Press Releases
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing On Arctic Frost
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 Subcommittee hearing entitled “Arctic Frost Accountability: Oversight of Telecommunications Carriers’ Responses to Jack Smith’s Witch Hunt.” This morning, Durbin led all Senate Judiciary Democrats in again calling for Special Prosecutor Jack Smith to testify publicly under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, as he has … Continue Reading
February 10, 2026
Senate Judiciary Democrats Call For Jack Smith To Publicly Testify Under Oath
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Democrats in again calling for Special Prosecutor Jack Smith to testify publicly under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, as he has offered to do, as well as request an unredacted version of Smith’s reports and all underlying materials from the Justice Department. Senate Judiciary Republicans plan to proceed with a highly unusual series of eight … Continue Reading
February 10, 2026
Durbin Requests Bondi, Pirro Preserve All Records Related To Investigations Of Senators Kelly, Slotkin, And Four House Members
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, demanded Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro preserve all records related to investigations of U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), as well as four Members of the House of Representatives. Senate Judiciary Democrats’ earlier oversight request on the matter has gone unanswered for weeks. In a letter to Bondi and Pirro, Durbin wrote: … Continue Reading
February 09, 2026
Durbin Reiterates Senate Democrats’ Demands To Rein In ICE As Republicans Stall Negotiations Ahead Of Friday’s DHS Funding Deadline
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, urged his Republican colleagues to join Democrats to pass common sense reforms to rein in President Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. The Senate passed a two-week stop gap funding measure for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which expires Friday, while Democrats negotiate with … Continue Reading
February 09, 2026
Durbin, Reed, Delauro Introduce American Business For American Companies Act
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) today reintroduced the bicameral American Business for American Companies Act, legislation that would extend the year-to-year government wide ban on federal contracts for inverted corporations by moving it out of the annual appropriations process and into permanent law. Corporate inversions allow U.S. companies to shift their corporate citizenship … Continue Reading
February 06, 2026
Durbin Secures Support For Illinois Priorities In Recently Passed Package Of Five Government 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 recently passed package of five government funding bills for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Defense; Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; and State and Foreign Operations for Fiscal Year 2026. “With … Continue Reading
February 05, 2026
Durbin, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Host Speaker Of The Parliament Of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, along with a bipartisan group of Senators hosted the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S., Olha Stefanishyna. U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), … Continue Reading
February 05, 2026
Durbin, Blumenthal, Pallone Introduce Bill To Prohibit Sale Of Tianeptine
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06) today introduced the Prohibiting Tianeptine and Other Dangerous Products Act, legislation that would prohibit tianeptine from being marketed to consumers. Tianeptine is an unapproved drug that is marketed as a purported dietary supplement and sold under labels such as “Neptune’s Fix.” Ingestion of tianeptine has led to an increase in calls … Continue Reading
February 05, 2026
Durbin Condemns The Trump Administration For Ignoring The Constitution, Overwhelming The Judicial System Amid DHS’s Lawless Immigration Operation
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 condemning the Trump Administration’s intimidation of federal judges amid the surge in immigration cases. His remarks come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents are carrying … Continue Reading
February 04, 2026
Durbin Calls Out The Rampant Fraud Perpetrated By The Trump Administration
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered opening remarks in today’s Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights hearing on fraud in Minnesota. As Durbin made clear in his opening remarks, today’s hearing failed to examine the full breadth of fraud occurring in the United States, including within the Trump Administration. Rather, the Subcommittee used the hearing to … Continue Reading
February 04, 2026
Durbin Questions ATF Director Nominee, Judicial Nominee During Senate Judiciary Committee Nominations Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned nominees at a Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. Durbin first questioned Robert Cekada, nominated to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), about President Trump’s proposed cuts to ATF. The President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposed cutting ATF funding by over 25 percent and at least two-thirds of ATF agents - … Continue Reading
February 04, 2026
Durbin Calls Out Weaponization Of The Justice Department Under AG Bondi’s Leadership One Year Since Her Confirmation
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 about the weaponization of the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the leadership of Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi one year since her confirmation by the U.S. Senate. “A year ago, the United States Senate voted to confirm Pam Bondi as Attorney General. As I said during her confirmation hearing last year, the Attorney General must be committed … Continue Reading
February 04, 2026
Durbin Presses For Trump Administration Witnesses To Testify Before Section 702 Sunset Deadline
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to hold a hearing with Trump Administration witnesses as Congress debates the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The request follows a recent Committee hearing on the topic—without any Trump Administration officials present. In a letter to … Continue Reading
February 03, 2026
Durbin Speaks At Spotlight Forum Examining Aggressive Tactics Of DHS, ICE, CBP Agents Carrying Out Trump Administration’s Cruel Mass Deportation Scheme
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today participated in a bicameral spotlight forum entitled “Our Values at Stake (Part II): Examining DHS’ Use of Violence in Immigration Enforcement.” The forum, convened by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), is the second installment of spotlight forums examining the continued lawlessness of agents of the U.S. Department of … Continue Reading
February 03, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth, Foster Introduce New Legislation To Boost Housing Stock Across The Country
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL-11) today introduced new legislation that would address the housing shortage in the United States, which has priced millions of Americans out of home ownership. To mitigate barriers to home ownership and incentivize builders to focus on constructing resilient and affordable homes, the Advancing Better Options for Dwellings Everywhere (ABODE) Act would … Continue Reading
February 03, 2026
In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, Durbin Questions Witnesses About Investigation Into Nazi-Linked Swiss Bank Accounts
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned witnesses in today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “The Truth Revealed: Hidden Facts Regarding Nazis and Swiss Banks,” which conducted oversight of an ongoing investigation by the Swiss bank UBS into Nazi-linked Credit Suisse accounts. Durbin began his questioning by asking about the status of 150 documents, all of which pertain to a 1998 settlement between … Continue Reading
February 03, 2026
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Conducting Oversight On Investigation Into Nazi-Connected Swiss Bank Accounts
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered opening remarks in today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “The Truth Revealed: Hidden Facts Regarding Nazis and Swiss Banks,” which conducted oversight of an ongoing investigation by the Swiss bank UBS into Nazi-linked Credit Suisse accounts. In 2021, in response to concerns raised by the Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center, Credit Suisse … Continue Reading
February 02, 2026
Durbin Lays Out Senate Democrats’ Demands To Rein In ICE
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, urged his Republican colleagues to join Democrats to pass common sense reforms to rein in President Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. On Friday, the Senate passed five bipartisan government funding bills and a two-week stop gap funding measure for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security … Continue Reading
February 02, 2026
Durbin Meets With ATF Director Nominee
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after a courtesy meeting with Robert Cekada, nominated to be the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF): “Almost one year after Attorney General Bondi’s confirmation, the Justice Department has become a shell of its former self. It’s been weaponized to fulfill one President’s political goals. “ATF could play an … Continue Reading
February 02, 2026
Durbin Introduces Legislation To Improve Accountability For Foreign Medical Schools Receiving Federal Student Aid
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation that would protect students and taxpayers by closing a loophole that gives special treatment to a small number of overseas medical schools. The Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act would require all medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada to meet the same minimum requirements to receive Title IV student aid dollars. U.S. Representative Kim Schrier (D-WA-08) plans to introduce companion … Continue Reading