Durbin: Republicans' Priority In Coronavirus Legislation Is Clear - Corporations Over Struggling Families

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed Senate Republicans’ and President Donald Trump’s proposed partisan coronavirus response legislation and their dithering and delay, which allowed the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit to expire last week.  Republicans finally released their proposal last week – ten weeks after the House passed the Heroes Act.  Nationwide, as many as 30 million Americans are relying on enhanced unemp… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Support School-Based Mentoring Programs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced the Mentoring to Succeed Act, legislation that increases support for school-based mentoring programs in order to help at-risk youth thrive in their schools, careers, and life. The bill would invest in mentoring programs that help students overcome adversity and trauma and develop the workforce skills employers are seeking. Specifically, the Mentoring to Succeed Act would establish a five-year, competitive … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Bill To Rename Will County Post Office In Honor Of Larry Walsh Sr.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation to rename the U.S. Post Office facility located at 303 E. Mississippi Ave. in Elwood, Illinois, after former Will County Executive Lawrence M. "Larry" Walsh Sr. Walsh, who passed away at the age of 72 on June 3, 2020, after a brave fight with prostate cancer, began his career in public service at the age of 21. For the next 50 years, Walsh served on the school board, in the Illinois State Senate, and as Will County execut… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Call For Safe Release And Return Of Mark Frerichs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today, in a letter to President Donald Trump, called for the timely and safe release and return of American citizen Mark Frerichs, who was abducted earlier this year in Afghanistan. Frerichs, originally from Illinois and a Veteran of the U.S. Navy, has spent nearly ten years living in and working as an independent contractor in Afghanistan. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Frerichs was abducted on or… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls For Resignation Of Principal Deputy Under Secretary Of Education Diane Auer Jones

WASHINGTON- Following the release of a report from the House Education and Labor Committee on its investigation into the Department of Education's handling of Dream Center Education Holding's (DCEH) accreditation misrepresentation at its Illinois Institute of Art and Colorado Art Institute campuses, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement calling for the resignation of Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Education Diane Auer Jones: "Under Secretary Jones, a former… Continue Reading

Durbin, Hirono, Colleagues To McConnell: Immigrants Are Essential & Deserve Support In COVID-19 Relief Legislation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), and 24 of his Senate colleagues in a letter urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to support tax-paying immigrant families who have Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) by ensuring they have access to economic relief payments provided in the CARES Act and any future coronavirus relief package. An estimated 20 million immigrants work in essential industries. Many o… Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Urge Senate To Reject Conditioning Federal Funds To Schools On Reopening In-Person

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 29 of his Senate colleagues, today urged Senate leadership to reject the Trump Administration's desire to condition education funds in the next coronavirus relief package on the reopening of elementary and secondary schools for in-person instruction. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Appropriations Vice Chairman … Continue Reading

Durbin, Kennedy Urge DEA To Use Authority To Reduce Excessive 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 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 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 legitimate me… Continue Reading

Durbin: I Reject Notion That $600 A Week Keeps People From Going Back To Work

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed Senate Republicans' and President Donald Trump's proposed partisan coronavirus response legislation, and the lack of Senate action to save expanded federal unemployment benefits which are set to expire tomorrow. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin called out Republicans' plan to cut the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit to $200 per week. "There are people prepared to go back to work. And I happen to believe th… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams Trump Administration Decision To Remove 12,000 Troops From Germany

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today slammed the Trump Administration's decision to remove 11,900 American troops from Germany. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin shared his concern of both the classified and unclassified versions of this plan, concerns over the differences in the classified briefing he received compared to the public announcements, and President Donald Trump's continued actions … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Discuss COVID-19 Response With Senior Living Facility Represenatives

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke with CEOs of numerous Illinois senior living facilities to discuss safety and care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Durbin and Duckworth discussed improving the nation's testing and contact tracing efforts and access to personal protective equipment (PPE) for those working and living in senior living facilities. "It is inexcusable that, more than five months into this pandemic, we still cannot ensure adequate te… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Relief With Illinois Mayors

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with Illinois mayors from cities on the coast of the Mississippi River about the Heroes Act and its provisions to support local governments in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic's economic impact. With Illinois expecting to lose more than $10 billion in revenue by next summer, Durbin spoke about the $1 trillion in fiscal relief funding for states and localities that the Heroes Act would provide to replace lost revenues. The Rep… Continue Reading

Durbin: The Republican Approach To Unemployment Insurance Will Not Work

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed Senate Republicans' and President Donald Trump's proposed partisan coronavirus response legislation, which was finally released Monday night - ten weeks after the House passed the Heroes Act and four days before expanded federal unemployment benefits are set to expire. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin called out Republicans' plan to cut the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit to $200 per week. Nationwide, as … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Bankruptcy Reform During COVID-19 Pandemic With Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined a webcast hosted by the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) and National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) to speak about the need for Congress to pass bankruptcy reform in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. For years, Durbin has worked on common sense consumer bankruptcy reforms. During the call, Durbin discussed his support for several bankruptcy reforms in the House-passed HEROES Act. Durbin is the lead sponsor of two … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Relief With Chicago State University President

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke by phone with Chicago State University President Z Scott about the next federal coronavirus relief bill. During the call, Durbin discussed key provisions in the CARES Act that offered $14 billion in funding through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to institutions of higher education and spoke about the barriers Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos created to prevent undocumented and low-income students from receiving the emergency studen… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Must End Systemic Racial Injustice

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) called on his colleagues to pass a series of bills aimed to reduce systemic racism in America. Durbin cited how the long-overdue national reckoning on race is helping many see more clearly how old, discredited ideas about race that most have rejected as individuals linger on in some of our institutions and laws. Durbin called on his Republican colleagues to honor the life's work of civil rights icons -… Continue Reading

With President Trump In Open Defiance Of The Supreme Court, Durbin Attempts To Pass Dream & Promise Act On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - In response to President Donald Trump's open defiance of the Supreme Court's decision rejecting his repeal of the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee and author of the Dream Act, asked unanimous consent to pass the bipartisan, House-passed American Dream and Promise Act. The legislation will establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers and immigrants wit… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Must Support Rural Hospitals During COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged his Senate colleagues to pass legislation that would ensure rural hospitals have the needed support to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain financial stability to continue serving their communities into the future. During a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin highlighted his bipartisan Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act, a bill he introduced with Senator James Lankford (R-OK), that would address the threat of closure for the most v… Continue Reading

Durbin, Perdue Urge Congress To Address Shortage Of Doctors, Nurse On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - In speeches on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator David Perdue (R-GA) today called for Congressional leadership to include their bipartisan, bicameral Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act in the next coronavirus relief package. Durbin and Perdue introduced this legislation earlier this year to quickly strengthen our health care workforce and improve health care access for Americans during the COVID-19 crisis. It has received strong support … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Defense Spending In Republicans' COVID-19 Response Legislation

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 defense spending in Republicans' proposed coronavirus response legislation: "While slashing unemployment benefits for millions of Americans and zeroing assistance to state and local governments, the Republican proposal adds $29.4 billion in new defense spending. Of this amount, only $5.2 billion has to do with protect… Continue Reading