Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Biden For EV Charging Network Investments, Highlight Job Creation Benefits

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today highlighted that the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) nationwide electric vehicle (EV) charging network investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will have important benefits in Illinois, including creating good-paying, local jobs and making it easier for Illinoisans to travel the state and nation. DOT's investments in EV charging will total nearly $5 billion available over the next five years, in… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats Meet With President Biden And Vice President Harris To Discuss Supreme Court Vacancy

WASHINGTON - At a meeting in the White House, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee today met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy. Along with Durbin, today's meeting was also attended by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D… Continue Reading

Durbin, Brown, Senators Urge CFPB To Investigate Private Student Lenders' Compliance With Bankruptcy Law

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today led six colleagues in writing a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to express their concerns, first raised in a Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) report, that private student loan companies and servicers are intentionally misrepresenting to borrowers the possibility of discharging "non-qualified" private student loans in bankruptcy. Federal law prevents "qualified"… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Violence Against Women Act, Ending Forced Arbitration Of Sexual Assault And Sexual Harassment Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the passage of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, legislation that will prevent survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault from being forced into secretive, biased forced arbitration proceedings. Durbin also called on the Senate to pass the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act (VAWA), which was introduced by Senators Durbin, Dianne Feinstei… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out Republican Tactics To Stall U.S. Marshal Nominee For The Northern District Of Illinois

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, fought back against stalling tactics by Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, who were attempting to delay confirmation of LaDon Reynolds, nominee to serve as U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois. Durbin praised Reynolds for his qualifications for the position and expressed support for his full confirmation. "I … Continue Reading

Durbin, Gilibrand, Graham Celebrate Senate Passage Of Landmark Bill To Void And Prevent Forced Arbitration Agreements For Sexual Harassment And Sexual Assault

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in announcing the Senate passage of the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, legislation that will prevent perpetrators from being able to push survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault into the secretive, biased process of forced arbitration. Under the bill, forced … Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances Nine Nominees, Two Bipartisan Bills

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Andre B. Mathis, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Jessica G.L. Clarke, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; Hector Gonzalez, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York; Fred W. Slaughter, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; and Andrew Fois, to be Chairman of the Administrative Conference of t… Continue Reading

Senate Confirms Leonard Stark To The Federal Court

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Leonard Stark's nomination to serve on the Federal Circuit by a vote of 61-35. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Judge Stark's confirmation: "Judge Stark is an exceptional jurist whose extensive background as a trial judge includes presiding over thousands of patent cases and several dozen patent trials. Judge Stark has also served on several federal ap… Continue Reading

Durbin: Dr. Fauci Deserves To Be Listed Alongside World's Greatest Scientific Minds

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to express his support for Dr. Anthony Fauci-Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-and praised him for using his expertise to see the United States through numerous public health crises like HIV/AIDS, SARS, avian flu, swine flu, Zika, Ebola, and COVID-19. In his speech, Durbin called out Dr. Fauci's Republican detractors for … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Rural Illinois Health Care Providers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois members of the National Rural Health Association to discuss the challenges hospitals and health care providers are facing with COVID-19, behavioral health challenges, and delivering maternal health care services in rural Illinois. During their conversation, Durbin received an update on workforce shortages, the burnout health professionals are experiencing, and how federal programs and funding are helping to ensure … Continue Reading

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Modernize Violence Against Women Act

Washington-Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act. The bill, which would reauthorize VAWA through 2027, preserves advancements made in previous reauthorizations and includes a number of additional improvements to the current law. "This bill is the result of a true bipartisan effort, written in partnership with those … Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On U.S. Drone Strikes And Civilian Casualties

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "'Targeted Killing' and the Rule of Law: The Legal and Human Costs of 20 Years of U.S. Drone Strike." This is the first hearing since 2013-which Durbin also chaired-on the United States' use of drone strikes to lethally target suspected terrorists overseas. Durbin first questioned Stephen Pomper, Chief of Policy at the… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Remarks During Hearing On U.S. Drone Strikes And Civilian Casualties

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during a hearing entitled "'Targeted Killing' and the Rule of Law: The Legal and Human Costs of 20 Years of U.S. Drone Strikes." This is the first hearing since 2013-which Durbin also chaired-on the United States' use of drone strikes to lethally target suspected terrorists overseas. Key quotes: "In the nine years since that 2013 hearing, the watchdog … Continue Reading

Durbin: Johnson & Johnson Is Avoiding Accountability To Customers Who Got Cancer

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered remarks at the Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights hearing on "Abusing Chapter 11: Corporate Efforts to Side-Step Accountability Through Bankruptcy." During his remarks, Durbin called out Johnson & Johnson for using a corporate bankruptcy shell game known as the "Texas Two-Step" to avoid facing claims from cancer-stricken customers. If Johns… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Illinois Community College Trustees Association

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met virtually with board members, presidents, staff, and students from the Illinois Community College Trustee Association (ICCTA) to discuss continued support for community colleges. The Senators expressed their support for increasing the Pell grant and assistance for students' basic needs. In addition, they discussed the nursing shortage and support for undocumented students. "Our community … Continue Reading

Durbin: The Supreme Court Is Dismantling Voting Rights, Congress Must Swiftly Enact The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today condemned the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling yesterday which blocked a lower court ruling that required Alabama lawmakers to draw new congressional districts before the 2022 elections to protect the rights of Black voters, who are currently gerrymandered into a single district. Because of this ruling, Alabama's upcoming elections will be conducted under a map dr… Continue Reading

Durbin: Republican Party Leaders Are Normalizing The Use Of Violence To Achieve Political Goals

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called out the Republican Party for its blatant disregard of American democracy days after the Republican National Committee declared the deadly January 6th insurrection a form of "legitimate political discourse." In his speech, Durbin went on to describe how the Big Lie has inspired Donald Trump's supporters to commit violent acts - or make threats of violence against public officials. The Brennan C… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $912 Million In American Rescue Plan Funding For CTA

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $912.1 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding awarded to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to help the agency continue to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. "Reliable and affordable public transportation is critically important for Chicago residents and essential for our region's economic recovery. This American Rescue Plan funding builds… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Final Passage Of Bipartisan U.S. Innovation And Competition Act On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged his colleagues to negotiate the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 (USICA) and House-passed America COMPETES Act and bring the conferenced bill to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. The House bill passed on Friday. In June, Durbin voted to pass USICA, legislation that represents the largest investment in U.S. science and technology leadership since the Apollo era. … Continue Reading

Durbin: So Many COVID-19 Death Could Have Been Prevented

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor to mark the staggering milestone of losing 900,000 Americans to COVID-19, including more than 31,000 Illinoisans. In his remarks, Durbin urged Americans to get vaccinated and boosted to protect themselves and their community against the virus. "COVID-19 is now the third-leading cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer. At the rate we are going, experts say it i… Continue Reading