Press Releases
Durbin, Markey To Attend Late Pope Francis' Funeral On Saturday
ROME - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) announced today that they will attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday. The bipartisan Senate delegation is being led by Durbin and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). Along with Markey, Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) are also attending. Following his death, Durbin wrote, “We have lost the messenger, but we must hold fast to the message of Pope Francis to … Continue Reading
April 25, 2025
Durbin Recounts Legislative Accomplishments Over His House & Senate Career
SPRINGFIELD - In a video message shared with Illinois voters earlier this week, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) reflected on some of his most meaningful accomplishments as a member of the House of Representatives for seven terms and as a member of the U.S. Senate for five terms. This followed the Senator’s announcement that he will not seek re-election in 2026. “I’ve given over half of my life to House and Senate Congressional service. I’ve always tried to stand up to power on … Continue Reading
April 23, 2025
Durbin Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election in 2026
CHICAGO - In a video message shared with Illinois voters today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that he will not seek re-election in 2026. “The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch. So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term,” Durbin said in the video. “The people of Illinois have honored me … Continue Reading
April 22, 2025
Durbin, Senators Demand President Trump Rescind Harmful Claims That He Will Transfer Incarcerated U.S. Citizens To A Foreign Prison
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today led 25 of his Democratic colleagues in a letter to President Donald Trump calling for him to immediately rescind the dangerous and offensive claim that he may transfer incarcerated U.S. citizens to El Salvador. In the letter, the Senators also urge the President to follow the law and adhere to all applicable court orders and immediately facilitate the return to the United States … Continue Reading
April 22, 2025
Durbin Statement On Secretary of State Rubio Announcing "Sweeping Reorganization" At The State Department
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a plan to significantly reorganize the State Department, including targeting human rights programs and others focused on war crimes and democracy: “The chaos and cruelty of this Administration knows no bounds. After dismantling USAID, the Trump Administration is now going after the State Department—a critical department that executes our foreign policy goals, … Continue Reading
April 21, 2025
Durbin, Merkley, Blumenthal, Markey: President Trump's Cuts To Tobacco Prevention Will Make Americans Sicker & Cause More Tobacco-Related Deaths, Diseases
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) along with U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) today slammed the Trump Administration for staffing cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will devastate tobacco use prevention efforts across America. “Dozens of staffers at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) have been placed on administrative leave, including the … Continue Reading
April 21, 2025
Durbin Statement On The Passing Of Pope Francis
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the passing of Pope Francis: “We have lost the messenger, but we must hold fast to the message of Pope Francis to love and respect one another. In a world of hate and fear, Pope Francis’ message of peace and understanding is needed now more than ever. “We should honor the Pope with a ‘Francis Day’ of world peace: stop the bombing in Ukraine and Gaza; feed the dying in Sudan and around … Continue Reading
April 16, 2025
Durbin Statement On Ed Martin's Undisclosed Appearances On Russian State Media
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding reportsthat Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. Attorney for D.C., appeared on RT and Sputnik—networks funded and directed by the Russian government—150 times as a guest commentator from August 2016 to April 2024, something he failed to disclose in his Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire: “It is well-documented … Continue Reading
April 15, 2025
Durbin Joins Klobuchar to Press U.S. Trade Representative On Impacts Of Tariff Taxes On Farmers
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, joined U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and 17 of their colleagues to ask U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Jamieson Greer for information on how the Administration’s tariff taxes will impact farmers across the nation. “We write with great concern about the impact of the Administration’s reckless tariff agenda on our nation’s farmers,” wrote … Continue Reading
April 15, 2025
Durbin Holds Roundtable On Tax Day To Discuss Using Tax Dollars Responsibly To Support Critical Programs
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a roundtable in Springfield with labor leaders, senior advocates, retirees, and small business owners to discuss the need to use tax dollars wisely to fulfill the promise of critical programs like Social Security, instead of cutting taxes for billionaires and raising prices forAmerican families and small businesses via tariffs. More than two million Illinoisans depend on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to deliver … Continue Reading
April 15, 2025
Durbin, Congressional Democrats Fight Back Against Trump's Attacks On The FTC and Independent Agencies
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, led Senate and House Democrats in an amicus brief opposing President Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to fire members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). FTC Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya are duly appointed, Senate-confirmed Commissioners at an independent … Continue Reading
April 15, 2025
Durbin Continues to Call For The Immediate Return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement calling for the immediate return of Mr. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally in Maryland with his family until he was wrongfully deported without due process by the Trump Administration last month to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses. The Trump Administration has admitted that Mr. Abrego … Continue Reading
April 15, 2025
Durbin Calls On Illinois Educators To Sounds The Alarm On For-Profit-Colleges
SPRINGFIELD - As high school seniors finalize their postsecondary education plans for the upcoming school year ahead of College Decision Day on May 1, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) is enlisting the help of Illinois high school principals, counselors, and teachers to warn college-bound students and their families about the risks associated with attending for-profit colleges. In the past few years, the U.S. has experienced workforce shortages across various industries. … Continue Reading
April 15, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Join Senate Democrats To Warn Americans About Republicans Cutting SNAP Benefits To Give Tax Breaks To Billionaires
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senate Democrats, led by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), in sending an open letter to the American public warning that congressional Republicans are trying to cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in order to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. After promising to lower prices … Continue Reading
April 14, 2025
Durbin, Grassley, Lee Urge DOJ To Protect Vital Antitrust Field Offices
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Mike Lee (R-UT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, are advocating for the Chicago and San Francisco antitrust field offices to remain open. Many agricultural and tech antitrust cases are referred to these offices. “Now more than ever, antitrust enforcement is needed … Continue Reading
April 14, 2025
Durbin Calls Out Trump Administration's USDA Cuts During Visit To Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House
METRO EAST — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined leaders from the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House and the St. Louis Area Foodbank to discuss the impact of the Trump Administration’s cuts to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on food pantries and their ability to serve the Metro East. USDA halted $1 billion from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA), which reimburses states for purchasing fresh produce from local farmers, which is then … Continue Reading
April 11, 2025
Durbin, Hirono, Warren, Lead Colleagues In Urging DOJ To Reverse Decisions Greenlighting Cryptocurrency-Based Crime
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee led six Senators in urging Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to reverse the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent decisions to effectively terminate the Department’s cryptocurrency investigations and … Continue Reading
April 11, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Lead Illinois Democratic Delegation In Message To Secretary Kennedy: The Dismantling Of HHS Does Nothing To 'Make America Healthy Again'
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today led the Illinois Democratic Delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressing frustration and concern that HHS has slashed critical federal funding for the state’s public health programs and infrastructure. “We write to express our real concern about the Department and Health and Human Services’ (HHS) actions to terminate … Continue Reading
April 10, 2025
Durbin, Fischer Introduce Protecting Children With Food Allergies Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), who are both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today introduced the Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act. The legislation would ensure school food personnel receive essential information about food allergies as part of their existing annual trainings, so that they are better equipped to prevent, recognize, and respond to allergic food reactions. Food … Continue Reading
April 10, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Join Introduction Of Legislation To Increase Value Of Tax Credits That Help Working Class Americans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined their Senate colleagues to introduce two bills, the American Family Act and the Tax Cut for Workers Act, aimed at expanding tax credits for American families. “As costs have risen, wages haven’t kept up. And now Republicans want to give tax cuts to billionaires. What we need to do instead is give workers and families more tools to help make ends meet,” said Durbin. “The American Family … Continue Reading