Senate Republicans Block Bipartisan, House-Passed Venezuela TPS Legislation

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans today blocked bipartisan, House-passed legislation that would designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and protect approximately 200,000 Venezuelan nationals in the United States from deportation. U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) was joined by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on the Senate floor to make a unanimous consent (UC) request to immediately pass the Venezuela TPS Ac… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Bill To Make Cahokia Mounds A National Historic Park

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced a bill that would designate the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site as a National Historic Park. Cahokia Mounds is currently a National Historic Landmark, but Durbin's bill would provide a new designation that ensures protection for the ancient mounds in St. Clair and Madison counties along with Sugarloaf Mound in St. Louis-the city's only remaining mound. "The Cahokia Mounds represent the indigenous peoples and landscapes that once… Continue Reading

Illinois Congressional Delegation Urges FEMA to Support State's Request For Preliminary Flood Damage Assessment

WASHINGTON - The entire Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Administrator Peter Gaynor supporting Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's request for an extension in conducting its Preliminary Damage Assessment from flooding events between February and July. A flood of this duration had not been seen in Illinois since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and at least 35 percent of the State's counties were affected and declared a disaster… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Push Devos, Illinois Community Colleges To Help Midstate College Students

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today urged the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to take immediate steps to assist the estimated 183 students affected by the planned August 14, 2019, closing of for-profit Midstate College in Peoria, Illinois. The members, in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, pressed ED to provide students information about eligibility and applying for closed school discharges, … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Trump Administration's Continued Effort To Sell Arms To Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after voting to override President Donald Trump's vetoes of the joint resolutions of disapproval regarding arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The original resolutions of disapproval passed the Senate with 51 and 53 votes, but today's veto override fell short of the two-thirds needed. "The Saudi government and royal family continue to deny any involvement in Mr. Khashoggi's brutal disappearance and murd… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kennedy Urge DEA To Use Its Authority To Reduce Opioid Production Quotas

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John Kennedy (R-LA) today urged the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to apply its new authorities to prevent and limit the pharmaceutical industry's excessively high opioid production levels. Durbin and Kennedy were authors of the 2018 legislation that enhanced DEA's existing opioid quota-setting authority by improving transparency and enabling DEA to adjust quotas to prevent opioid diversion and abuse while ensuring an adequate supply for … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Renew And Expand Funding For The Great Lakes

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), today introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and expand funding for the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019 will reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2021, for another five years. The bill increases the current authorization level f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $673,000 For Veterans Airport Of Southern Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois in Marion will receive $673,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The funding will be the final reimbursement on the recently completed new airline terminal project. "Investing in our airports is key to Illinois' economic success," Durbin said. "The funding announced today will help modernize our aviation infrastr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $3 Million For Decatur Airport

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Decatur Airport will receive $2,929,500 from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The funding will be used to support continued runway rehabilitation. "Investing in our airports is key to Illinois' economic success," Durbin said. "The funding announced today will help modernize our aviation infrastructure and improve the experience for Southern Illinois trave… Continue Reading

Following Visit To Inspect & Investigate Southern Border Facilities, Durbin Joins Senate Dems In Demanding Trump Administration Immediately Address A Number Of Issues The Senators Witnessed

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senate Democrats in a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan outlining serious concerns regarding the conditions at the southern border that the Trump Administration's policies have exacerbated, and demanding the Administration immediately answer and remedy several issues that the Senators observed on their rec… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Sweeping Environmental Justice Bill

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced sweeping legislation to address the environmental injustices that harm communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities around the country. The Environmental Justice Act of 2019 would require federal agencies to mitigate environmental injustices through agency action and would strengthen the legal protections of those affected by environmental in… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Trump Nominee To Be U.S. Ambassador To UN, Kelly Craft

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Kelly Craft, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN). In today's meeting, Durbin pressed Ambassador Craft on her plan to work with our allies to advance U.S. policies; how she plans to address crises around the world - including in Venezuela, Burma, and the Middle East; how she plans to address global threats and conflicts, as well as the ensuing challenge of protect… Continue Reading

Durbin To Acting FDA Commissioner: You Must Act On The Youth E-Cigarette Epidemic In Order To Earn My Support

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless to get off the sidelines and address the public health epidemic of youth use of e-cigarettes. In a letter to Sharpless, Durbin said that if the Acting Commissioner were to be nominated to serve in a more permanent role, he would need to see more action to address youth use of e-cigarettes, not just strong statements, in order to support Sh… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois Soybean Growers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, today met with the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois, including crop conditions, biodiesel markets, lock and dam upgrades, and the damage done by Chinese tariffs. "This has been a tough planting season - and when you combine it with the President's mystifying decisions like a reckless trade war and secret oil refinery waivers that destroy … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Fair Elections Now Act

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 24 Senate colleagues, today introduced the Fair Elections Now Act, which would dramatically change the way U.S. Senate elections are financed. Under the legislation, qualified Senate candidates would earn grants, matching funds, and television vouchers to run competitive campaigns based on small-dollar contributions, rather than rely on funding from wealthy donors and corporate special interests. The Fair Elections Now Act w… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Discuss Election Security With State Board Of Elections Chair Chuck Scholz

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Illinois State Board of Elections Chairman Chuck Scholz to discuss election security and how the federal government can assist the state in protecting its elections from foreign interference. Durbin and Duckworth discussed their efforts in the Senate to push Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to bring bills to the floor that would help ensure safe and secure elections. "This week, the FBI Direct… Continue Reading

Durbin Testifies At House Oversight Subcommittee Hearing On JUUL'S Role In Youth E-Cigarette Epidemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today testified at a House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy hearing entitled "Examining JUUL's Role in the Youth Nicotine Epidemic." Durbin testified about JUUL's role in the youth nicotine addiction epidemic, relationship to Big Tobacco companies, and its use of marketing to appeal to youth. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of American teenagers using any tobacco product increased by nearly 40 percent - the lar… Continue Reading

Durbin: President Trump Is Continuing His Hate-Filled, Anti-Immigrant Agenda

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today spoke out against the Trump Administration's new rule to quickly deport undocumented immigrants using a fast-track deportation process. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also argued that President Donald Trump's cruel and ineffective policies have made our southern border much less secure than when he took office. "Now today, as in almost every day, the Adm… Continue Reading

Senate Passes Resolution Honoring Justice John Paul Stevens

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today unanimously passed a resolution honoring the life of Justice John Paul Stevens, who passed away last week at the age of 99. The resolution was introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). Justice Stevens served on the Supreme Court for nearly 35 years. "Justice Stevens was committed to safeguarding the rights and liberties protected by the Constitution, and he cherished the importance of the judiciary as an impartial guardian of… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses FBI Director Wray On Effort To Combat White Supremacist Violence

WASHINGTON-In today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Christopher Wray, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) pressed Director Wray on the Trump Administration's shifting approach to tracking domestic terrorism incidents, which has obfuscated the white supremacist threat. An unclassified May 2017 FBI-DHS joint intelligence bulletin found that "white supremacist extremism poses [a] persistent threat of lethal violence," and that white supremacists were responsible f… Continue Reading