Durbin Calls Out President Trump's Failure to Put America Workers First

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, is calling out President Donald Trump for failing to deliver on his campaign promise to put American workers first by cracking down on H-1B visa abuse. In a letter to President Trump, Senator Durbin slammed the Administration's decision to pursue "cruel and un-American policies that harm our economy, do not make us safer, and are inconsistent with our heritage as a nation of immigr… Continue Reading

Durbin And Duckworth Host First Illinois Constituent Coffee Of 115th Congress

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted the first Illinois Constituent Coffee of the 115th Congress is Washington, D.C. The tradition was started by U.S. Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) in 1985 and has continued with Senator Durbin hosting with then-Senators Carol Moseley Braun, Peter Fitzgerald, Barack Obama, Roland Burris, and Mark Kirk. "In 1985, my mentor, Senator Paul Simon, launched the Illinois Hospitality Breakfast series. For one hour, every Thu… Continue Reading

Department Of Defense Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON-The Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act, 2017 provides $577.9 billion in base and Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) funding, compared to $572.8 billion enacted in fiscal year 2016 and $576.5 billion in the President's budget request. The base budget appropriation is $516 billion, with $61.8 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations of the Department of Defense. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Department of Defense Subcommittee, said: "This bill s… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Sessions False Testimony On Russian Connection

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding Attorney General Jeff Sessions: At Senator Sessions' confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee, I called on him to commit to recuse himself from Justice Department investigations into the Trump campaign's illegal dealings with the Russian government. During that hearing, Sessions said, "I have not had any communications with the Russians." That is false, and he said it under oath. The P… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley Press Army Corps To Approve Funding For McCook Reservoir

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) pressed the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) for strong and continued support for the construction of the McCook Reservoir Project in a letter to Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army Douglas Lamont. An allocation of additional funding by the Corps is necessary to meet the December 31, 2017 deadline for completion of Stage 1 of the McCook Reservoir, which is required by the p… Continue Reading

Durbin Opposes Rep. Ryan Zinke For Interior

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after voting against President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior. Representative Ryan Zinke was confirmed by a vote of 68-31. America has a proud record of protecting our National Parks and historic treasures-Teddy Roosevelt would be proud. It's the Interior Secretary's job to preserve these valuable resources for future generations. Nothing in Congressman Zinke's record suggests he appr… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Intel Director Nominee Sen. Dan Coats

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after meeting with President Trump's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, Senator Dan Coats of Indiana: I've known and respected Dan for decades as a person of integrity-the challenges facing our intelligence community, both foreign and domestic, call for a leader like him. In our meeting, Senator Coats pledged to provide information and cooperate with investigations of Russia's cyberattacks on… Continue Reading

Durbin: Biggest Omission Of President Trump’s Address: Russia

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about President Donald Trump's decision to ignore the topic of Russia in his first address to Congress despite mounting evidence that members of his Administration may have been compromised by the hostile foreign government. Senator Durbin also renewed his call for an independent, transparent investigation of Russia's efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. "I listened carefully, as did every… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Trump Address to Congress

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Trump's address to a Joint Session of Congress: Tonight, President Trump continued to make big promises but didn't offer any real plans to achieve them. He has yet to propose a concrete strategy to create jobs in America, which jeopardizes the historic job growth of the past eight years. The policies he has put forward have already had tragic human costs-tearing families apart and threateni… Continue Reading

Durbin: Investigate Trump Administration’s Russian Connection And 2016 Election Cyber-Attack

WASHINGTON - Following recent travel to meet with U.S. allies in Eastern Europe, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again called on Senate Republicans to support an independent, transparent investigation into Russia's cyberattacks on the 2016 presidential election, as well as alleged contacts between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government. "Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a cyber-attack of war on the United States and its democracy. November 8, 2016 is a day that w… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Undocumented Medical Student Who Will Be His Guest For President Trump’s Address

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, today met with Illinois DREAMer Aaima Sayed, who will be his guest for President Donald Trump's address to a Joint Session of Congress. Aaima, who has temporary legal status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, is a third-year medical student at the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago. "Our country is stronger thanks to the contribution… Continue Reading

Durbin To Host Undocumented Medical Student For President Trump’s Address

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, will host Illinois DREAMer Aaima Sayed as his guest for President Donald Trump's address to a Joint Session of Congress. Aaima, who has temporary legal status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, is a third-year medical student at the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago. "Our country is stronger thanks to the contributions of Dreame… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins 26 Senators In Calling For A Full Account Of The Election Assistance Commission’s Efforts To Address Russian Cybersecurity Threats

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined a group of 26 senators in calling for a full account of the Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) efforts to address Russian cybersecurity threats. The EAC played a crucial role before the 2016 general election by working with state and local election officials, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to coordinate an appropriate response to cybersecurity threats to our democracy. In a letter to Commissi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bipartisan Illinois Lawmakers Press STB To Support The Illinois Tollway’s Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin led a bipartisan group of Illinois Congressional leaders in urging the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) to support the Illinois Toll Highway Authority ('Tollway') in its ongoing dispute with Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) over the Elgin O'Hare Western Access (EOWA) project. In a letter to STB Chairwoman Ann Begeman, the members urged STB to move quickly to confirm the Tollway's right to proceed with the next phase of the project. "Despite years of planni… Continue Reading

Following Reports Jerry Falwell Jr. To Lead Presidential Task Force, Durbin Calls On Education Secretary Devos To Guard Against Potential Conflicts Of Interest

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos regarding reports that President Trump has asked Jerry L. Falwell, Jr., President of Liberty University, to lead a new "task force" to recommend changes to federal regulations, policies, and procedures in higher education. Such a task force could make recommendations o… Continue Reading

Durbin Encourages Illinois Medical And Dental Schools To Partner With DEA On Opioid Prescription Training

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged medical and dental schools across Illinois to work with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to host informal training sessions for students about responsible opioid prescribing and recommendations from the field for confronting the opioid epidemic. In a letter to the schools, Durbin noted that health care providers - as well as those responsible for training the next generation of medical professionals - are the gatekeepers between tre… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On White House Rollback Of Transgender Student Rights

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after President Donald Trump issued a new policy ?that rolls back protections for transgender students: "The Trump Administration's decision to subject vulnerable children to intolerance in the name of states' rights is disingenuous and marks a major setback in the fight for civil rights," said Durbin. "Denying transgender students access to the bathroom that matches their gender identity puts them at greater risk of bull… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $284,200 In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development In Fulton And Knox Counties

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $284,200 in federal funding for projects in Fulton and Knox Counties to support rural community development projects. Today's funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Community Development Initiative Grant, will provide assistance to construct a new township building and install a new storm siren. "This federal funding will help boost communities in Fulton and Knox Counties, serving … Continue Reading

Durbin In Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine To Discuss NATO, Russia

WARSAW-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin is in Poland today, as part of travel to three eastern European nations to discuss Russian aggression and interference in western democracies, and congressional support for the transatlantic relationship and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Durbin was joined by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in Warsaw for meetings with senior government officials. In Vilnius, Lithuania, Durbin will meet with President Dalia Grybauskaite, Parliament… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On DHS Mass Deportation Guidelines

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, released the following statement in response to leaked memos from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implementing President Trump's controversial executive orders on immigration. "These guidelines are now the official policy of the Trump Administration, implementing the President's mass deportation Executive Orders. I have called on my counterpart on the Judiciar… Continue Reading