Press Releases
Durbin Calls For DOD IG To Investigate Missing Text Messages From Trump's Defense Department Leadership In Lead Up To January 6 Insurrection
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today released the following statement regarding a report that text messages for former President Donald Trump's then-Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, former chief of staff Kash Patel, and former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy are missing for a key time period leading up to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. … Continue Reading
August 03, 2022
Judiciary Committee Releases Testimony Of Secretaries Of State Who Endured Threats Following The 2020 Election
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released prepared testimony from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver during today's hearing entitled "Protecting our Democracy's Frontline Workers." In 2022, Benson received a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her work during the 2020 election, when she received an onslaught of threats, including by armed protestors at her house. Toulouse Oliver similarly received a number of … Continue Reading
August 03, 2022
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Threat To Election Workers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Protecting Our Democracy's Frontline Workers." This hearing will include testimony from officials at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on threats to election workers for the first time since the 2020 election-and the first formal update to … Continue Reading
August 02, 2022
Durbin Raises Questions About Cryptocurrency On Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) raised questions about cryptocurrency and the dangers it poses to personal finances. Durbin began his speech by highlighting various celebrities who have promoted cryptocurrency companies, including NBA star LeBron James and comedian Larry David, in commercials during the Super Bowl. During these commercials, LeBron James promoted Crypto.com, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Singapore, while … Continue Reading
August 02, 2022
Durbin: Justice Department Must Take Over Investigation Of Missing Text Messages From Trump's Homeland Security Leadership And Secret Service In Lead Up To January 6 Insurrection
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, continued his calls for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the missing text messages from former President Donald Trump's Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, as well as Secret Service officials, in the lead up to the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Last Friday, Durbin sent a letter to … Continue Reading
August 02, 2022
Durbin: Al-Zawahiri Is Dead And The World Is Safer Because Of It
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the death of al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who was targeted by a U.S. drone strike. Al-Zawahiri, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, helped orchestrate the September 11th, 2001, attack that claimed the lives of 3,000 Americans. Al-Zawahiri had been the head of al-Qaeda since President Obama's similarly successful targeting of Bin Laden 11 years ago. He had been rumored … Continue Reading
August 02, 2022
Senate Unanimously Passes Critical Law Enforcement Legislation
WASHINGTON - Last night, the Senate unanimously passed six bills that will support law enforcement officers and their families by providing additional support for mental health needs and ensuring that officers have the necessary resources and training to provide safe and effective community policing. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement commending the bills' passage: "With every disturbance call, every … Continue Reading
August 02, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Secure More Than $178 Million In Senate Appropriations Bills For Illinois Projects
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) secured more than $178 million through Congressionally-directed spending for Illinois projects in the Senate's draft Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations bills. The projects range from gun violence prevention, funding for Illinois' rural and agriculture communities, clean drinking water, education, small businesses, community health programs, and … Continue Reading
August 01, 2022
Durbin, Colleagues Continue To Press ICE On Overuse Of Solitary Confinement
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) today sent a second letter to Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tae D. Johnson regarding ICE's overuse of solitary confinement in detention facilities. Today's letter follows Acting Director Johnson's response to the … Continue Reading
August 01, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $23.8 Million For Variety Of Illinois Health Care Programs And Initiatives
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $23,826,881 for a variety of health care programs, initiatives, and community projects across the state. "The wide-range of health care initiatives and programs across Illinois are fundamental to the overall health and well-being of our state's residents," said Durbin. "Thanks to this substantial federal funding for these programs, we can do more to address everything from the … Continue Reading
August 01, 2022
Durbin, Warnock, Senate Democrats Call On Biden Administration To Increase The Rate Of Refugee Admissions
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) today led 28 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on the Biden Administration to work urgently to increase the rate of refugee admissions for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. In a letter to President Joe Biden, the Senators further urge the President to maintain or increase the target of 125,000 refugee admissions in FY 2023 and take … Continue Reading
July 29, 2022
Durbin Responds To MLB Commissioner Manfred
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement in response to today's letter from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred: "It is reasonable to question the premise that MLB is treating the Minor Leaguers fairly. Commissioner Manfred's response to our bipartisan request for information raises more questions than it answers, and the discrepancies between today's letter and the reality that minor league players are … Continue Reading
July 29, 2022
Durbin Calls For Justice Department To Investigate Missing Text Messages From Trump's Homeland Security Leadership And Secret Service In Lead Up To January 6 Insurrection
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding a report that text messages for former President Donald Trump's Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, as well as Secret Service officials, are missing for a key time period leading up to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The report also notes that the Office of Inspector General … Continue Reading
July 29, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $11 Million For Health Care Research In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $11,061,526 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) biomedical research grants for Illinois institutions. The funding will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, from mental health research to cancer biology research. "Federal funding towards medical research is key in advancing the field and ensuring the … Continue Reading
July 29, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Press Walgreens On Policy That Fails To Consider Patients' Medical Needs And Right-To-Privacy When Purchasing Reproductive Health Products
WASHINGTON - Following recent reports that a nationwide Walgreens policy allows employees to refuse to dispense contraceptives to customers based on their religious or moral beliefs without sufficient accommodations for the rights and privacy of customers, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer requesting that Walgreens revisit this policy to ensure their customers' … Continue Reading
July 28, 2022
Durbin Secures Key Illinois Priorities In Water Resources Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured several Illinois provisions in the Senate-passed Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). These provisions include an increase in the federal cost share for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project to 90 percent that will save Illinois tens of millions in project costs. The project will construct a new engineered channel at Joliet's Brandon Road Lock, which will be used to test and … Continue Reading
July 28, 2022
Durbin, Marshall Introduce Bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) introduced the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act of 2022, legislation that would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market, which is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly. Building off of debit card competition reforms enacted by Congress in 2010, the bill would direct the Federal Reserve to ensure that giant credit card-issuing banks offer a choice … Continue Reading
July 28, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $5.3 Million In Federal Funding To Support Maternal Health In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been awarded a total of $5,339,317 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This significant funding will support IDPH in identifying, reviewing, and characterizing maternal deaths, developing new treatments for pregnancy and postpartum complications, and identifying prevention … Continue Reading
July 28, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $519,000 In Funding For Rural EMS Agencies
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $518,916 in funding for several rural fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in Illinois. The funding, which was created through Durbin's Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, will go toward supporting EMS agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting certification courses, and purchasing equipment. "Across Illinois, rural EMS agencies are first … Continue Reading
July 28, 2022
Judiciary Committee Advances One Circuit Court Nominees, Two U.S. Attorneys, And Legislation To Improve Competition And Innovation
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Roopali H. Desai, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; E. Martin Estrada, to be United States Attorney for the Central District of California; and Gregory J. Haanstad, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, by voice vote. The Committee also advanced S.4430, Interagency Patent Coordination and Improvement Act of 2022, by voice vote. This bill-co-led by U.S. Senate … Continue Reading