Press Releases
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Latest Nominations Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Maria Araújo Kahn, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; Julie Rikelman, to be the U.S. Circuit Judge for the First Circuit; Margaret R. Guzman, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts; Araceli Martínez-Olguín, to be U.S. District Judge for the … Continue Reading
September 21, 2022
Durbin: Why Is It That When Republicans Want to Make A Point About Immigration, It Always Ends up Being The Children Who Are The Pawns?
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor criticizing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) failure to engage on immigration reform while migrant families are forcibly bused across the United States by Republican governors. Durbin reminded McConnell, who moments before had argued for improved legal immigration, that he voted against the last bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform … Continue Reading
September 21, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $1 Million in Pollution Prevention Grants for University of Illinois System
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $1,049,196 awarded to the University of Illinois System by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's historic $100 million program investment. These pollution prevention (P2) grants will allow the University of Illinois System to provide businesses with technical assistance to help them implement P2 practices to prevent or … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Durbin Meets With President Preckwinkle, Cook County Health Leadership
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Health & Hospital System CEO Israel Rocha about improving access to health care for marginalized communities, including incarcerated individuals, immigrants, and people of color. Durbin, President Preckwinkle, and Mr. Rocha discussed the need to offer health care services to the migrants arriving in Chicago after being bused to the region by the Republican … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Join Lawmakers in Bicameral Push for President Biden to Issue a Major Disaster Declaration for Puerto Rico
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-07) in a bicameral letter to President Joe Biden urging him to issue a Major Disaster Declaration for all of Puerto Rico's municipalities in response to Hurricane Fiona. Just days before the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Fiona ravaged the island with catastrophic … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Protection hearing titled, "Oversight of Federal Enforcement of the Antitrust Laws." During his statement, Durbin discussed his longstanding efforts to bring fairness, transparency and competition to the credit and debit card systems, which have long been plagued by excessively … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Durbin, Grassley Meet with Speaker of Lithuania’s Parliament Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen
WASHINGTON - Today, 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, met with the Speaker of Lithuania's Parliament Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to discuss the continued congressional support for the Baltic States as well as ongoing Russian aggression and interference in western democracies. During the meeting, the Senators also offered their support to Lithuania as the nation faces economic bullying from the … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Senate Unanimously Passes Resolution Condemning Violence and Threats of Violence Against the FBI
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke about the increased violence and threats of violence Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employees have faced since the August 8 search executed at former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort-and the need for swift Senate action condemning such behavior and the rhetoric that contributes to it. "I have repeatedly made clear that violence against law … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Senate Confirms Florence Pan to D.C. Circuit
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Florence Pan to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Judge Pan's confirmation: "Judge Florence Pan is a highly qualified jurist. Her long tenure on the bench, along with her experience litigating at the trial and appellate level, will be an asset to the D.C. Circuit. Further, Judge Pan's nomination … Continue Reading
September 20, 2022
Durbin Slams Republican Governors for Exploiting Migrant Families for Cruel Political Stunts
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today told the story of a migrant family he met at the Salvation Army Rescue Center in the West Side of Chicago: Carlos, his wife, and their two young daughters, who sought asylum in the United States in order to escape danger in Venezuela. Carlos's family is one of the more than 500 migrant families whom Texas Governor Greg Abbott has put on a bus to Chicago in … Continue Reading
September 19, 2022
Durbin, Grassley Introduce Resolution Designating September As National Democracy Month
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 introduced a Senate resolution designating September 2022 as National Democracy Month. The resolution asks Americans to reflect on the contributions of the system of government of the United States to a more free and stable world. "Our democracy is only as strong as our commitment to relentlessly … Continue Reading
September 19, 2022
Durbin Highlights Benefits of Inflation Reduction Act on Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) highlighted the historic benefits of the now-signed Inflation Reduction Act, which reduces the cost of prescription drugs, combats climate change, and addresses inflation. Durbin began his remarks by noting a long-overdue provision in the legislation that allows Medicare to negotiate the prices of prescription drugs. Durbin said, "After years of candidates going out on the campaign trail and … Continue Reading
September 19, 2022
Durbin Praises the Release of American Hostage Mark Frerichs
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised the release of Mark Frerichs today, an Illinoisan held hostage for more than two and a half years after being abducted in Afghanistan in 2020. After Frerichs was abducted by the Taliban, Haqqani network, or their affiliates in Afghanistan, Durbin and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) have repeatedly called on both the Trump and Biden Administrations to prioritize his safe return. "Two and a half … Continue Reading
September 19, 2022
Durbin & Duckworth Relieved by Release of American Hostage in Afghanistan Mark Frerichs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statements after the family of Mark Frerichs, an Illinoisan held hostage for more than two and a half years after being abducted in Afghanistan in 2020, announced that Mark has been freed from Taliban custody: "I am deeply heartened by Mark's long overdue release and the relief it will bring to him and his family. The tragic and cruel use of him as a hostage has finally come to an end. I want … Continue Reading
September 16, 2022
Durbin Visits Quincy Bay, Discusses Restoration Project
QUINCY - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Quincy Bay, one of the largest natural bays of the Upper Mississippi River, to discuss its restoration project. This project aims to reverse the impact of sedimentation and erosion at Quincy Bay to improve the quality and diversity of waterfowl, fish, and wildlife populations, aquatic and forest habitat, and other ecologically significant features such as water depth and wetlands.Durbin pushed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to include … Continue Reading
September 16, 2022
Durbin Announces $800,000 For the Knowledge Center At Chaddock Rennovation and Expansion
QUINCY - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited The Knowledge Center at Chaddock to discuss $800,000 in federal funding he and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) secured through Congressionally Directed Spending-more commonly known as an earmark-in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Omnibus appropriations bill for the second phase of its renovation and expansion to improve child and adolescent mental health care. Specifically, the funding will be used for the complete construction of two … Continue Reading
September 15, 2022
Durbin, Padilla Request Additional Humanitarian Assistance Funding For Communities & Organizations Aiding Migrant Families
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, led eight of their Senate colleagues in a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee leadership urging them to provide additional humanitarian assistance funding for FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) in the upcoming government funding stop-gap bill. As … Continue Reading
September 15, 2022
Durbin Questions CFTC Chairman at Agriculture Committee Hearing on Digital Assets
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), today, in a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing, questioned the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Rostin Behnam about financial market stability given the extreme volatility of the crypto market. "My concern is this: I'm glad we're talking about regulation. We have to have it. But I worry we are doing enough to salve our conscience, but not doing enough to put up guardrails and stop signs … Continue Reading
September 15, 2022
Durbin Slams FDA's Missed Deadlines To Protect Our Children From Nicotine Addiction
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) condemned the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) failure to meet e-cigarette and synthetic nicotine deadlines, unwillingness to take action against companies that defy the agency's orders, and general lack of urgency when it comes to protecting children from the harms of tobacco and nicotine use. The court-ordered deadline for FDA to finish reviewing e-cigarette applications was more than one … Continue Reading
September 15, 2022
Senate Confirms Sarah Merriam To Second Circuit
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Sarah Merriam to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Judge Merriam's confirmation: "Judge Sarah Merriam is a highly qualified and evenhanded jurist who has served as a federal judge for over seven years. Having previously worked as an Assistant Federal Defender, serving clients who could not … Continue Reading