Press Releases
Durbin In Spotlight Forum: We Need The Department Of Education
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today participated in a spotlight forum entitled “Abandoning America’s Promise: The Real Cost of Dismantling the Department of Education (ED),” which examined the disastrous impacts of the Trump Administration’s promise to gut ED and roll back oversight, civil rights enforcement, and funding for Title I, IDEA, Pell Grants, and student aid. Durbin began his speaking time in the forum by reflecting on ED’s work in offering equitable … Continue Reading
May 06, 2025
Durbin Urges AG Bondi, FBI Director Patel To Investigate Threats Against Federal Judges As They Continue To Receive Anonymous Deliveries As An Intimidation Tactic
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter today to U.S. Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel urging them to investigate the ongoing and increasing threats against federal judges. Recently, federal judges and their family members have received anonymous deliveries to their homes intended to show that those seeking to intimidate the targeted judge know the judge’s address or their family … Continue Reading
May 06, 2025
Durbin Slams Trump Administration For Eliminating AmeriCorps Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor admonishing the Trump Administration’s decision to cruelly eliminate funding forAmeriCorps, a widely-supported program that has strengthened American communities for more than three decades. “From rebuilding homes, to providing rural health care, tutoring kids after school, cleaning up after natural disasters, AmeriCorps supports our most under-resourced communities. My Republican … Continue Reading
May 05, 2025
Durbin Highlights Importance Of NIH Funding To Red States & Urges Republican Senators To Stand Up For Medical Research As Trump Freezes Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor slamming the Trump Administration for freezing medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency. Durbin has been a fierce advocate for NIH funding and worked with his colleagues—both Republicans and Democrats—over the years to increase NIH funding by 60 percent. NIH funding appropriated by Congress and secured by Durbin, is used for … Continue Reading
May 05, 2025
Durbin Slams Trump Administration For Gutting Global Health Programs
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke out against President Trump’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026, which guts programs for foreign aid that have historically had bipartisan support. Durbin spoke specifically about the dangers of defunding programs that have dramatically curtailed the devastating impact of AIDS across the globe. “I didn’t agree with former President George W. Bush on a lot of things, but I have … Continue Reading
May 05, 2025
Durbin Meets With Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Kari K. Steele, President of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) to discuss the design and construction of Thornton Reservoir, which was built to reduce chronic flooding in the Great Lakes region. In Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), Durbin secured a $20 million earmark for MWRD to address excessive flooding in historically underserved communities in the Chicagoland area, including Harvey, South … Continue Reading
May 05, 2025
Durbin Meets With The Illinois Hospital Association To Discuss Republican Plans To Cut Medicaid
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois hospital leaders to discuss their concerns over Republicans’ plan to cut Medicaid in the reconciliation package, to fund tax breaks for billionaires. Congressional Republicans have proposed $880 billion in potential Medicaid cuts, which would lead to nurses losing their jobs, mental health and obstetrics units being shuttered, hospital closures, and millions of people losing their health insurance coverage. In … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Durbin Statement On President Trump's Budget Proposal
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement on President Trump’s abysmal budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026 that cuts funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by nearly half: “It’s no surprise that President Trump proposed a federal budget that reflects his true priority - funding tax breaks for billionaires by betraying … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Durbin Discusses Impact Of Trump's Tariffs On Chicago Small Businesses Owners
CHICAGO— U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined small business owners in Lincoln Park to discuss the impacts of President Trump’s tariffs. “The Trump Tariffs are already driving up costs for manufacturers, disrupting our supply chains, and inspiring retaliatory tariffs, which will hurt small businesses like Lori’s Shoes, Art Effect, and Lost Soul Found, as well as their customers,” said Durbin. “President Trump has doubled down on these tariffs with nothing to show for … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Durbin Demands Attorney General Bondi To Recuse Herself From Any Work Benefitting Private Prison Company Due To Conflicts Of Interest
CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to recuse herself from any Justice Department (DOJ)-related work that could benefit her former lobbying client, the GEO Group, a major private prison contractor whose largest source of revenue is from contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a letter to Attorney General Bondi, Durbin raises serious ethical concerns due … Continue Reading
May 02, 2025
Durbin Statement On President Trump's Executive Order To End Federal Funds For NPR And PBS
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent the following statement after President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to prohibit federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): “The ruthless cuts and attacks on our federal government was not enough for President Trump—now he is going after public broadcasting, which has been providing unbiased, informative, and … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Shares The Story Of The Dream Act At Hispanic Association Of Colleges and Universities Forum
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of the Dream Act, today delivered remarks at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) forum. In his remarks, Durbin spoke about meeting Tereza Lee, the daughter of South Korean parents who fled to Brazil following the Korean War. Born in Brazil, Ms. Lee and her family moved to the United States when she was just two years old in 1985. While applying to … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Statement On Senate Republicans' Support Of Social Security Administration Nominee Who Will Gut Agency, Prevent Americans From Accessing Benefits
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after he voted against moving forward with the nomination of Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration (SSA): “As if it wasn’t enough to tank the economy and decimate Americans’ retirement accounts, President Trump has put forth a nominee to lead the Social Security Administration that would be complicit in closing SSA offices, limiting SSA phone services, and perpetuating … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
During A Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting, Durbin Continued To Raise Serious Concerns Over Ed Martin's Nomination
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s executive business meeting where he continued to raise his serious concerns over Ed Martin—President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Attorney in D.C. Today’s executive business meeting also considered the nominations of John Eisenberg, nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division, and … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Amps Up Oversight Of Trump Administration's Immigration Detention Expansion
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, escalated congressional oversight of the Trump Administration’s aggressive expansion of immigration detention, which has created a major financial boon for private prison companies. This expansion raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and the humane treatment of detained individuals, particularly in light of repeated reports of detainee mistreatment, … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Joins Warren, Colleagues In Pressing Trump Administration On Impact Of Mass Firings At Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and 39 other Democratic Senators in a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Russell Vought outlining more than 80 congressionally mandated functions of the CFPB and pressing foranswers on how the agency would be able to fulfill them after firing almost the entire staff. In the letter … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin Statement On Law Day And The Importance Of The Rule Of Law
WASHINGTON - On Law Day, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement in support of #ReaffirmTheOath—a grassroots effort that calls upon lawyers nationwide to publicly renew their commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law by reaffirming the oath they took when sworn in as attorneys. Law Day, which is observed on May 1, is a time to reflect on the importance of our legal system and the principles that … Continue Reading
May 01, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Reintroduce Assault Weapons Ban
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) in the bicameral reintroduction of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025, legislation to revive a nationwide ban on assault weapons two decades after the original ban expired. The bill would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and import … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin Questions Witnesses During Spotlight Hearing On The Trump Administration's Attempts To Whitewash January 6
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Democratic spotlight hearing entitled “Clear and Present Danger: The Trump Administration’s Whitewashing of the January 6th Insurrection.” Durbin first questioned Mike Romano, a former Deputy Chief of the Capitol Siege Section of the D.C.U.S. Attorney’s Office and member of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Public Integrity Unit, and Sara … Continue Reading
April 30, 2025
Durbin Delivers Remarks Honoring Fred Wertheimer As He Receives The Senator Paul H. Douglas Award For Ethics In Government
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered remarks honoring Fred Wertheimer, this year’s recipient for the University of Illinois System’s Senator Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government. In his remarks, Durbin praised Mr. Wertheimer’s work as founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonpartisan, nonprofit dedicated to strengthening American democracy, safeguarding election integrity, and promoting government accountability. Named for the late Illinois … Continue Reading