Press Releases
Durbin, Duckworth Join Heinrich, Kelly To Introduce Anti-Cash Grab Act To Repeal ‘Arctic Frost’ Provision
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) joined U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in leading 24 Senate colleagues to introduce the Anti-Cash Grab Act, legislation that will repeal a provision — quietly added into the Senate government funding bill by U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) at the last minute — that allows Senators to collect $500,000 for … Continue Reading
November 19, 2025
Durbin Questions Judicial Nominees During A Senate Judiciary Committee Nominations Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned three judicial nominees at a Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. Durbin first questioned Nicholas Jon Ganjei, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, about whether his statements condemning those who assault law enforcement apply to the January 6 offenders who attacked law enforcement during the January 6 insurrection. Mr. … Continue Reading
November 19, 2025
Durbin Calls Out Recent Uptick In Threats Against Federal Judges
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the judicial nominations of David Clay Wilkerson Fowlkes, to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas; Nicholas Jon Ganjei, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas; and Aaron Christian Peterson, to the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. During his … Continue Reading
November 19, 2025
Durbin Statement On Senate Passing Bill To Release The Epstein Files
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Senate unanimously passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed the House of Representatives in a 427-1 vote and now heads to the President’s desk: “First and foremost, this vote is in tribute to and honor of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes—and any victim or survivor of sexual abuse. Never in … Continue Reading
November 18, 2025
Durbin Shares Story Of ‘Miss Diana,’ A Chicago-Area Teacher Who Was Pulled Out Of A Daycare & Unlawfully Detained For More Than A Week During ‘Operation Midway Blitz’
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered another scathing rebuke of the Trump Administration’s so-called “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago. Since the operation launched nearly three months ago, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have used extreme tactics to unlawfully detain residents of Illinois or … Continue Reading
November 18, 2025
Durbin Joins Senate Democrats In Calling For Senate Vote On Epstein Files Transparency Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in leading their Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on Leader John Thune (R-SD) to immediately bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act to the Senate floor for a vote, without delay or unnecessary process distractions. The Senators’ call follows the U.S. House of Representatives’ overwhelming … Continue Reading
November 18, 2025
Durbin Meets With Illinois Air Traffic Controllers Following 43 Day Government Shutdown
CHICAGO - Today U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with air traffic controllers at O’Hare International Airport to thank them for their work throughout the longest government shutdown in American history. During the shutdown, roughly 10,800 air traffic controllers continued to work 10-hour days, six days per week, without pay as essential employees. Air traffic controllers missed a partial paycheck and two full paychecks, as 90 percent of ATC towers across the country were … Continue Reading
November 17, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Help Introduce Bicameral Bill To Ensure DHS Detainees Can Speak To A Lawyer, Contact Their Families
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) joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter (D-OR-03) in introducing the Restoring Access to Detainees Act, a bill to ensure the Department of Homeland Security allows noncitizens who have been detained to contact their legal counsel and families. The bill comes after months of credible reporting that ICE and … Continue Reading
November 17, 2025
Durbin Statement Rejecting Proposed Settlement Between Visa, Mastercard & Merchants
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead sponsor of the Credit Card Competition Act, released the following statement on a recent proposed settlement between Visa and Mastercard and the merchants. The settlement comes after two decades of class-action litigation over swipe fees that merchants pay to Visa, Mastercard, and the banks. “As Americans are trying to make ends meet, the biggest Wall Street banks, Visa, and … Continue Reading
November 17, 2025
Durbin, Schiff To Introduce Bill To Block Trump From Getting $230 Million Taxpayer Payout From DOJ
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) in announcing that they will be introducing the No Torts for Trump Act, legislation to prohibit sitting presidents from seeking taxpayer-funded payouts under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). This follows recent reporting that President Trump is pressing the Justice Department to pay him roughly $230 million as a settlement for proper … Continue Reading
November 17, 2025
Durbin Secures Support For Illinois Priorities In Newly Enacted Military Construction And Veterans Affairs And Agriculture Funding Bills
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced the various priorities for Illinois he secured in the newly enacted funding bills for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Related Agencies for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). “As the government reopens under a continuing resolution, Congress also passed appropriations bills that bolster our … Continue Reading
November 14, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Join Reed, Collins, Murkowski, & Colleagues To Urge The Trump Administration To Swiftly Release LIHEAP Home Heating Aid
WASHINGTON - As utility rates continue to rise, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in a bipartisan push for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as swiftly and at the highest level possible. Currently, the Trump Administration is sitting on $4 billion in federal LIHEAP … Continue Reading
November 14, 2025
Durbin, Illinois Democrats Release Fact Sheet Debunking The DHS Misinformation Campaign
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Illinois Congressional Democrats in releasing a comprehensive fact check of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) misinformation campaign regarding its dangerous immigration enforcement actions. “The Trump Administration continues to peddle outright lies since its unprovoked, unnecessary, and unhelpful enforcement activity in Illinois. The photos and videos out of Illinois … Continue Reading
November 10, 2025
Durbin Delivers Floor Speech Outlining His "Yes" Vote On The Continuing Resolution And "Minibus" Spending Bills
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, outlined why he voted to proceed with the Continuing Resolution (CR), which will fund the federal government through January 30, 2026, and the “minibus” package of spending bills for: Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. The minibus fully … Continue Reading
November 10, 2025
Senate, House Democrats File Amicus Brief to Supreme Court Supporting Illinois’s Legal Challenge to Trump’s Use of National Guard
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force, led by Task Force Chair Joe Neguse (D-CO-2), House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8), and House Armed Services Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA-9), spearheaded a group of 155 Senate and House Democrats in support of Illinois’s legal challenge to President Trump’s … Continue Reading
November 09, 2025
Durbin Statement On The Continuing Resolution And "Minibus" Spending Bills
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement on the Continuing Resolution (CR), which will fund the federal government through January 30, 2026, and the “minibus” package of spending bills for: Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. The minibus fully funds SNAP through Fiscal Year 2026 … Continue Reading
November 06, 2025
Durbin Statement On Federal Judge Issuing Critical Injunction Limiting Use Of Force By Immigration Agents
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issued an injunction limiting the use of force by immigration agents in Chicago: “This is a much-needed ruling. As Judge Ellis said, the aggressive use of unnecessary force by immigration agents ‘shocks the conscience.’ The Trump Administration is racially profiling and arresting citizens, zip-tying kids, and … Continue Reading
November 06, 2025
Following Yesterday’s Cruel DHS Operation At A Preschool In Illinois, Durbin Again Calls For Secretary Noem To Testify In Front Of The Senate Judiciary Committee
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during today’s Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting, in which he condemned the Trump Administration’s so-called “Operation Midway Blitz” in Illinois. Just yesterday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents arrested a preschool teacher inside the school where she worked. Durbin has repeatedly called on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to … Continue Reading
November 06, 2025
Durbin Slams Congressional Republicans For Refusing To Address Health Care Costs As Tuesday’s Elections Prove Americans Are Rejecting President Trump’s Policies
WASHINGTON - As open enrollment has begun and Americans across the country are seeing the rise in their monthly premiums, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about the health care affordability crisis, which has been manufactured by congressional Republicans as they refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits and end the government shutdown. If these enhanced premium tax credits are allowed to expire at the end of the year, … Continue Reading
November 06, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Lead Bipartisan Letter Urging Armed Services Conferees To Include Provisions To Support Rock Island Arsenal
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and combat Veteran U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth led U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), as well as U.S. Representatives Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-02), in sending a letter to the four Senate and House leaders of the Armed Services Committees to urge them to include provisions that support Rock Island Arsenal in … Continue Reading