Durbin: Senate Republicans' Reversal On Filling Supreme Court Vacancy During Presidential Election Year Is Thinly-Veiled Effort To Destroy Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee markup, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) argued that Senate Republicans' reversal on filling a Supreme Court vacancy in a presidential election year is a thinly-veiled effort to destroy the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after numerous failed attempts to abolish the health care law in Congress. With President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) actively working to dismantle the ACA's coverage and pre-existing co… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cortez Masto, Senate Dems Introduce Bill To Protected Unemployed Workers' Health Insurance During Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), together with 13 Senate Democrats, today introduced the Worker Health Coverage Protection Act, a bill that would protect millions of unemployed or furloughed workers from losing their health insurance by enabling them to access subsidized COBRA coverage and keep their insurance. The bill would provide a 100 percent subsidy of COBRA health insurance premiums owed by unemployed workers, in nearly all employment-based … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Troop Withdrawal From Germany, COVID-19 Testing With Secretary Of Defense

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, spoke by phone today with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to follow up on an August letter regarding the justification for the President's decision to remove nearly 12,000 American service members from Germany. Durbin again pressed Secretary Esper about the plan, its projected timeline, and about support for the Baltics and Poland. With no clear justification from the President or De… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Leaked For-Profit College Lobbyist Email

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after U.S. News and World Report published an email from for-profit college lobbyist Steve Gunderson to for-profit college industry leaders outlining how to continue to exploit students, veterans, and taxpayers if Democrats control Congress in 2021: "The for-profit colleges' recent strategy memo tells all. Former Republican Congressman Steve Gunderson, now President of this group, has set his sights on exploitin… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out Senate Republican Plan To Dismantle Affordable Care Act Through Filling Supreme Court Vacancy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senate Democrats in a series of floor speeches last night reflecting on the legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and reiterating that the Senate should comply with Justice Ginsburg's dying wish and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) own precedent to wait to fill the Supreme Court vacancy until after the next presidential inauguration. "She had one last request, one dying… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Grand Jury Ruling In Breonna Taylor Case

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case: "True justice for Breonna Taylor would mean that she would still be alive today. The fact that even accountability for her death remains in question is wrong. This underscores that the status quo is unacceptable when it comes to matters of race and policing in America. We owe it to Breonna Tay… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams Trump Administration's COVID-19 Response, Urges Senate To Protect Health Insurance Of Unemployed Americans

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed the Trump Administration for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and spoke about the importance of helping unemployed and uninsured Americans, hospitals and health clinics, state and local governments, and small businesses. Yesterday marked 200,000 American deaths from COVID-19. "I listen as spokespeople for the Administration talk about the wonderful job that they've done in defending America from the coronavirus. The … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Announce $5.8 Million For Chicago Rockford International Airport

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today announced $5.8 million in federal funding for Chicago Rockford International Airport. The funding, which is from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), will be used for the construction of a larger cargo apron to meet growing demand. "Chicago Rockford International Airport is not only a vital transportation asset, it's an economic driver for all of Northern… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With American Council Of Engineering Companies Of Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois by phone to offer an update on COVID-19 relief negotiations and infrastructure funding. Durbin spoke about Democratic priorities for the next COVID-19 relief package including nearly $1 trillion in funding for state and local governments nationwide to address revenue losses. On the call, Durbin also addressed the pressing need for a bold, federal investment in infrastructure, which will… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Call On Republicans To Stand For Science And Support Bill To Stop Political Interference In COVID-19 Response

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and 30 of their Senate Democratic colleagues to introduce the Science and Transparency Over Politics (STOP) Act, legislation to fight back against political interference by the Trump Administration in the work of experts and the nation's public health agencies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The American people must have confide… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kaine, And Murphy Express Support For Belarusian Presidential Candidate

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) today spoke with Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and expressed support for her candidacy and condemned the sham election that took place in August. Durbin, Kaine, and Murphy recently introduced a bipartisan resolution rejecting the discredited election results, condemning Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenko's crackdown on peaceful protestors, and calling for the imposition of sa… Continue Reading

Durbin: The Affordable Care Act Is At Stake With This Supreme Court Vacancy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today warned that the future of the Affordable Care Act is at stake with the Supreme Court vacancy following the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin noted that President Donald Trump has made clear that he wants to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act. That is the position the Trump Administration has taken before the Supreme Court in a case… Continue Reading

House Passes Durbin, Sullivan Due Process Protections Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) applauded the House's unanimous passage of S. 1380, the Due Process Protections Act, legislation they introduced earlier this Congress to reinforce the constitutional right of defendants to access favorable and potentially exculpatory evidence obtained by prosecutors. The bill passed the Senate on May 22. "The Due Process Clause is enshrined in our Constitution as a check against government overreach, but there are inadequate… Continue Reading

Durbin Honors Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today honored the life and legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Senate floor. "Ruth Bader Ginsburg did not simply take opportunities afforded to women. More than perhaps any American in history, she helped to create those opportunities," Durbin said. "Loretta and I offer our deepest condolences to her friends and family, especially her daughter Jane, her son James, her grandchildr… Continue Reading

House Passes Durbin-Schneider Bill To Combat Domestic Terrorism

WASHINGTON - On a unanimous vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5602, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2020, a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10). The bill would enhance the federal government's efforts to prevent domestic terrorism by requiring federal law enforcement agencies to regularly assess this threat, focus their resources on the most significant domestic terrorism threats, and provide tr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Judiciary Committee Democrats To Chairman Graham: Follow Your Own Rule And Delay Filling Supreme Court Vacancy Until After Inauguration

CHICAGO-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and 9 Judiciary Committee Democrats in calling on Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to delay action on filling Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat on the Supreme Court until after the inauguration of the next president. "In light of the vacancy created by Justice Ginsburg's death, we call upon you to state unequivocally and publicly that… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On The Passing Of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "The Supreme Court's most valiant champion for justice in our lifetime is gone. Justice Ginsburg was an American hero. "Please remember Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's demand that Supreme Court vacancies go unfilled during a presidential election year, which was also Justice Ginsburg's dying wish. Senator McConnell pleaded with u… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $10 Million For Springfield Rail Improvement Project

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the City of Springfield has been awarded $10 million in federal funding for the Springfield Rail Improvement Project. Today's investment, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, will fund the replacement of two existing rail bridges at the South Grand Avenue and Cook Street underpasses with double-trac… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $16 Million In VAWA Funding For Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $15.9 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to help Illinois agencies and community groups provide critical support and protections for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Today's funding comes from various DOJ programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to prevent, combat, and investigate sexual assault and violence against wome… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Colleagues To Urge Online Platforms To Take Additional Measures To Stop Voting Related Misinformation And Disinformation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in leading 15 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Facebook, Instagram, Google, Twitter and YouTube, urging executives to take further measures to stop voting related misinformation and disinformation. The Intelligence Community has confirmed that Russia is trying to influence and undermine the election through social media and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned that foreign actors may leverage limit… Continue Reading