Press Releases
Durbin Meets With Illinois Broadcasters Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met virtually with members of the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA) to discuss the importance of preserving competition in local broadcasting. Additionally, Durbin spoke with IBA about diversifying newsrooms and strategies to hire and retain local journalists as regional outlets face narrow profit margins. "Local Illinois broadcasters are essential to keeping our citizens informed about important issues, and it's crucial for … Continue Reading
March 04, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth, Davis, Schneider Champion Bill To Help Illinois Recover From The Pandemic By Waiving Interest On Federal Unemployment Loans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Representatives Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) to introduce the Continued Waiver of Interest on State Unemployment Loans during the Pandemic Act. This legislation would extend the waiver of interest payments on federal unemployment loans during the pandemic to help Illinois and other states financially as they support their constituents and respond to the dual economic and … Continue Reading
March 03, 2022
Durbin Statement on Designation Of Ukraine For Temporary Protected Status
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today released the following statement on the announcement that President Biden and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status: "I applaud President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas for taking decisive action to help Ukrainians currently in America stay here safely. While the Ukrainian people put up a … Continue Reading
March 03, 2022
Durbin, Bustos Push IDOT Secretary For Progress On Quad Cities Passenger Rail Project
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today met virtually with Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Secretary Omer Osman to discuss the need for progress on the Quad Cities to Chicago Passenger Rail Project after years of delay. Durbin, Bustos, and Secretary Osman also spoke about how to best use the more than $17 billion in funding allocated to the state through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act … Continue Reading
March 03, 2022
Durbin Calls For Emergency Military And Humanitarian Assistance For Ukraine
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, took to the Senate floor today to call on Congress to approve billions of dollars in emergency military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. "President Biden urged Congress to approve billions of dollars in emergency and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine. Sign me up. I'll vote for that in a second and I hope it comes soon. We need to agree on an aid package without delay and get it to … Continue Reading
March 03, 2022
Senate Republican Blocks Durbin Attempt To Confirm Critical Law Enforcement Positions
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, requested unanimous consent to approve the nominations of six U.S. Attorney (USA) nominees and two U.S. Marshal (USM) nominees. USAs and USMs play a critical role in enforcing the law, promoting public safety, and protecting our communities. Despite their eminent qualifications and support from other local law enforcement, U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) objected to the unanimous consent … Continue Reading
March 02, 2022
Durbin Talks Clean Energy With Illinois Municipal Electric And Utilities Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Illinois members of the Illinois Municipal Electric/Utilities Association (IEMA/IMUA) to discuss clean energy tax incentives, climate change policy, and grid security. During their conversation, Durbin spoke about the importance of transitioning the power sector to carbon-free energy sources and the urgent need to secure the United States' electrical grid from cybersecurity threats. "Today, I had a great … Continue Reading
March 02, 2022
Durbin Meets With Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, Talks Infrastructure Priorities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council to discuss the region's infrastructure priorities. During their conversation, Durbin spoke about the increased federal funding coming to Illinois from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will be put toward infrastructure projects in the area. He also discussed the federal funding provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to aid in economic … Continue Reading
March 02, 2022
Durbin Meets Virtually With Illinois Soybean Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, met virtually today with the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss agricultural priorities for Illinois' soybean growers. On the call, the group emphasized the importance of continued federal support for building new foreign markets for soybeans, the challenge of rising input costs, and how the Senate Agriculture Committee is preparing for the 2023 Farm Bill. … Continue Reading
March 02, 2022
Durbin Meets With Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after meeting with Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's nominee to the Supreme Court: "This is a moment of great historical significance. In the Court's history, there have been 115 Justices and not one of them has been a Black woman. With this nomination, President Biden has taken a critical step towards making our highest court look more like … Continue Reading
March 02, 2022
Durbin Questions Latest Circuit & District Court Nominees Before Judiciary Committee
WASHINGTON - During today's Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Arianna Freeman, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit. Durbin asked Ms. Freeman about her background as a public defender and specifically her representation of Anthony Velazquez. As Ms. Freeman argued, Mr. Velazquez's trial counsel had provided ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to properly enter a plea … Continue Reading
March 02, 2022
Durbin Announces Hearing Dates For Judge Jackson's Nomination To The Supreme Court
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing dates for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court in a letter to his Committee colleagues. The hearings will begin on Monday, March 21, with statements from Committee members, the individuals who will introduce Judge Jackson, and Judge Jackson herself. Questioning of Judge Jackson will begin on Tuesday, March 22 … Continue Reading
March 01, 2022
Durbin: Carjackings Are A Scourge On Society That We Have A Responsibility To Address
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during a hearing entitled "Federal Support for Preventing and Responding to Carjackings." In his opening statement, Durbin reiterated that while preventing and prosecuting violent crime is primarily a state and local responsibility, the federal government plays an important role in addressing the rise in carjackings nationwide. Key quotes: … Continue Reading
March 01, 2022
Durbin Statement On President Biden's State Of The Union Address
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Biden's first State of the Union Address: "The American people have endured incredible hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When President Biden took office, he pledged to get shots in arms, people back to work and school, and our economy back on track. Thanks to his leadership with both the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, millions of people are vaccinated … Continue Reading
March 01, 2022
Durbin: Judge Jackson Will Be A Supreme Court Justice In The Mold Of Justice Breyer
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke about the historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. "Every Supreme Court nomination is critically important. This one has special historic significance. In the United States' history, our Supreme Court has had 115 Justices, 108 of those Justices have had one thing in common-they were all white men. Five of those … Continue Reading
March 01, 2022
Durbin To Putin: Your Legacy Will Be One Of Shame And Infamy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, took to the Senate floor today to once again renounce Russia's relentless unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine and recognize Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova who met with the Ukraine Caucus yesterday. "Why is Putin doing this? Because of his own petty grievances and warped nostalgia for the dark days of the Soviet Union and taking control. In his twisted mind, an entire innocent … Continue Reading
March 01, 2022
Durbin Hosts Three Illinoisans for President Biden's First State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a virtual news conference to preview President Biden's first State of the Union Address to Congress. Durbin's "virtual guests" include Mayor Vernard Alsberry Jr., of Hazel Crest; Don Finn of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Worker (IBEW) Local 134 in Chicago; and Christine Morris, RN, Site Manager at Heartland Health Services in Peoria. All three guests have made significant contributions to their communities … Continue Reading
March 01, 2022
Durbin, Portman, Urkaine Caucus Meet With Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, met with Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova. The Ambassador provided an update to the Senate Ukraine Caucus on the Russian military invasion into Ukraine. The bipartisan meeting was attended by 22 senators. "The Ukrainian people are fighting a valiant battle against all odds," said Durbin. "Today's meeting reaffirmed the United States' commitment to do … Continue Reading
March 01, 2022
Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan H-1B, L-1 Visa Reform Legislation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced bipartisan, legislation to reform and close loopholes in the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act will reduce fraud and abuse, provide protections for American workers and visa holders, and require more transparency in the recruitment of foreign workers. This comprehensive … Continue Reading
March 01, 2022
Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Increase Number Of Green Cards, Eliminating The Backlog
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced the Resolving Extended Limbo for Immigrant Employees and Families (RELIEF) Act, legislation to eliminate the family and employment green card backlog by increasing the number of green cards. Almost four million future Americans are on the State Department's immigrant visa waiting list, in addition to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. who are also waiting for green … Continue Reading