Allies In Letter To Acting AG Blanche
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche requesting immediate information regarding President Trump’s misuse of taxpayer dollars to line the pockets of January 6 insurrectionists and Trump’s political allies through a nearly $2 billion Department of Justice slush fund. The DOJ and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) settlement agreement also … Continue Reading