Durbin, Duckworth, Rep. Kelly, Lawmakers Press Major Health Insurers To Ramp Up Their Efforts To Reduce Racial Disparities In Maternal & Infant Health Outcomes

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today led 23 Senators and 11 U.S. Representatives in pressing 15 major health insurers for information regarding what pregnancy and postpartum health care services are covered by their insurance plans in order to better understand what steps they are taking to reduce racial disparities and improve maternal and infant health outcomes. The members also urged the health insurers to… Continue Reading

Durbin, Smith, Reed, & Senators Introduce Bill To Prevent Unnecessary Private Student Loan Debt And Improve Transparency

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Jack Reed (D-RI), along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Ben Cardin (D-MD), today introduced the Know Before You Owe Private Education Loan Act of 2018 to prevent unnecessary private student loan debt and improve transparency. According to the Federal Reserve, total student loan debt in America is now $1.5 trillion. The Institute for College Access and Success reports that the volume of private educa… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Rep. Kelly, Dem Members Of Illinois Congressional Delegation Press Gov. Rauner On Racial Disparities In Maternal & Infant Health Outcomes in Illinois

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), and Bill Foster (D-IL-11) today pressed Governor Bruce Rauner on what steps his Administration is currently taking-or plans to take-to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Illinois, as well as to reduce the stark racia… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Senate Confirmation Of Brian Benczkowski

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate voted to approve the controversial nomination of Brian Benczkowski to lead the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division: I cannot believe the Republican Party just rubber-stamped a nominee to head the Justice Department's Criminal Division who has no prosecutorial experience, who chose to represent a Russian bank with deep ties to Vladimir Putin, and who would not commit to… Continue Reading

Durbin, Wyden, Feinstein, Murray Call Out Glaring Inaccuracies In HHS Secretary Azar's Testimony On Child Separation

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar questioning the truthfulness of testimony he gave to the Senate Finance Committee regarding HHS'care of children removed from their parents by the Tru… Continue Reading

Durbin: Failure To Reunite Separated Children Is A Toxic Mix Of Cruelty & Incompetency

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on his Senate colleagues to oppose President Donald Trump's cruel efforts to indefinitely detain migrant children. Durbin's speech on the Senate floor comes one day after a federal district court's deadline for reuniting children under the age of five that were separated from their parents under Trump's "zero tolerance" policy. Yesterday, the Trump administration notified the court that it had identified 102 separated chi… Continue Reading

Durbin: Trump Is Incapable Of Distinguishing Friends From Enemies

WASHINGTON - Ahead of President Trump's upcoming meetings with NATO allies and Russian President Putin, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor to express deep concern about the current course of American foreign policy under President Trump. Durbin slammed President Trump's willingness to recklessly undermine allies and instead cozy up to adversaries like Russia and North Korea. Durbin also criticized the stunning silence from most Republicans in Congress while … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With VA Secretary Nominee, Presses For Support Of Quincy Veterans' Home & To Protect Veterans From For-Profit Colleges

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Robert Wilkie, who has been nominated as the next Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). During the meeting, Durbin discussed ongoing efforts to update the Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) at Quincy - a state owned facility - and the importance of improving operations and timely care at VA facilities throughout Illinois and across the country. A photo of … Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Should Not Confirm Benzckowski, Controversial DOJ Nominee With Russia Ties

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Senate to oppose the controversial nomination of Brian Benczkowski to lead the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division. While he was seeking a DOJ position in 2017, Mr. Benczkowski chose to represent Alfa Bank, a massive private commercial bank in Russia closely allied with President Vladimir Putin and his government, and he has refused to pledge to recuse himself from Russia-related matters if confirmed. In a… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On President Trump's Supreme Court Nomination Of Brett Kavanaugh

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Trump's nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court: The next Justice will likely be the deciding vote on whether Americans will keep affordable health insurance for pre-existing conditions, whether women will lose the freedom to make their own health care choices, and whether we have a Constitution that protects the rights of all… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Trump Administration To Comply With Court Order, Reunite Families Separated By Trump's "Zero Tolerance" Policy

EAST ST. LOUIS-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on President Donald Trump to immediately announce his intention to fully comply with a federal district court's order to return children separated under his Administration's "zero tolerance" policy to their parents within 30 days, and within 14 days for children under age five, and to regularly update Congress on his progress towards meeting the court's deadlines. Durbin's letter to President Trump follows yesterday's br… Continue Reading

Senate passes Durbin, Roberts Farm Bill Amendment To Support Rural EMS Agencies

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate passed the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, which included an amendment by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Pat Roberts (R-KS), and cosponsored by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), to reauthorize a federal grant program that directly supports rural emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting courses to satisfy certification requirements, and purchasing equipment-… Continue Reading

Senate Appropriations Committee Passes Funding Bill That Includes Durbin Priority Of Increased Medical Research Funding

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a $2 billion, or 5.4 percent, increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which passed 30-1 out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Over the past five years, Durbin has worked to provide NIH with $10 billion in increased funding, a 34 percent increase. Within this am… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Schneider Urge U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers To Prevent Foxconn Flooding Impact

WASHINGTON - While President Donald Trump breaks ground at the Foxconn project in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) today urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase their oversight of the Foxconn project to prevent increased flooding in Lake County, Illinois. The State of Wisconsin has allowed Foxconn to fill in up to 26 acres of wetlands, which would lead to a higher volume of… Continue Reading

Durbin & Senators Press FDA To Protect Children From Addictive Vaping Products

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 13 of his Senate colleagues, sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about JUUL e-cigarette vaping products, and other e-cigarettes with flavors like gummy bear, cotton candy, peanut butter cup, and cookies 'n cream, urging the agency to take swift action against these products that are clearly being marketed to children and teens. The Senators urged the FDA to reconsider its decision to delay a review of the… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Retirement Of Justice Kennedy

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and upcoming vacancy on the Court: I thank Justice Kennedy for his decades of service to the Court and the country. Senator McConnell set the new standard by giving the American people their say in the upcoming election before Court vacancies are filled. With so much at stake for the people of our country, t… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Janus V. AFSCME Supreme Court Decision

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): In Illinois, Governor Bruce Rauner has made it clear that he favors corporations and special interests over Illinois workers and their families. He has repeatedly pushed an agenda of hostility to unions. This agenda is hurting workers across Illinois. And now, Governor Rauner has s… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Court Order Blocking Trump Child Separation Policy

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on a preliminary injunction issued by a federal district court judge in San Diego against the Trump Administration's child separation policy: This ruling is clear: the Trump Administration's child separation policy harms kids and must be stopped. It's time to close this embarrassing chapter in our nation's history once and for all. Kids win. -30-… Continue Reading

Durbin: No Law Required Trump's Child Separation Policy, And We Don't Need Any New Laws To Reunite Families

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the Trump Administration's cruel policy of separating children from their parents who arrive at the Southern border of the United States seeking protection from horrific violence in the Northern Triangle region of Central America. Durbin discussed his recent visit to a facility in Chicago that houses children who have been separated from their parents due to the President's 'zero-tolerance' policy tha… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $4.1 Million in Federal Assistance to Support Quincy Veterans Home, Speak with New IDVA Director

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded $4,156,722 to the State of Illinois to support the cost of 2016 renovations of the domestic water system for legionella control at the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy (IVH) and help support ongoing improvements at the facility. Durbin and Duckworth also spoke today with the new Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, Stephen Cur… Continue Reading