In Speech On Senate Floor, Durbin Highlights Corruption Of ITT Tech And For-Profit College Industry

WASHINGTON - Six years after the collapse of the infamous for-profit college chain ITT Tech, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senator floor calling out ITT Tech for defrauding students, many of whom are still waiting for their loans to be discharged by the Department of Education (the Department) under the Higher Education Act's borrower defense provision. In his written remarks, Durbin called on the Department to do more to provide former ITT Tech students … Continue Reading

Following The Atrocities In Bucha, Durbin To Introduce Legislation To Hold Russian War Criminals Accountable

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor to highlight The War Crimes Accountability Act, legislation he will introduce in the coming days to ensure the United States has the tools to hold accountable the perpetrators of war crimes and other atrocities. Following the mass killings in Bucha, Ukraine, President Biden declared that they were war crimes, vowing to hold Russia… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges New FDA Commissioner To Finally Complete E-Cigarette Review

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf about the agency's delay in comprehensively regulating the e-cigarette marketplace to protect public health. During today's call, Durbin urged new Commissioner Califf to finally conclude FDA's review of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for e-cigarette products, now seven months past the court-ordered deadline for the review. While FDA… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On The Successful Discharge Vote For Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Nominated To Be An Associate Justice Of Supreme Court

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate voted to discharge Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, from the Senate Judiciary Committee by a bipartisan vote of 53-47. Ahead of her discharge vote on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke in support of Judge Jackson. Key Durbin quotes: "In the coming days, Judge Jackson's nomination will come before the full Senate. And we a… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Committee vote: "This is the fourth time the Committee has voted on Judge Jackson in some capacity, a reflection of her extraordinary legal career. However, it is the first time that the Committee has advanced t… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Remarks Ahead Of Judiciary Committee Vote On Supreme Court Nominee Judge Jackson

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered opening remarks at the Judiciary Committee markup on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The Committee also is considering the nominations of Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Arianna J. Freeman, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; Robert … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Closure Of Lincoln College

SPRINGFIELD-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the closure of Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois: "Since learning about the unfortunate closure of Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, my office has been in touch with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). I feel for the students whose lives will be interrupted by this, but stand ready to do anything I can to ensure they are made aware of all of their options. "I urge IBHE … Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Murphy In Urging Biden Administration To Address Humanitarian Crisis In Afghanistan

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and 10 other Senators in sending a letter urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power to press international donors at the United Nations pledging conference to fulfill the current $3.8 billion funding gap for humanitarian aid for Afghanistan and to ensure that aid can reach the Afghan people in need. "The huma… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Criticize DHS Decision To Expand H-2B Visa Program Without Necessary Reforms

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today issued the following joint statement criticizing a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision to release additional H-2B temporary non-agricultural work visas: "We've long expressed concerns that the current H-2B program encourages lower wages and poor working conditions for American and immigra… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Criticize DHS Decision To Expand H-2B Visa Program Without Necessary Reforms

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today issued the following joint statement criticizing a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision to release additional H-2B temporary non-agricultural work visas: "We've long expressed concerns that the current H-2B program encourages lower wages and poor working conditions for American and immigra… Continue Reading

Durbin Rebuts Misrepresentations Of Judge Jackson's Record

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today rebutted Senator Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) misrepresentations of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's record, President Biden's nominee to be an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. Durbin pushed back on Graham's claims that Judge Jackson is "soft on crime," including her sentencing for cases of child pornography and representation of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. … Continue Reading

Durbin, Schumer, Murray, Senators Call On Department Of Education, DOJ To Follow Through On Pledge To Improve Handling Of Student Debt Bankruptcy Claims

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today led 24 U.S. Senators in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting an update on efforts to improve how the agencies handle undue hardship claims by student borrowe… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Brown To Call On Regulators To Focus On Lending To Main Street

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in leading their colleagues in a letter to the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Credit Union Administration, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, urging them to work with banks and credit unions to ensure small businesses, especially those owned by people of color, women, and veterans, have access to safe and sound credit as Main Street recovers from t… Continue Reading

Senate Committee Advances Durbin, Portman Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC), announced that their bipartisan and bicameral legislation, the Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, unanimously passed out of HSGAC today. The bill would expand federally funded mental health and trauma support resources for survivors and first responders following Emergency Declarations granted by the Federal E… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Republicans To Join Democrats To Provide New COVID Funds, Stay Ahead Of Virus

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor on the need to pass a bipartisan COVID-19 supplemental funding package. New COVID-19 funds are necessary now to procure additional vaccine booster doses, oral antivirals, and other therapeutics to treat patients who contact a serious case, maintain testing infrastructure at hospitals and health clinics, and more. Durbin said, "We cannot continue this cycle of neglect-and-panic. These pendulum swings harm our … Continue Reading

Durbin Talks Research Funding With University Of Chicago President

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos about the ongoing development of the University of Chicago and Fermilab's Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE). Durbin and President Alivisatos discussed federal funding for the project, including the $189 million for LBNF/DUNE in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus appropriations bill Congress passed earlier this month. … Continue Reading

Durbin, Portman, Ukraine Caucus Meet With Members Of The Ukrainian Parliament

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, hosted members of the Ukrainian Parliament to brief members of the Senate Ukraine Caucus on the latest regarding Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and how else the U.S. Senate can support their nation. Ukrainian Parliament members in attendance included Lesia Zaburanna, Yevheniya Kravchuk, Anastasia Radina, and Maria Ionova. Ukrainian Ambassad… Continue Reading

Durbin, Rubio, Bass, Smith Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation To Extend Authorization On Global Basic Education

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), along with Representatives Karen Bass (D-CA), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, and Chris Smith, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa (R-NJ), introduced bipartisan and bicameral legislation to reauthorize the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act of 2017 for an additional five years to equitably expand access to basic education … Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Introduce Legislation To Strengthen Security And Economic Cooperation With The Baltics Amid Russian Aggression

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Co-Chairs of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, introduced the Baltic Defense and Deterrence Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation to effectively codify the Baltic Security Initiative effort and create a complementary initiative at the U.S. Department of State. Jointly, these two efforts will enhance and strengthen U.S. security and economic cooperation with the Baltics amid Russia's continued ag… Continue Reading

Durbin Reaffirms U.S. Relations With Ukraine, Baltics On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor highlighting efforts the Senate is taking to strengthen relations with Ukraine and surrounding countries, including the Baltics. Tomorrow, Durbin and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Durbin's Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, are hosting a meeting with members of the Ukrainian Parliament. Durbin said, "Putin's unprovoked and unconsci… Continue Reading