Durbin Urges Senate To Support Bipartisan U.S. Innovation And Competition Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today encouraged his Senate colleagues to support the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, the broader competitiveness package and substitute amendment to the bipartisan Endless Frontier Act. The legislation represents the largest investment in U.S. science and technology leadership since the Apollo era. It will authorize more than $100 billion over five years to support breakthrough s… Continue Reading

Following Arrest Of Belarusian Activist From Airline, Durbin & Rubio Urge Pres. Biden To Direct FAA To Prohibit U.S. Aircraft From Entering Belarus' Air Space

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging the administration to prohibit U.S. airlines from entering Belarus airspace following the reckless actions of Belarus' despotic dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Yesterday, under false pretenses, Lukashenko forced a passenger plane, en route to Lithuania f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Padilla, Judiciary Democrats Press Department Of Justice To Support Immigration Judges

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, today led a group of nine Judiciary Committee Democrats in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reverse the Trump Administration's attacks on the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) and the independence of immigration judges more broadly. In a letter … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud DOT's Expansion Of Local Hire And Workforce Development Pilot Programs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) decision to expand construction hiring and workforce development pilot programs. The programs, which will be managed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA), will give contracting agencies expanded flexibility to use hiring preferences to enhance workforce development opportunities for those in economically or sociall… Continue Reading

Durbin, Klobuchar, Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Ban Pre-Checked Recurring Donation Boxes

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, will introduce legislation to ban political campaigns from using pre-checked recurring donation boxes. The legislation follows the Federal Election Commission's (FEC) unanimous, bipartisan vote recommending that Congress ban political campaigns from automatically opting donors into recurring contributions throu… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On DHS Report on Trump Administration's Family Separation Policy

SPRINGFIELD-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report on the Trump Administration's family separation policy, the latest in a series of investigative reports which Durbin requested in March 2018. The report found that under the Trump Administration's policy, "ICE removed separated parents without their children even… Continue Reading

Durbin To Reintroduce Measure To Combat Lead In Federally Assisted Housing; Discusses Funding In American Jobs Plan To Replace Lead Pipes

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today held a news conference to draw attention to several efforts at the federal level to combat lead exposure and contamination in Illinois and across the country. Next week, Durbin will be reintroducing bipartisan legislation to protect children living in federally assisted housing from lead poisoning. Durbin is also pushing for the passage of President Biden's American Jobs Plan, which includes $45 billion to replace 100 percent of the nation's lead pipe… Continue Reading

Durbin Attends White House Signing Of COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after attending the White House signing ceremony of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, legislation introduced by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). This legislation will improve the Justice Department's response to the appalling rise in hate incidents targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and provide state and lo… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances President Biden's First Slate Of Judicial Nominees

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Ketanji Brown Jackson, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit; Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit; Julien Xavier Neals, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Zahid N. Quraishi, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; and Regina M. Rodriguez, to be United States District Judge for the D… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Biden's Nominee To Lead U.S. Citizenship And Immigration Services

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met virtually with Ur Jaddou, President Joe Biden's nominee to be the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). During their meeting, Durbin and Jaddou discussed the need to evaluate and strengthen our nation's immigration system, including protecting Dreamers. "Under the Trump Administration, the Department of Homeland Security was plagued by chaos, mismanagement, and… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $105 Million In American Rescue Plan Funding For Mental Health And Addiction Treatment In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois has been awarded nearly $105 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to help communities grappling with mental health and addiction challenges that have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Illinois Department of Human Services will receive $54.7 million in Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant funding and $50.2 million in Community Mental Hea… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Biden's Nominee To Lead Drug Enforcement Administration

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met virtually with Anne Milgram, President Joe Biden's nominee to be the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). During their meeting, Durbin discussed reining in excessive opioid production, incorporating public health approaches into law enforcement policies, and combatting the opioid epidemic. "After years of absent leadership at DEA, I am pleased to see a qualified,… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams Republican Refusal To Support Bipartisan January 6th Commission

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today slammed Congressional Republicans' refusal to support the bipartisan January 6 Commission, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that the bipartisan Commission is necessary in order to prevent Trump loyalists from rewriting the reality of what happened on January 6, 2021. "We know President Trump and his followers have been … Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Senate Colleagues To Support Endless Frontier Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today encouraged his Senate colleagues to support the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, the broader competitiveness package and substitute amendment to the bipartisan Endless Frontier Act. The legislation represents the largest investment in U.S. science and technology leadership since the Apollo era. It will authorize more than $100 billion over five years to support breakthrough s… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Colleagues In Bipartisan Letter To President Biden In Support Of Afghan SIV Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and a bipartisan group of Senators in a letter to President Joe Biden expressing widespread support in the Senate for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program for Afghans, and to urge continued support from the Administration to uphold the integrity of the program. The SIV program is the only path to ensuring the safety of Afghan allies that aided U.S. service members and di… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions CDC Director On Community Violence Prevention, COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, today participated in a Subcommittee hearing on President Biden's Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Budget Request for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the hearing, Durbin questioned the witnesses-Director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and Principal Deputy Director of the CDC, Dr. Anne Schuchat-… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Colleagues In Introducing Electrifying America's Future Resolution

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and 14 Senate Democrats in introducing the Electrifying America's Future Resolution to advance the vision of widespread electrification across every sector of American life. "As we experience the disastrous effects of climate change, we know we must invest in cleaner forms of energy," said Durbin. "With the Electrifying America's Future Resolution, we are reaffirming our commitment to building more s… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $12 Million For MidAmerica Airport

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Scott Air Force Base/MidAmerica Airport has been awarded $12.6 million in federal grant funding to support the final phase of the airport's terminal expansion project. The funding comes from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and federal COVID-19 relief packages. "Investing in our airports is key to Illinois' economic success, especially as communities recover… Continue Reading

Ahead Of Motion To Discharge, Durbin Calls On Senate Republicans To Support Kristen Clarke's Nomination To Lead DOJ Civil Rights Division

WASHINGTON - Ahead of the vote to discharge from the Judiciary Committee the nomination of Kristen Clarke, President Joe Biden's nominee to be Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Republican colleagues to support her nomination. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that Ms. Clarke is the ideal candidate to restore credibility at the Civi… Continue Reading

Durbin: McConnell Would Rather Cut Taxes For The Ultra-Wealthy Than Repair America's Crumbling Infrastructure

WASHINGTON - One day after the deadline for filing personal income taxes in America, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) "red line" when it comes to funding President Biden's American Jobs Plan, which would make historic investments in transportation infrastructure, clean energy, and broadband. When Senator McConnell met with President Biden last week, he said that raising taxes on the largest corporations is a "red line" wh… Continue Reading