Press Releases
In Front Of Epstein Survivors, Durbin Presses Attorney General Nominee, Todd Blanche, To Meet With Survivors Within The Next 30 Days
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned President Trump’s pick to be Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche, during his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing. Durbin pressed Mr. Blanche on whether he would personally meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse within the next 30 days. Following Durbin’s repeated questions, Mr. Blanche would not commit to doing so. “[There are] 10 … Continue Reading
July 15, 2026
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On President Trump’s Nominee To Be Attorney General, Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing for Todd Blanche, President Trump’s pick to be Attorney General of the United States. Before turning to his opening statement, Durbin addressed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) comments about special prosecutor Jack Smith. Durbin again called for Committee … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Durbin Announces Bipartisan Proposal To Initiate Congressional Action To Strengthen Social Security On The Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced new bipartisan legislation to initiate Congressional action on extending Social Security’s solvency. The Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone (PROMISE) Act follows the release of the Social Security Board of Trustees’ annual report, which found that the Social Security Trust Fund will only be able to cover 78 percent of benefits in … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Durbin Presses Justices Kagan, Barrett On Judicial Security In Rare Congressional Appearance
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett on judicial security in a rare Congressional appearance. This is the first time Supreme Court justices have appeared before Congress since 2019 and before the Senate since 2011. “Tomorrow we're considering Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination, who … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Durbin Statement On Courtesy Meeting With Trump’s Attorney General Pick Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after his meeting with Todd Blanche, President Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Attorney General: “Mr. Blanche is at the helm of a weaponized Justice Department, putting President Trump ahead of the Constitution, the rule of law, and you. “It’s clear that Mr. Blanche has never stopped being President Trump’s personal attorney, and I pushed him on his role … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Durbin, Cassidy, Kaine, Tillis, King, Cornyn, Coons, Armstrong Introduce Bipartisan Proposal To Initiate Congressional Action On Social Security
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Angus King (I-ME), John Cornyn (R-TX), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Alan Armstrong (R-OK) today introduced a bipartisan proposal to initiate Congressional action on Social Security. The Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone (PROMISE) Act follows the release of the Social Security Board of Trustees’ annual report, … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Durbin Statement On Fatal ICE Officer Shootings In Houston And Maine
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the fatal shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers: “The fatal shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Guerrero are tragic, heartbreaking, and enraging. There must be full, fair, and independent … Continue Reading
July 13, 2026
Durbin Statement On Trump’s Decision To Slash Boundaries Of Bears Ears & Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reduce the boundaries of two national monuments—Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante. In 2017, the first Trump Administration put 27 national monuments under review with the requirement they were established after 1996 and were over 100,000 acres. Then-Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke recommended six monuments for reduction, but … Continue Reading
July 13, 2026
Durbin Remembers Senator Lindsey Graham On The Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) recognized U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) lifetime of public service following his sudden passing this weekend. “Last week, I joined several of my colleagues from the Senate and the House at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye… Last Wednesday, we had a dinner hosted by the U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye, Tom Barrack. There must have been 50 or 60 people there, all shared the concerns of the Summit … Continue Reading
July 13, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Legislation To Expand The Gateway Arch National Park Boundary Into Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced the Gateway Arch National Park Boundary Revision Act, bicameral legislation that would add nearly 50 acres to the Gateway Arch National Park into Illinois. Expanding the site into Illinois, including Malcolm Martin Park and East St. Louis, will promote economic development in Illinois by attracting more visitors to the Illinois side of the river. Expanding the site was part of … Continue Reading
July 13, 2026
Durbin Reflects On Recent Bipartisan, Bicameral Congressional Delegation Trip To The NATO Summit In Türkiye
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, reflected on his recent trip to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, Türkiye. During the summit, they discussed congressional support for the transatlantic relationship, the war in Iran, as well as continued Russian aggression and interference in western democracies. During his remarks, Durbin reflected on the life and legacy of … Continue Reading
July 13, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Announce NDAA Amendments To Prevent President Trump From Unlawfully Deploying The Military Into American Cities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced five amendments to the Senate National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2027 to push back against the Trump Administration’s expansive use of the military for law enforcement or immigration … Continue Reading
July 12, 2026
Durbin Statement On The Passing Of Senator Lindsey Graham
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the passing of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC): “I was with Lindsey last week at the NATO Summit in Türkiye. At a private dinner at the Ambassador’s residence, he was working every Senator on a strategy to end the war in Ukraine. Typical Lindsey. “Lindsey was part of every important policy issue and an indispensable player in every Senate ‘gang’. He was a fierce Republican partisan one … Continue Reading
July 09, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $52 Million In Public Health Grants For Illinois
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $52,175,652 in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) public health grants for the Illinois Department of Public Health and the City of Chicago. Primarily sourced from the federal Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Program, this funding will assist state and local governments in effectively preparing for or responding to public health threats including … Continue Reading
July 08, 2026
Durbin Attends Launch Of Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry’s Mobile Meals Program
AURORA - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Aurora Mayor John Laesch at the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry for the launch of its Mobile Meals Program. Durbin played an instrumental part in launching the program by securing $700,000 in federal funding through Congressionally Directed Spending in the Fiscal Year 2023 government funding bill for the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry. With this funding, the food pantry was able to add a commercial kitchen to prepare … Continue Reading
July 08, 2026
Bipartisan Codel Statement After Meeting With Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
ANKARA, TÜRKIYE - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mike Rounds (R-SD), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Coons (D-DE), and U.S. Representative Mike Turner (R-OH) issued the following statement after their meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the 2026 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit: “Meeting with President Zelenskyy was a powerful reminder of … Continue Reading
July 06, 2026
Durbin Joins Bipartisan, Bicameral Congressional Delegation To The NATO Summit In Türkiye
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) is joining a bipartisan, bicameral congressional delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, Türkiye. The purpose of the summit is to discuss congressional support for the transatlantic relationship as President Trump continues to weaken our foreign relationships abroad, the war in Iran, as well as continued Russian aggression and interference in western democracies. “The United States has been a … Continue Reading
July 02, 2026
Durbin Welcomes 60 New Citizens At Naturalization Ceremony
URBANA, IL - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today celebrated the naturalization of 60 new citizens from 25 countries at a ceremony presided over by the Honorable Eric I. Long, United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of Illinois. Durbin was joined by Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams. “Today, 60 new Americans from 25 countries took an oath that binds us all—not by birth, but by shared belief in our country's … Continue Reading
July 02, 2026
Senate Democrats Urge Justice Department To Reject Payouts For January 6 Rioters
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 Committee on Rules and Administration; and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led fourteen of their colleagues in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to halt any efforts to compensate January 6 rioters and commit to defending taxpayers in any January 6-related lawsuits. In their letter to … Continue Reading
July 01, 2026
Senate Judiciary Democrats Demand Todd Blanche Answer To Dozens Of Oversight Requests Ignored By Justice Department
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in pressing Todd Blanche for answers on dozens of oversight matters that remain outstanding, either due to no response, insufficient response, or only partial response from DOJ. In light of the unprecedented decision to combine Todd Blanche’s Attorney General nomination hearing with the annual Justice Department oversight hearing, the … Continue Reading