Press Releases
Senate Republicans Filibuster Durbin's Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act
WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Republicans filibustered the House-passed Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA), a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) in the House. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act is designed to combat the growing threat of domestic violent extremist groups and individuals (DVEs), including racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists … Continue Reading
May 26, 2022
Judiciary Committee Advances Five Judicial Nominees, Bipartisan Public Safety Officer Support Act
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Julianna Michelle Childs, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit; Nancy G. Abudu, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit; Ana Isabel de Alba, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California; Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York; and Natasha C. Merle, to be United States District … Continue Reading
May 26, 2022
Durbin Urges Senate To Pass His Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor urging Senate Republicans to join Democrats and pass his Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA), legislation that aims to prevent and respond to domestic terrorism days after a gunman killed ten Black Americans at a Buffalo supermarket in a racist act of violence. Last year, the FBI reported that in 2020, our nation experienced the highest level of hate crimes in over … Continue Reading
May 26, 2022
Durbin: Will Senators Set Politics Aside To Stop The Killing Of Innocent Children? Or Will They Protect The Gun Industry?
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke about the tragic mass shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Durbin also called on his Senate colleagues to support common sense gun safety legislation to prevent such appalling acts of mass murder in the future. "I cannot imagine what it was like… in Texas in the homes of the … Continue Reading
May 25, 2022
Durbin Statement On President Biden's Executive Order On Effective, Accountable Policing
WASHINGTON - On the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Biden signing an Executive Order to advance effective, accountable policing and strengthen public safety: "Two years ago, George Floyd died on the streets of Minneapolis with the knee of a police officer on his neck-an image that haunts me to this day. The injustice of his killing is … Continue Reading
May 25, 2022
Durbin Questions USAID Administrator At Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today questioned United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing about USAID's Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget request. Durbin began his questions by asking about Haiti, which continues to face security issues and struggles to recover from multiple … Continue Reading
May 25, 2022
Durbin Questions President Biden's Nominee To Lead ATF During Judiciary Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Steven M. Dettelbach, nominated to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) during a Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. Durbin asked Mr. Dettelbach about the killing of Chicago Police Department Officer Ella French last year. The gun that killed Officer French was bought in a straw purchase by an Indiana man on behalf of … Continue Reading
May 25, 2022
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Judiciary Committee Hearing On President Biden's Nominee To Lead Atf
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Steven M. Dettelbach to be Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Sarah A.L. Merriam to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; Lara E. Montecalvo to be United States Circuit Judge for the First Circuit; Tiffany M. Cartwright to be United States District … Continue Reading
May 25, 2022
Durbin Calls For Further Senate Action To Address Infant Formula Shortages
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor about the severity of the baby formula shortage and the impact the Abbott's Michigan factory's closure has had on Illinoisans. In February, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that Abbott's Michigan factory, which produces Similac infant formula, may have been the source of a dangerous bacteria outbreak. As a result, the factory shut down, which combined with existing supply chain … Continue Reading
May 24, 2022
Durbin Statement On Shooting At Robb Elementary School In Uvalde, Texas
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding reports that 14 students and one teacher were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas: "Today's news is heartbreaking and tragic. Fourteen young lives and a teacher gone far too soon. My heart is with the families and friends of these lives lost. "I implore - beg - my Republican colleagues to join Democrats in … Continue Reading
May 24, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Join Bipartisan Letter Requesting Biden Administration Swiftly Advance NATO Applications For Sweden And Finland
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Baltic Freedom Caucus and the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) in a bipartisan letter to President Biden urging him to expedite the Executive Branch's process to advance Sweden and Finland's applications for NATO membership and pledging to work with the Administration to ensure swift ratification of the Washington … Continue Reading
May 24, 2022
Durbin, D. Davis, Underwood Urge VA To Quickly Implement Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration And Recovery Act Once Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL-07) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) today sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Denis McDonough requesting an update about how the VA plans to implement the Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act after it is signed into law by President Biden. The legislation, led by Durbin, Davis, and Underwood, will help more than 300 Illinois veterans … Continue Reading
May 23, 2022
Durbin Delivers Commencement Address At Augustana College
[MOLINE, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered the commencement address to Augustana College's Class of 2022 during a ceremony Sunday at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline. Durbin reflected on the resilience and hard work of this year's graduates and commended Augustana's commitment to preparing the next generation of peacemakers and problem solvers. "You don't need a lesson in resilience. You are a lesson in resilience-every one of you. You are part of the best-educated and most … Continue Reading
May 20, 2022
Durbin, Senators To FDA Commissioner: Remove All Unauthorized E-Cigarettes From Market Immediately
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led a letter with ten Senators to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf urging the FDA to immediately remove all unreviewed e-cigarettes from store shelves until the agency completes its public health review of these vaping products. Currently, addictive, kid-friendly e-cigarettes like JUUL are on the market illegally but are being granted a free pass to be sold due to FDA's decision to grant … Continue Reading
May 20, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Historic New Federal Investment In Community-Based Medical Residency Program At Lawndale Christian Health Center
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC), located on Chicago's West Side, has been awarded $960,000 in federal funding to support its community-based medical residency program. By training physician residents in a Community Health Center setting, rather than a traditional hospital, this program will help address racial health disparities and workforce shortages by expanding the pipeline of health care … Continue Reading
May 19, 2022
Durbin Presses Social Media Platforms On Their Roles In Promoting Extremist Context
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is pressing Discord and Twitch about the role the platforms play in disseminating extremist content, asking how they are addressing such content and requesting relevant documents. In two letters sent to Discord Co-Founder and CEO Jason Citron and Twitch Co-Founder and CEO Emmett Shear, respectively, Durbin requests information regarding both platforms' actions to identify and remove content … Continue Reading
May 19, 2022
House Passes Durbin, Schneider Bipartisan Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act
WASHINGTON - On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 350, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA), a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in the Senate, and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) in the House. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act is designed to combat the growing threat of domestic violent extremist groups and individuals (DVEs), including racially and ethnically … Continue Reading
May 19, 2022
Durbin Meets With Swedish, Finnish, Lithuanian Leaders
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the NATO Summit in Madrid in June, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine and Baltic caucuses, met with Swedish and Finnish heads of state to discuss Russia's continued war in Ukraine and their countries' interest in joining NATO. Durbin joined Senate colleagues to meet with Her Excellency Magdalena Andersson, Prime Minister of Sweden and His Excellency Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland. In their meeting, Durbin offered his … Continue Reading
May 19, 2022
Durbin Statement On Failed Vote To Provide Relief To Small Businesses
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate failed to pass the Small Business COVID Relief Act, legislation that would provide $48 billion in relief to restaurants and other small businesses: "Illinois small businesses, including restaurants, are the lifeblood of our communities. In the face of an unprecedented pandemic, Illinois small businesses showed resilience while Democrats worked persistently to provide them with the … Continue Reading
May 19, 2022
Durbin: I Support The Succession Of Sweden And Finland To NATO
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor in support of Sweden and Finland's intention to apply for rapid NATO membership. Yesterday, Durbin met with members of the Lithuanian Members of Parliament to discuss Russia's continued war in Ukraine, efforts to bolster security across Europe, and Sweden and Finland's interest in joining NATO. Durbin, Co-Chair of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, praised the Baltics … Continue Reading