Durbin Statement on President Trump's Decision to Draw Down Troop Levels in Afghanistan and Iraq

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration's decision to draw down troop levels in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 in each country, roughly half of the current levels of troops in each country: "When Congress voted on the authorization of the use of military force after 9/11, nobody could have predicted that it was the start of a nearly two … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on New Federal Railroad Administration On-Time Performance Rule

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a new Amtrak on-time performance (OTP) rule that sets a new metric for measuring Amtrak delays caused by freight rail interference: "If implemented properly, this new FRA rule will improve Amtrak's passenger rail service and efficiency," Durbin said. "By properly measuring the role freight rails play in Amtrak delays, we can improve Amtrak on-time performance,… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on Facebook to Stem Rise of Hate and Conspiracy Groups on its Platform

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, which featured Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) pressed Mr. Zuckerberg on recent incidents where hate and conspiracy groups used Facebook to plan and recruit-including the conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the "Kenosha Guard militia," which advocated for violence in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake and whose member later sho… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues on Letter to McConnell to Support TPS Holders

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and 23 of their Senate colleagues sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in support of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders. The letter requests that an 18 month extension of status for TPS holders be included in the December appropriations package. Like millions across the country, T… Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Press Facebook to Take Immediate Action to Combat Anti-Muslim Bigotry on its Platform

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and 13 colleagues on a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling on the company to fully address the problem of anti-Muslim bigotry on its platform, which has enabled offline violence against Muslims in the United States and elsewhere around the world. "Facebook is a groundbreaking company that has revolutionized the way we communicate. Unfortunately, the conne… Continue Reading

As President Trump Purges Pentagon, Durbin Speaks With Acting Defense Secretary Miller

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today had a call with Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller following President Donald Trump's firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and other top Pentagon leaders earlier this week. During the call, Durbin spoke with Acting Secretary Miller about the serious threats facing our country and the need to maintain stability at the Department of Defense during the tra… Continue Reading

Durbin, Pressley, Leahy, Booker to Trump Administration: Suspend All Federal Executions During Transition Period

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), today called on the Trump Administration to suspend all federal executions so the incoming Biden-Harris Administration can evaluate and determine the future use of the death penalty by the federal government. For more than 17 years, no federal death sentence was carried out. Then, in July 2020, Attorney General Bill Barr recklessly restarted feder… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Detection of PFAS Near Peoria and Springfield National Guard Bases with Air Force Secretary

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today spoke with U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett to discuss the detection of the two main types of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - PFOS and PFOA - during site inspections at Peoria and Springfield Air National Guard Bases. The Air Force and Air National Guard will now conduct investigations off-base to determine if any drinking water supply locally may be impacte… Continue Reading

Durbin Honors America's Veterans

SPRINGFIELD-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following video statement honoring America's veterans on Veterans Day and thanking all those who've served for their sacrifices in defense of America's freedom: "To all of our veterans in Illinois and across America: thank you for your service to our country with honor and distinction. Now, on the front line once again, so many essential workers in this unprecedented pandemic have served our country in uniform as well. I know Vetera… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams Republicans On Judiciary Committee For Continuing To Relitigate The 2016 Election And The Mueller Investigation

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, entitled "Oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Day 4," which featured former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed Republicans on the Committee for continuing their partisan sideshow re-litigating the investigation into 2016 Russian election interference, and ignoring their responsibility to conduct oversight of the Trump Administrat… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Call on DOJ to Stop Plans to Make Purdue Pharma a Public Benefit Corporation

WASHINGTON - Following the settlement agreement announced between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Purdue Pharma (Purdue), U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), today called on Attorney General William Barr to stop his Department's plan to have Purdue's Oxycontin business transformed and preserved as a public trust or public benefit company. This proposal, first put forth by… Continue Reading

Durbin Re-Elected Senate Democratic Whip For 117th Congress

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after being unanimously re-elected as the Senate's second-highest ranking Democrat, the Senate Democratic Whip, for the 117th Congress by his Senate Democratic colleagues this morning. Durbin has served in the number two role in the caucus since 2005. "I am honored to serve the Senate Democratic Caucus as Whip. The November 3 election showed that our nation is divided, and the challenges we face are great. But under… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board

SPRINGFIELD-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the formation of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, a team of leading public health and medical experts who will advise President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their response to the coronavirus pandemic: "President-elect Biden's and Vice President-elect Harris' COVID-19 task force is comprised of respected professionals, truth tellers, and real leade… Continue Reading

Durbin: With COVID-19 Cases Spiking in Illinois and Across the Country, The Senate Must Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today thanked the people of Illinois for electing him to another term in the United States Senate and spoke about the importance of helping unemployed and uninsured Americans, hospitals and health clinics, state and local governments, and small businesses as COVID-19 cases spike across Illinois and the country. On Saturday, the U.S. hit the highest daily total of new cases-126,000 new cases in one day. … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Outcome of 2020 Presidential Election

SPRINGFIELD-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election: "President-elect Joe Biden is a public servant in the best sense of the term. He has taken the strength and wisdom he learned from his family, and his own experiences with loss and hardship, and he has used those lessons to give millions of Americans reasons to hope and ways to heal. And by his side is an outstanding Vice President-elect in my col… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Call for Borrower Defense Relief for Student Borrowers Harmed by CEHE

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Michael Bennet (D-CO) today, in a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, called on the U.S. Department of Education to protect students and taxpayers in the wake of a recent court decision finding that the Center for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE)-which owns for-profit CollegeAmerica-made misrepresentations to students and engaged in deceptive trade practices. On August 21, a Colorado state court found that CEHE… Continue Reading

On First Day of ACA Open Enrollment Period, Durbin, Duckworth Encourage Illinoisans to Sign up For Health Insurance Plans

WASHINGTON-On the first day of the 2021 Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) encouraged Illinoisans to sign up for quality, affordable health insurance on the marketplace today, emphasizing that most patients qualify for subsidies that ensure premiums are less than $75 per month, and highlighting the additional plan options and lower premiums for consumers this year. Durbin and Duckworth also slammed President Trump and Co… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On McConnell To Pass Meaningful COVID-19 Relief Legislation To Help Hard Hit Businesses Struggling During Pandemic

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to pass the HEROES 2.0 Act to provide assistance for struggling Illinoisans and small businesses and slammed the Senate Republican Leader for spending five days jamming a Supreme Court nomination through the Senate floor instead of helping struggling small businesses and families. The HEROES 2.0 Act passed the House of Representatives nearly one month ago, on October 1. Durbin is a cosp… Continue Reading

Durbin, Murray, Blumenthal, Warren, Brown Continue to Push DeVos to Provide Debt Relief to Defrauded Student Borrowers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) urged the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to provide borrower defense relief for students who attended a number of institutions that ED cut off from Title IV participation as a result of fraud or other consumer misconduct. In addition, the Senators urged Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to use her authority to extend the closed school discharge loo… Continue Reading

Durbin, Capito Urge HHS to Implement Childhood Trauma Task Force they Enacted in 2018

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to accelerate implementation of the Interagency Task Force on Trauma-Informed Care, a provision authored by both Senators that was passed into law in October 2018 as part of the federal opioid response. The bipartisan provision established a Task Force of federal agencies to set a national strategy to address childhood trauma and to promote trauma-infor… Continue Reading