July 18, 2025

Senate Appropriations Committee Advances Military Construction And Commerce Government Funding Bills With Illinois Priorities Secured By Durbin, Duckworth

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies government funding bills

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a funding bill for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, as well as for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). Durbin and Duckworth worked to secure various priorities for Illinois in the appropriations bills, both through Congressionally Directed Spending requests and through the programmatic appropriations process.

“It is the responsibility of Congress to fund our government programs and agencies through the appropriations process. Rather than rely on continuing resolutions, I hope that we can have a true bipartisan effort to pass these funding bills in a timely, thoughtful process,” said Durbin. “While the Trump Administration focuses on gutting funding for critical programs, I will continue to fight for the funding and resources for Illinoisans to thrive.”

“Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families—and that’s what these bipartisan funding bills do,” Duckworth said. “Appropriating federal funding is the primary role of Congress, and it’s critical this responsibility remains in the legislative branch. I’m proud I was able to help secure funding for projects throughout Illinois that support our communities.”

The two funding bills include the following Illinois priorities secured by Congressionally Directed Spending requests:

Military Construction and Veterans Affairs

  • Forging Equipment Annex, Rock Island, Illinois. $5 million to house the expanding forging capability at Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center consistent with Department of Defense safety and building standards.

 

  • Marseilles Range Control, Marseilles, Illinois. $3.05 million to renovate and modernize an existing operations and maintenance facility for the Illinois Army Guard.

 

  • National Guard Readiness Center, Peoria, Illinois. $8 million for a new readiness center facility for the Illinois Army Guard. In addition, the State of Illinois has committed to providing funding forthis project as part of a cost-share effort, reducing the overall financial burden on the federal government.

 

  • New Weapons Quality Assurance/Calibration Facility, Rock Island, Illinois. $4.25 million for a new building for the Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center.

 

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

  • Community School Initiative, Urbana, Illinois. $336,000 to Urbana School District 116 to help fund the development of a community school initiative in Urbana School District 116.

 

  • Crisis intervention initiative, Aurora, Illinois. $128,000 to the City of Aurora to train and certify law enforcement personnel in crisis intervention training to help these personnel better understand and appropriately handle encounters with citizens experiencing mental health issues.

 

  • Equipment upgrades, Chicago, Illinois. $500,000 to the City of Chicago to enable the Chicago Police Department to expand its forensic investigation capacity through modifications to cargo trucks and the purchase of mobile forensic equipment.

 

  • Equipment upgrades, Kane County, Illinois. $1 million to the Kane County Coroner’s Office to update equipment of the Kane County Forensic Laboratory. Acquisition of new equipment would enable more rapid generation of leads in investigations, the streamlining of obtaining information related to pending cases, and the ability to determine cause of death in a timely manner for grieving families.

 

  • Equipment upgrades, Oak Park, Illinois. $185,000 to the Oak Park Police Department to improve training of police officers through acquisition and use of a virtual training simulator. This simulator would place police officers in real-world scenarios focusing on de-escalation, community engagement, and officer wellness with a goal of increased positive outcomes.

 

  • Equipment upgrades, Springfield, Illinois. $750,000 to the City of Springfield to procure a new mobile command center for the Springfield Police Department.

 

  • Instrumentation and equipment upgrades, Peoria, Illinois. $1 million to Bradley University to provide advanced instrumentation and equipment for its Drop Tower, allowing the tower to become fully operational for use in NASA-related experiments, research, and STEM education.

 

  • Police and community violence intervention initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $600,000 to the University of Chicago Crime Lab to expand a training program focused on violence reduction and building community trust through the Community Safety Leadership Academies. This program brings together data and behavioral science insights of academics and practitioners with real-world success in reducing violence, improving public trust, and building leadership capacity.

 

  • Quantum Workforce Education, Palatine, Illinois. $765,000 to William Rainey Harper College to help fund the development of a quantum workforce education and training network at William Rainey Harper College.

 

  • Recidivism Reduction, Chicago, Illinois. $271,000 to Defy Ventures to help fund additional programming and training dedicated to Defy Ventures’ efforts to reduce recidivism in Illinois.

 

  • Reentry initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $650,000 to the Safer Foundation to implement a program to reduce recidivism and increase employment for justice-involved citizens of Chicago. These efforts will assist individuals with arrest and conviction records connect with housing, workforce development, health care, and education.

 

  • Reentry initiative, Sangamon County, Illinois. $300,000 to SING (Shifting Into New Gear Reentry Program) to expand a reentry program that facilitates connections for ex-offenders to employment, social and peer support, and counseling in order to reduce reincarcerations in the community.

 

  • Technology upgrades, Freeport, Illinois. $600,000 to the City of Freeport to purchase equipment to assist law enforcement in addressing and reducing gun violence in the community.

 

  • Violence prevention initiative, Cook County, Illinois. $1.5 million to Youth Advocate Programs to expand a juvenile justice program serving at-risk youth in Cook County to increase access to programming tailored to youth who are no longer consistently attending school and those who are already in contact with the justice system.

 

  • Violent Crime Data Sharing Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $1.665 million to Rush University System for Health to build, develop, and maintain a violent crime injury registry in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health and Chicagoland hospitals and regional trauma centers. This project aims to prevent and break the cycle of violence by utilizing hospital injury data to improve service delivery coordination and interrupt instances of perpetrating or falling victim to violence.

 

  • Youth mentoring initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $250,000 to the Save One Life Foundation for a community intervention and prevention program for youth in Northern Illinois. This program will provide peer mentoring, support, and pair youth participants with credible messenger mentors, facilitate networking, and increase access to youth wrap around resources in the community.

 

The two funding bills include additional Illinois priorities secured through the programmatic appropriations process:

Military Construction and Veterans Affairs

Department of Veterans Affairs

  • VA Medical and Prosthetic Research: $943 million to support ongoing and new research in areas such as toxic exposures, traumatic brain injury, and precision oncology. It also directs the VA to report to Congress on any clinical trials paused or terminated under the Administration’s gutting of research efforts across government.
  • Caregivers Program: $3.5 billion to expand training, benefits, and services for caregivers.

 

  • State Veterans Homes Construction Grants: $171 million to provide state veterans homes, including those in Illinois, with resources for renovations and new construction.

 

  • Women Veterans Health: $1.4 billion to advance, promote, and provide specialized care for the health of a growing number of women veterans.

 

  • Information Technology: $5.9 billion for the VA’s IT systems, to include operations, maintenance, salaries, and other related expenses.

 

· Lovell: Includes continued support for the operation of the Joint DoD-VA Medical Facility the Lovell Federal Health Care Center.

 

 

  • Blood Testing for Retired Military Firefights: Includes report language supporting continued screening, care, and compensation, to include blood testing, for veterans impacted by PFAS exposure during their services, including military firefighters.

 

  • Lethal Means Safety and Suicide Prevention: Includes report language directing the VA to expand suicide prevention efforts related to safety and storage of firearms.

 

  • Produce Prescription: Includes report language promoting the VA’s use of “produce prescription,” to improve veterans’ health outcomes by increasing access to healthy, affordable food.

 

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

Department of Commerce

  • Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs: $60 million for the Economic Development Administration’s Tech Hub Program. Illinois hosts two of the 31 Regional Tech Hubs eligible for this funding.

 

  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Scientific and Technical Research and Services: $1 billion for research at NIST, a $149.5 million increase from FY25, consistent with the five percent real funding growth objective of Durbin’s American Innovation Act.

 

  • Coastal Zone Management Grants: $81.5 million to support grants to states with approved coastal zone management plans for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of coastal zone areas, including those in the Great Lakes region. This program is essential to the economic and ecological importance of our coastlines and Great Lakes shorelines and supports state and local efforts to address critical management issues such as coastal hazards, habitat, and water quality.

 

  • Regional Climate Centers (RCC): $6.1 million for these centers that provide climate information to government agencies, farmers, water resource managers, businesses, emergency managers, and the public.

 

  • Economic Development Assistance Programs: $360 million to provide grants to states, localities, non-profit organizations, and others to create jobs in economically challenged areas.

 

  • Sale and Export of Tobacco Programs: Includes longstanding bill language generally prohibiting the use of federal funds to promote the sale or export of tobacco products, or to seek the reduction/removal of foreign restricts on tobacco marketing.

Department of Justice (DOJ)

  • Bureau of Prisons: $8.39 billion for the administration, operation, and maintenance of federal correctional institutions and $179 million for planning, acquisition of sites, and construction of new facilities; purchase and acquisition of facilities; and constructing, remodeling, and equipping buildings and facilities at existing penal and correctional institutions.

 

  • First Step Act: $409.5 million for the programs and activities authorized by the First Step Act of 2018, including increasing residential reentry center capacity; increasing availability of medication-assisted drug treatment; creating and maintaining programming within BOP facilities; improving, implementing, validating, and maintaining the risk and needs assessment system; and evaluating and providing evidence-based recidivism reduction programs and productive activities.

 

  • Prosecutor and Public Defender Student Loan Repayment: $3 million to provide student loan repayment assistance for state and local prosecutors and public defenders through the John J. Justice Program.

 

  • Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative: $55 million to provide grants to support evidence-based community violence intervention programs and includes Durbin’s report language encouraging DOJ to develop a grant opportunity for an accredited research university that delivers educational programs addressing the needs of next generation community violence interrupters leaders and law enforcement.

 

  • Combatting Hate Crimes: $17 million for grants to State, local, and Tribal law enforcement to conduct outreach and training on hate crimes and to investigate and prosecute hate crimes; $9 million forgrants to prevent hate crimes through conflict resolution and community empowerment and education; and $9 million for programs combatting hate crimes authorized under the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE ACT.

 

  • Project Safe Neighborhoods: $19 million to provide grants to support evidence-based, data-driven, trauma-informed, and focused intervention, deterrence, and prevention initiatives aimed at reducing violence.

 

  • Community Relations Service: $22 million for necessary expenses of the Community Relations Service to address community conflicts and tensions arising from differences of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and disability.

 

  • Children Exposed to Violence: $9 million for an initiative relating to children exposed to violence.

 

  • Crime Victims Fund (CVF): Includes report language addressing concerns about the solvency of the CVF and the lack of predictability about depositing proceeds from criminal fines, penalties, settlements, and other sources into the Fund.

 

  • United States Parole Commission: $13.5 million for necessary expenses of the Parole Commission as authorized.

 

  • Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs: $720 million for grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other assistance for the prevention and prosecution of gender-based violence.

 

  • Missing and Exploited Children Program: $105 million to support the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and the AMBER Alert system.

 

  • Civil Rights Violations in State and Local Prisons and Jails: Includes report language to investigate and address violations of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act.

 

  • Legal Orientation Programming: $29 million for programming and includes report language that directs the Department of Justice to use the $29 million for legal orientation programming operated by non-profit entities. The Trump Administration has ended contracts for legal orientation programming with nonprofit entities, despite congressional appropriations for such programming. The Administration has represented that it intends to terminate many legal orientation programs, specifically the Immigration Court Help Desk, Family Group Legal Orientation Programming, and the Counsel for Children Initiative.

 

  • Immigration Judge Staffing: Includes report language that requires the Department of Justice provide information regarding Immigration Judge firings to the Appropriations Committee.

 

  • Tobacco: Includes report language expressing concern about the widespread availability of unauthorized e-cigarettes and notes that while DOJ has commenced the first injunctions against unauthorized e-cigarette manufacturers, this only captures a small fraction of the violative products. The language directs DOJ to report to Congress on the Task Force’s enforcement activities, including against manufacturers with pending applications and for DOJ to identify additional needed authorities.

 

  • Investigation and Prosecution of Human Rights Crimes: Includes report language supporting the War Crimes Accountability Team’s efforts to respond to the ongoing atrocities occurring during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the added responsibilities of the Criminal Division to prosecute war criminals under the Justice for Victims of War Crimes Act enacted by Congress in 2022 and recommends funding at no less than FY25 levels.

NASA

  • Science Directorate: $7.3 billion to fund the innovative work of more than 10,000 scientists at universities, industry, and government laboratories in Illinois and across the United States through competitive research grants and mission-critical technology development and support.

 

  • Space Technology: $975 million to fund space technology research and development, including new innovative propulsion systems to explore deep space and compete with increasingly aggressive Chinese space endeavors. Also includes report language that is 1) “strongly supportive of a two-hemisphere U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program” and includes an 2) expectation that NASA will “prioritize the development and demonstration of cross-cutting technologies, which may include technologies related to in-situ resource utilization.”

 

  • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): $148 million to support several key programs, including the Minority University Research and Education Project; Space Grant, which funds education and research projects through a national network of university-based consortia; and Next Gen STEM, which provides competitive awards for informal educational institutions and sustains a national network of museums and science centers.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

  • National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot: $30 million for the NAIRR pilot program, led in part by the University of Illinois, and report language requiring NSF to deliver a briefing to Congress within 90 days regarding the progress of the pilot.

 

  • Diversity in STEM at NSF: Includes language to expand NSF’s Broadening Participation Programs, which support the participation of underrepresented communities in STEM fields.

 

  • Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT): $50 million for NSF to advance priority astronomy projects, including GMT, a telescope that will be constructed in part by Rockford’s Ingersoll Tools and supported scientifically by the University of Chicago.

 

-30-