Press Releases
Foreign Relations Committee Advances Durbin, Grassley Bipartisan Resolution To Celebrate 100 Years Of Diplomatic Relations Between U.S. And Baltic States
WASHINGTON - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today advanced a bipartisan resolution introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Co-Chairs of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, to celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations with the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The resolution also reaffirms the United States' commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) amid increasing Russian aggression in Eastern … Continue Reading
May 18, 2022
Durbin Meets With eBay CEO To Discuss INFORM Consumers Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with eBay's CEO, Jamie Iannone, to discuss his Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act, which passed the House as part of the America COMPETES Act and is currently being conferenced with the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). The bipartisan legislation will combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by … Continue Reading
May 18, 2022
Durbin Meets With eBay CEO To Discuss INFORM Consumers Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with eBay's CEO, Jamie Iannone, to discuss his Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act, which passed the House as part of the America COMPETES Act and is currently being conferenced with the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). The bipartisan legislation will combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by … Continue Reading
May 18, 2022
Durbin: I'm Calling On FDA To Immediately Halt Its Enforcement Discretion And Remove All Unauthorized E-Cigarettes From The Market
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today blasted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for failing to meet a court deadline to complete its public health review of e-cigarette premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs). The deadline for FDA to finish reviewing e-cigarette applications was September 9, 2021, more than eight months ago-leaving dangerous, kid-friendly e-cigarettes available on store shelves to hook children. On Friday, … Continue Reading
May 17, 2022
Senate Confirms Rachelle Crowe To Serve As U.S. Attorney For The Southern District Of Illinois
WASHINGTON - Tonight, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Rachelle L. Crowe to serve as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement on her confirmation: "We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed Rachelle Crowe to serve as U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Illinois. After seven years without a … Continue Reading
May 17, 2022
During National Police Week, Durbin Meets With Illinois Law Enforcement Leaders
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met virtually with Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly, Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria, Swansea Police Chief Steven Johnson, incoming Champaign Police Chief Timothy Tyler, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain, and Carbondale Police Chief Stan Reno. During their meeting, Durbin thanked the law enforcement leaders for their service and discussed with them the need to provide funding … Continue Reading
May 17, 2022
Durbin Discusses Funding For Fermilab LBNF/DUNE With Secretary Of Energy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm about federal funding requests for the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE), a project run by Fermilab in Illinois. In March, Durbin secured $189 million for LBNF/DUNE in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus appropriations bill. On the call, Durbin explained the importance of Fermilab's research and urged the Secretary to … Continue Reading
May 17, 2022
Durbin Meets With Loukas Kozonis, Guest To Greek Prime Minister's Joint Meeting Of Congress
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Loukas Kozonis, his guest to today's Joint Meeting of Congress by His Excellency Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic. Mr. Kozonis is a resident of Bannockburn, Illinois, founding member of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), and Vice Chair of the Chicago-Athens Sister Cities Committee. Durbin was a member of the leadership escort committee for today's Joint Meeting. "It was a great … Continue Reading
May 17, 2022
Durbin, Rubio, Members Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Detention Of Russian Dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, Call For His Release
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bipartisan resolution honoring Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza and condemning his unjust detention. The bipartisan resolution pays tribute to Kara-Murza's advocacy for human rights in Russia and support for the anti-war movement. Additionally, it urges the U.S. and allied states to secure his immediate release, and calls for the U.S. government … Continue Reading
May 16, 2022
Following Buffalo Shooting, Durbin Announces Upcoming Judiciary Committee Hearing On Domestic Terrorism
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor decrying another weekend of mass gun violence across the country, including a racially-motivated attack at a Buffalo, New York supermarket that killed ten, and shootings that claimed the lives of parishioners at a California church, shoppers at a Houston flea market, and five people in Chicago, including 16-year-old Seandell Holliday who was killed in … Continue Reading
May 16, 2022
Durbin Meets With Will County To Talk Federal Funding For Opioid Intervention, Infrastructure, And Local Programs
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with representatives from the Will County Board to discuss how increased federal funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is helping Will County and to thank Durbin for the Congressionally directed spending he secured for Will County in the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus appropriations bill. Included in the omnibus bill at Durbin's request was $300,000 for the … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Durbin, Leahy Seek Clarification Of Administration's Position On Use Of Torture-Derived Evidence
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, are calling on the Biden Administration to uphold U.S. obligations under the Torture Convention by putting an end to the repeated efforts by Guantanamo military commission prosecutors to use evidence derived from torture. Guantanamo Bay military commission prosecutors again argued in court that evidence … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Durbin Joins Colleagues To Urge Department Of Homeland Security To Help State And Local Governments Improve Election Security
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) this week joined U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Gary Peters (D-MI) in leading 11 of their colleagues in urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help states effectively use funding from the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) to improve election security. "We write to urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take steps to ensure that state and local … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Durbin Calls On DOT To Prevent Cape Air From Terminating Passenger Flights To Quincy
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg urging him to ensure that Quincy Regional Airport maintains passenger air service through the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Essential Air Service (EAS) program. The letter follows Cape Air's recent filing with DOT notifying that the airline plans to halt passenger flights to Quincy Regional Airport. In his letter, Durbin emphasizes the ripple effect the … Continue Reading
May 13, 2022
Durbin Highlights Federal Efforts To Address Skyrocketing Cost Of Insulin For Patients
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined doctors and families impacted by diabetes to call for the passage of federal legislation to reduce the price of insulin for patients. Durbin is an original co-sponsor of the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which would cap the monthly cost of insulin at $35 per month for patients. Approximately eight million Americans-a quarter-million in Illinois-rely on insulin to manage their blood sugar levels. However, studies show that more than … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Urge Boeing CEO To Maintain Strong Presence In Chicago
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun requesting a meeting following Boeing's announcement on May 5 that the company will relocate its global headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia. In the letter, the Senators emphasize the impact Boeing's relocation would have on Illinois' economy. Currently, Boeing's headquarters, which has been in Chicago since 2001, employs … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Durbin: We Are Sleepwalking Into The Next Potentially Deadly COVID Wave
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor on the need to quickly pass a bipartisan COVID-19 supplemental funding package, in order to ensure adequate supplies of tests, vaccines, and other medical supplies. Most urgently, it was reported last week that, without additional funding, COVID vaccines will soon be in shortage if the Food and Drug Administration authorizes second booster shots for all adults. This week, the U.S. officially hit one million … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Durbin: If Republicans Are Concerned About The Safety Of Public Officials, Where Is Their Outrage For The 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, called out Republicans for their hypocrisy in condemning violence and threats of violence against judges while failing to hold the January 6 perpetrators accountable. Specifically, Durbin referenced the unwillingness Republicans have shown to investigate the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which threatened the lives of Members of Congress, law … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Durbin Talks Military Modernization With U.S. Air Force Secretary
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall III about the Air Force's priorities for Fiscal Year 2023 and military modernization efforts. On the call, Durbin received an update about recent upgrades to satellite communications equipment on C-40 planes based in Illinois. Durbin urged against efforts to divest from the 932nd Airlift Wing's C-40 plans at Scott … Continue Reading
May 12, 2022
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nomination Of Rachelle Crowe To Serve As U.S. Attorney For The Southern District Of Illinois
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nomination of Rachelle L. Crowe to serve as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement on Ms. Crowe's nomination: "We are pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced Ms. Crowe's nomination. She has the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction as U.S. … Continue Reading