Durbin Discusses COBRA Assistance And DACA With American Federation Of Teachers President Randi Weingarten

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on teachers and students with Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Durbin discussed his letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) last week urging for the next COVID-19 relief package to include funding to allow people who lose their jobs to remain on their employers' health plans through COBRA. "This crisis has forced tens of millions of Americans to … Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Advocate For Dedicated, Flexible State And Local Government Emergency Funding

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and 32 Senate colleagues, wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to urge for state, local, and tribal governments to receive dedicated, flexible funding in the next COVID-19 emergency funding package. While Illinois has received $4.9 billion for state and local governments to support their COVID-19 pandemic response, state and local governments need m… Continue Reading

Durbin, Harris, Booker, Colleagues Call For Law Enforcement Training To Combat Racial Profiling During COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), today sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray calling for racial profiling training for all law enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter comes after reports of African American men being targeted by law enforcement based on the CDC's guidance to wear f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Bicameral Letter Urging Trump Administration To Ensure That Minority-Owned Small Businesses Are Not Shut Out Of Paycheck Protection Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05) in leading Democratic lawmakers in calling for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Treasury Department to ensure that minority-owned businesses are not shut out of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The lawmakers also called for the Administration to amend guidance on PPP, to… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Press For Robust Federal COBRA Subsidies In The Next COVID-19 Legislation

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) led 17 Senators in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to ensure that any forthcoming COVID-19 legislation include robust federal subsidies so that individuals who lose their job as a result of this pandemic can maintain their employer-sponsored health coverage. One option for Americans who lose their jobs, or drop below the hours necessary to be eligible for emp… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Press USDA To Provide Financial Relief For Illinois Pork And Beef Producers During COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide immediate and direct financial assistance to help family pork and beef producers in Illinois. In a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, the Senators said such financial assistance would help with stabilizing cash flow and mitigate marketplace disruptions in the wake of the economic emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the recently enacted Corona… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Response With FEMA Midwest Region Administrator

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the COVID-19 pandemic response in Illinois with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 5 Administrator James Joseph. Durbin asked about FEMA's progress on the Alternate Care Facility (ACF) at McCormick Place, as well as ensuring Illinoisans have access to much-needed resources including sufficient medical staff, personal protective equipment, sterilizing equipment, pharmacy caches, and additional Intensive Care Units (I… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Urge HHS To Change Formula For CARES Act Health Provider Funding

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with seven of their Senate colleagues, today expressed concern to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about the front-line health providers and settings that were excluded from, or inadequately supported through, the $30 billion first round of CARES Act funding. In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, the Senators urged the Department to alter the methodology for the next round of the CARES Act's total… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Selection To Congressional Task Force On Re-Opening America In The Wake Of COVID-19

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after being asked by President Donald Trump to serve on a bipartisan task force, comprised of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, with the purpose of providing counsel to the President on the re-opening of America in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: "I am honored to be asked to serve on this bipartisan Presidential task force to prepare for reopening our economy. We still hav… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senate Democratic Leaders Offer Roadmap to Dramatically Expand Testing Capacity Nationwide

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to outline Democrats' proposals to address the Trump Administration's failure to rapidly expand testing capacity for COVID-19 on a press call. On the call, the Senators discussed a series of steps outlined in a new policy white paper, "A Roadmap to Reopening by Ensuring a Speedy and Ubiquitous Lab Testing System (RESULTS)," as well as a new DPCC report, which… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Klobuchar, Colleagues Urge Administration To Increase Number Of Doctors Available To Fight COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Representatives Tom Cole (R-OK-04), Abby Finkenauer (D-IA-01), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), and colleagues in both the House and Senate, wrote to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) urging the Trump Administration to waive restrictions that prevent doctors on certain employment-based visas from providing medical care at locations or in specialties other than those spec… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Impact of COVID-19 With Illinois Agricultural Leaders

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today discussed the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on Illinois agriculture with leaders from Illinois agricultural groups. During the call, Durbin heard concerns about the need for immediate and direct financial assistance for family farm and livestock operations, the importance of maintaining stability in both agricultural markets and the food supply chain, and recommendations for additional policy changes… Continue Reading

Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Durbin, Senators Press President Trump To Automatically Extend Work Authorizations For DACA & TPS Recipients

SPRINGFIELD - As our nation continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today led 37 Senators in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to automatically extend work authorizations for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and other impacted immigrants. More than 200,000 DACA recipients are working in occupational are… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $376 Million to Support O'Hare and Midway Airports Amid COVID-19

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports will receive a total of $376,743,810 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address the COVID-19 crisis. These funds - which were authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act - will help airport operators meet ongoing needs and to manage current construction projects as revenues have plummeted. "The aviation industry is fac… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $70 Million to Support Illinois Airports Amid COVID-19

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that airports throughout Illinois will receive a total of $69,995,370 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address the COVID-19 crisis. These funds - which were authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act - will help airport operators meet ongoing needs and to manage current construction projects as revenues have plummeted. "The aviation industry is facing the s… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Telehealth Funding Available to Health Care Providers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau is now accepting applications for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The program will provide $200 million in funding, which was appropriated by Congress as part of the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to help health care providers deliver services to patients at their homes or mobile locations … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Illinois Delegation Discuss COVID-19 Response with Chicago Mayor Lightfoot

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with several members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, spoke with Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot about Chicago's ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and how they can continue to assist her efforts to protect Illinoisans. The group discussed how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act can provide Illinois families and businesses with relief during the pandemic, and what should be … Continue Reading

Durbin, Warren, Colleagues to Introduce Bicameral Bill to Require Federal Government to Collect and Report National COVID-19 Demographic Data

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), is introducing the bicameral Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act. The bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect and report racial and other demographic data on COVID-19 testing, treatment, and fatality rates nationwide, and provide a summary of the final statistics and a report to Congress within 60 days after the end of the public health emergency.… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues to USDA: Provide Assistance to Specialty Crop Providers During Pandemic

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and 27 Senate colleagues, sent a bipartisan letter calling on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to ensure that specialty crop producers receive financial assistance from losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Illinois is the number one producer of two specialty crops: pumpkins and horseradish. Illinois is also in the top ten… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Response With Illinois Hospitals

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today, on a call with more than 20 CEOs of Illinois hospitals and AJ Wilhelmi, President of the Illinois Health & Hospital Association, discussed the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois and how hospitals are fighting the pandemic on the ground. Durbin thanked the hospital representatives for everything their hospitals and health workers have done so far to help Illinois patients and pledged he would continue to push for a direct and immediate… Continue Reading