Durbin Meets With U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, met with United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield to discuss Ukraine's continued resilience and determination to repel Russia's unprovoked and illegal war. They also discussed the need to bring political stability to Haiti and the recent peace agreement ending the conflict in Ethiopia. Later today, Durbin is hosting Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova and members of the Ukr… Continue Reading

Durbin Honors Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White's Service With Speech On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor to honor Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White as he prepares to retire after six terms in the position. "Secretary White is a rare leader: a living legend and a truly humble man. He loves his work because he works for who he loves, the people of Illinois. Throughout his life, he has been a model of integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to public service...On behalf of everyone in Illinois, I want to… Continue Reading

Senate Confirms Judge Doris Pryor to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate confirmed the nomination of Judge Doris Pryor to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals by a bipartisan vote of 60-31: "Judge Pryor has significant federal experience and a proven track record of neutral decision-making on the bench. She was unanimously rated 'Qualified' by the American Bar Association, and she has received blue slip… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Sinema-Tillis Immigration Deal

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of the Dream Act, released the following statement regarding the reported immigration deal reached between Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC): "As the author of the original Dream Act more than 20 years ago, I applaud every good faith effort to give these deserving individuals a path to citizenship. I've been in touch with my colleagues and will carefully review thei… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Foster, Underwood Introduce Legislation To Name Fermilab Research Center After Renowned Physicist Dr. Helen Edwards

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, and U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) today introduced legislation to rename Fermilab's Integrated Engineering Research Center (IERC) after the late Dr. Helen Edwards, who worked at Fermilab as a particle physicist for 40 years. The newly-constructed IERC, which was recently authorized for official use, will be home to new office and lab space that will host an interse… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Springfield Naacp And Religious Leaders To Discuss Protecting Historic 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Springfield NAACP, including President Teresa Haley, and religious leaders to discuss federal efforts to protect the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site. Durbin and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Monument Act to establish the site as a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. In January 2021, Durbin and Duckworth penned a letter to then-President-Elect Bide… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Senate Passage of Legislation to Avoid a Rail Strike

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate passed legislation to avert a potential railroad strike: "While I am disappointed that not enough of my Republican colleagues would support legislation to increase paid sick leave for union rail workers, I'm relieved that we could come together to quickly pass the labor agreement in order to prevent a rail strike-which would have been devastating to the American economy and put mil… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions CFTC Chairman At Agriculture Committee Hearing on Crypto Amid FTX Collapse

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), today, in a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing, questioned the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Rostin Behnam about the recent collapse of FTX. On November 11, FTX-one of the world's largest crypto trading platforms-filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, resigned. "How long will it take to unpack the FTX mess to understand what happened and where it stands," Durbi… Continue Reading

Following White House Briefing On Ukraine, Durbin Reiterates The Need To Support Our Ally

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, urged his colleagues to continue to support Ukraine amid Putin's unjustified and unprovoked war. During his speech, Durbin reiterated our commitment to Ukraine and emphasized that the NATO alliance is stronger than ever. Yesterday, Senate leadership and key Committee Chairs and Ranking Members were briefed by the White House about Russia's ongoing invasion o… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations of Three Circuit Court Judges & Nine District Court Judges

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Anthony Devos Johnstone, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Maria Araújo Kahn, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; and Julie Rikelman, to be United States Circuit Judge for the First Circuit. The Committee also advanced the nominations of Daniel J. Calabretta, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California; Matthew L. Garcia, to be United St… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Senate Judiciary Committee Advancing Nomination of Lindsay Jenkins to Serve As District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Lindsay C. Jenkins' nomination to serve as a District Court Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Based on recommendations made by the screening committee the Senators established in the Northern District, Durbin and Duckworth forwa… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With NAACP Legal Defense Fund President

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). During today's meeting, Durbin and Ms. Nelson discussed the Committee's efforts to confirm both demographically and professionally diverse judges, as well as Durbin's continued efforts on criminal justice reform and other topics. "It was great to meet with Janai Nelson today, who has a connection t… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Legislation To Create Interagency Committee To Improve Oversight Over For-Profit College Industry

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tina Smith (D-MN), today introduced the Proprietary Education Interagency Oversight Coordination Improvement Act, legislation that will establish an interagency committee tasked with improving coordination of federal oversight of for-profit colleges to ensure that students are not scammed out of an education and into a mountain of debt. The bill would require the committee to publish a… Continue Reading

Durbin Raises Concerns Over Cryptocurrency Amid FTX Collapse

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor highlighting the dangers of cryptocurrency, especially after the recent collapse of FTX. Durbin began his speech by recounting the implosion and resignation of FTX's CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, as well as the chaos it's created for FTX users like Nick Howard, who was scammed by the cryptocurrency exchange. "In the moments after the FTX platform collapsed, one of the first steps the company took was freezing its us… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Hearing On District Court And Assistant Attorney General Nominations

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 Jonathan James Canada Grey, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan; Julia E. Kobick, to be United States District Judge for the District of Massachusetts; Rita F. Lin, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of California; Ramon Ernesto Reyes, J… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Potential Rail Strike

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the need for Congress to pass legislation to avert a potential railroad strike: "I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to support the labor agreement President Biden helped broker between labor unions and railroad companies, as well as the separate bill that would increase paid sick leave for union rail workers, and send these bills to the Senate as quickly as possible so we can t… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses At Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on the Impact of the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Merger

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Protection hearing titled, "Examining the Competitive Impact of the Proposed Kroger-Albertsons Transaction." Durbin questioned Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen about the impact this merger will have on rural America. "I think of my hometown of East St. Louis, Illinois, Kroger has been in t… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Senate Passage of Respect for Marriage Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement on Senate passage of the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act: "Today, the U.S. Senate stood up to Justice Clarence Thomas' radical, regressive vision for America with passage of the Respect for Marriage Act. This bill ensures that the federal government must always recognize a marriage between two individuals if the marriage was valid in the state where it … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $116 Million for Public Health Infrastructure in Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $116,754,640 to public health departments in Illinois through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Public Health Infrastructure Grant Program. This funding was made available from President Biden's American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed in 2021 without a single Republican vote. This first-… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges USDA to Update Standards for Commercial Dog Breeding Facilities

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) led 23 of his Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack urging him to update standards for commercial breeding facilities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). In the letter, Durbin calls on Secretary Vilsack to implement the strong standards for veterinary care, housing, and breeding of dogs suggested in Durbin's Puppy Protection Act. "We write to request that the United Sta… Continue Reading