Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $2.5 Million For Head Start In Champaign County

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families has awarded Champaign County $2,570,465 to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs."The Head Start program is the source of countless success stories in Illinois and around the country-it's a stepping stone children need to succeed from elementary school to college and beyond," said Durbin. "Today's fun… Continue Reading

Durbin Demands Trump Administration Restore Animal Cruelty, Puppy Mill Records On USDA Website

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined a group of 18 Democratic Senators in calling on the Trump Administration to immediately restore animal cruelty information recently purged from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website. APHIS makes inspection reports for all regulated entities and annual reports submitted by research laboratories available to the public in order to create greater transparency, accoun… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth To Trump: Stop Tweeting About Chicago And Get Serious About Gun Violence

WASHINGTON-Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth today called on President Trump to do more than just tweet about the gun violence epidemic in Chicago, and join them in providing a surge in federal support and resources to assist in public safety, law enforcement, and economic development efforts in the city. "Tweeting does not break cycles of violence; tweeting does not help lift people out of poverty; tweeting does not save lives. We urge you instead to provide a surge in federal s… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Trump Administration To Release Transcripts Of Flynn’s Secret Conversations With Russia

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: Revelations that White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn secretly discussed U.S. sanctions with the Russian Ambassador one month before President Trump took office are a chilling new piece of the sinister puzzle of the President's dealings with a hostile foreign power. These allegations warrant a serious and thorough investigation by an independent commission to determine their veracity and wh… Continue Reading

Durbin Hears from Southern Illinois Healthcare Leaders on Local Impact of Repealing Affordable Care Act

CARBONDALE - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Southern Illinois healthcare leaders regarding the local impact of congressional Republicans' plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Last month, Republican leaders took the first step in repealing the law by approving a budget that allows for major provisions of the ACA to be eliminated by simple majority vote. On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order giving federal agencies broad authority to undo r… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls For Congressional Hearings On Trump Immigration And Refugee Bans

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, is calling for hearings on President Donald Trump's executive orders cracking down on immigrant communities and banning all refugees, immigrants, and visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries. "These executive orders, which have dramatic implications for our immigration system, are inconsistent with America's heritage as a nation of immigrants and a safe haven for t… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Reports Of Conflict Minerals Executive Order

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after reports that the Trump Administration is considering an executive order rolling back a rule requiring companies registered in the United States to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) what they are doing to mitigate sourcing from conflict mines in and around the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "This law was passed to help save the lives of the children, women, and men who were being sl… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Call For Review Of Cost And Impact Of Trump’s Harmful Travel Ban, Mass Deporation Scheme, And Border Wall

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined a group of senators calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the actions and costs associated with President Donald Trump's recent executive orders to establish a mass deportation force, construct a wall on the Southern border, and ban refugees and immigrants from certain Muslim-majority nations."Each of these executive orders will likely require significant new action on the part of the … Continue Reading

Durbin To Oppose HHS Nominee Rep. Price

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced on the Senate floor that he will oppose President Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Representative Tom Price (R-GA). Senator Durbin stressed that on issue after issue-from Congressman Price's support for privatizing Medicare, to his attempts to slash funding for the Medicaid program, to his long-standing goal of repealing of the Affordable Care Act, to his misguided efforts to restrict wome… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Unanimous Ruling Freezing Trump Travel Ban

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision suspending the Trump Administration's travel ban on refugees and targeting travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries: This unanimous decision by the Ninth Circuit continues to block the Executive Order of President Trump restricting the travel of immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The Court explicitly remin… Continue Reading

Durbin Opposes Ag Nominee Sen. Sessions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting against President Trump's nominee for U.S. Attorney General. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 52-47-1. On issue after issue, Senator Sessions has said that, as Attorney General, he would simply "follow the law." But it is also the duty of our nation's chief law enforcement officer to use his discretion to choose when to enforce the law and when to stand up to the Presiden… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Demand Answers About Outrageous Price Hike For Lifesaving Anti-Opioid Drug

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) are among a group of 31 Senators that are demanding answers from a leading pharmaceutical company about the dramatic price hike for a life-saving medication used to respond to opioid overdoses. Recent reports unveiled that drug maker Kaléo Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures an easy-to-use injector device containing the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, raised its price from $690 in 2014, to $4,500 currently. While … Continue Reading

Durbin: Sen. Sessions’ Record On Voting Rights Should Not Be Whitewashed

WASHINGTON-Following Senate Republicans' move to silence the words of the late Coretta Scott King in the Senate chamber last night, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today underscored the importance of reviewing the civil rights record of President Donald Trump's Attorney General nominee in the context of recent state efforts aimed at making it more difficult for minority communities to vote. Durbin also noted that Republicans delayed the confirmation of Loretta Lynch, a long-time Justice Department pros… Continue Reading

Senators Meet With Baltic And Polish Ambassadors To Discuss Russian Aggression In The Region

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) met today with Lithuanian Ambassador to the U.S. Rolandas Kriš?i?nas, Latvian Ambassador to the U.S. Andris Teikmanis, Estonian Ambassador to the U.S. Eerik Marmei, and Polish Ambassador to the U.S. Piotr Wilczek, to discuss Russian aggression in the region, the importance of maintaining transatlantic unity, and support for NATO and continued … Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Group Of 27 Senators To Reintroduce Family Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and 25 other senators to reintroduce the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, or FAMILY Act, legislation that would create a universal, gender-neutral paid family and medical leave program. "Your bank account balance should not determine your ability to care for a loved one when illness strikes. Yet for millions of Americans, caring for an elderly parent or sick child means losing a day's wages, or wor… Continue Reading

Durbin: Sessions Is Not The Right Person To Stand Up To President Trump

WASHINGTON - As the Senate debates the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to be U.S. Attorney General, Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about why he cannot support Sessions becoming the country's chief law enforcement officer. Durbin stressed the need for an independent Attorney General and questioned Sessions' ability to stand up to President Trump if his actions are unlawful. In light of the Attorney General's vast authority and discretion over how the law … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With OSF Healthcare To Discuss Damaging Impact Of Health Care Repeal On Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Robert Sehring, Chief Operating Officer of OSF Healthcare System, to discuss Congressional Republicans' efforts to repeal health care without any replacement plan and the impact this would have on OSF's hospitals and providers across Illinois. During the meeting, Durbin and Mr. Sehring also discussed how the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs contribute to premium increases and place a substantial burden on hospitals statewide. "… Continue Reading

Durbin Opposes Betsy DeVos As Education Secretary

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin issued the following statement after voting against Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education. DeVos was confirmed by a vote of 51-50, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-breaking vote. "More than 50 years ago, Lyndon Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act into law, guaranteeing every child a free and equal, quality public education. By confirming Betsy DeVos, Senate Republicans have entrusted our children's success to an indiv… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $4 Million In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development In Southern Illinois

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $4,198,600 in federal funding for projects in Clay, Crawford, Edgar, Marion, Moultrie, Richland, and Pulaski Counties to support rural community development projects. Today's funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Community Development Initiative Grant, will provide assistance to benefit public safety, water infrastructure, local VFWs, mental health facilities, and more. "This fed… Continue Reading

Durbin to Oppose Nomination of Scott Pruitt to Lead EPA

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that he will oppose the nomination of Scott Pruitt to become the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "Halting the catastrophic effects of climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. But instead of debating the best way to do it, President Trump and his EPA nominee want to debate whether or not the science itself is real. In fact, Scott Pruitt has spent much of his career in office working to weak… Continue Reading