Durbin Discusses International Response To COVID-19 With Catholic Relief Services

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with Catholic Relief Service representatives from the Diocese of Belleville about the international response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic. Durbin advocated for additional international assistance in the next COVID-19 relief package, including at least $4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Durbin also called for renewing the United States' international leadership efforts in the global effort to develop therapeutics and vaccines t… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls For Comprehensive DOD Review Of Treatment Of Women Service Members & Service Members Of Color

PEORIA - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today urged the Department of Defense (DOD) to begin a comprehensive review of the treatment of women and persons of color in the military in light of the deeply disturbing murder of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén at Fort Hood. In a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, Durbin wrote that sexual assa… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On President Trump To Comply With Supreme Court Decision To Reopen DACA Program For New Applicants

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Trump Administration to immediately comply with the Supreme Court decision to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and reopen DACA to eligible individuals who have been unable to apply due to President Trump's decision to terminate DACA. The Supreme Court announced its decision on June 18, with Chief Justice John Roberts calling the Administration's effort to repeal deportation protections for Dreamers-… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 With Illinois Veteran Service Organization Leaders

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with Illinois veterans service organization leaders about ensuring COVID-19 treatment and access to VA benefits for veterans and the economic constraints veterans organizations are facing as a result of the economic crisis spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Durbin spoke with the leaders about the rise in COVID-19 cases this spring in Illinois VA hospitals across the state and the growing backlog of VA benefit claims. Durbin discussed his efforts t… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Police Reform With National Organization Of Black Law Enforcement Executives

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke by phone with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) Land of Lincoln Chapter President Marcus Lucas and local chapter members today about policing reform. During the call, Durbin heard from NOBLE members about their experiences in law enforcement and discussed his support for the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which aims to comprehensively change the culture of law enforcement by prohibiting racial and discrimina… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Response With Mayors Lightfoot And Rockingham

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr., who is President of the Illinois Municipal League, to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and federal relief programs. Topics included assistance to state and local governments, testing, and relief for local small businesses. "I am thankful for the leadership of Mayors Lightfoot and Rockingham during this unprecedented crisis. I appreciated hearing about how t… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Impact With Illinois Corn Growers Association

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, spoke with the Illinois Corn Growers Association today to discuss his support for farmers during the COVID-19 crisis, including assistance in rebuilding locks and dams, restoring strong ethanol production, and improving export markets. During the call, Durbin talked about the distribution to date of more than $5 billion in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payments to livestock and row crop farmers exp… Continue Reading

Durbin, Harris Lead 33 Senators Administration Comply With Supreme Court Decision On DACA

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee and author of the Dream Act, and U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), member of the United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today led a letter from 33 Senators to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf calling on the Trump Administration to immediately comply with the Supreme Court's decision rejecting the Administration's rescission of Deferred Action… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Health Disparities & Relief Programs With Illinois Latino Caucus

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke with the Illinois Latino Caucus to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Latinx Illinoisans and how the federal government can support communities of color in the health and economic needs during the pandemic. Latinx and Black Americans in the U.S. are three times more likely to become infected with coronavirus than their White counterparts, and are nearly twice as likely to die from the virus as White Americans. These disparities exist in cities l… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Bicameral Letter Urging ICE And DHS To Immediately Withdraw New Guidance That Threatens International Students With Deportation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA.), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7), Joe Neguse (D-CO-2), Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Seth Moulton (D-MA-6), and 85 other Senate and House Democrats, to send a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) an… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Impact Of COVID-19 On Local Communities With The Illinois Business Immigration Coalition

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke with Illinois Business Immigration Coalition leaders and staff about his efforts to extend COVID-19 relief to immigrants and communities of color. On the call, Durbin discussed provisions contained in the Heroes Act that he is fighting for in the Senate, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) work authorization extensions. He also discussed the Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act, l… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Rulings on President Trump's Financial Records

SPRINGFIELD - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled on two cases regarding disclosure of President Donald Trump's financial records: "There must be something truly awful in President Donald Trump's tax returns. Look at the lengths he has gone to in order to avoid what every other President in modern times has disclosed." -30-… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Call For $32 Billion In Transit Funding In Next COVID-19 Stimulus Package

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and 22 of their colleagues to urge Senate leadership to provide an additional $32 billion in emergency supplemental funding for public transit agencies in the next COVID-19 stimulus package. Transit agencies have been hit hard ever since stay-at-home orders were first announced in states across the country back in March, resulting in plummeting ridership and fare revenues needed to keep t… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Hospital Leaders In Decatur To Discuss COVID-19 Response

DECATUR - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) St. Mary's Hospital to discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care and the economy across central and southern Illinois and priorities for relief legislation. Durbin and hospital leaders discussed the need for a direct and immediate infusion of funds for our hospitals, as well as policies to stabilize funding for rural hospitals, support the health care workforce, and increase the perso… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $29 Million For Head Start Programs In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that eight organizations around Illinois will receive a total of nearly $30 million in federal funding to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This funding comes through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that allocates funding, provides technical assistance, and helps build strategic partnerships in order to p… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Schumer And Wyden To Introduce New Legislation To Extend Expanded Unemployment Insurance & Require Program Continue Providing Benefits Until Economic Conditions Improve

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) to introduce the American Workforce Rescue Act, bold, new legislation that would establish "automatic stabilizers" to ensure unemployment benefits remain available for working families during periods of persistent unemployment, a priority for Senate Democrats in the next COVID-19 bill. The proposal would extend the $600 increase in weekly unemployment insurance (UI)… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Implement And Expand Online SNAP Purchasing Nationwide

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced a bill to address hunger needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond by requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand online Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchasing choices by enabling additional retailers to participate in the program. The Expanding SNAP Options Act would provide funding for the creation of a universal online and app-based portal to make access to nutr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Bipartisan Amendment In Support Of Baltic States Included In NDAA

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), co-chairs of the Senate Baltic Caucus, today announced that their bipartisan amendment expressing support for coordinated action to ensure the security of our Baltic allies - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). "Eastern Europe and the transatlantic alliance are at critical moments in their history. We must support our allies who face the brunt of Russian cyberatt… Continue Reading

Durbin To NIH Director & Health Officials: Any COVID-19 Vaccine Must Be Proven Safe And Effective And Free Of Political Influence

WASHINGTON - During a Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Services Appropriations Subcommittee hearing today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) questioned the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, about Operation Warp Speed and how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will assure the American people that any COVID-19 vaccine will be safe and effective given the speed at which vaccines are being developed, an… Continue Reading

Durbin To Illinois AG Raoul: We Must Protect Students From Predatory For-Profit College Industry

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) warned Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul about the potential financial dangers posed to Illinois students by the for-profit college industry during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In a letter to AG Raoul, Durbin urged the state to remain watchful and vigilant when it comes to for-profit colleges, which have a long history of fraud and abuse that peaks during times of great economic uncertainty. Durbin cited reports that for-profit col… Continue Reading