Durbin: DOD Tobacco Policy Tobacco Policy is Good, But Not Good Enough

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement in response to the Department of Defense's new Tobacco Policy: "The numbers tell the story. Tobacco usage in our military is significantly higher than the rest of America. And that tobacco usage creates serious health problems within our military while reducing troop readiness to defend our nation. The response announced by the Pentagon … Continue Reading

Durbin: Republican Inaction on Zika Virus Threatens Public Health Preparedness & Response in Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As a result of Congressional Republicans' refusal to fund emergency actions combatting the spread of the Zika virus, Illinois and other states are losing access to critical public health resources, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. To prevent additional resources from being diverted away from states like Illinois, Durbin called for the immediate full funding of President Obama's request for emergency appropriations to fight the Zika virus. "Illinois should no… Continue Reading

Durbin, Brown, Blumenthal Renew Call for FDA to Ban Retail Sale and Marketing of Deadly Pure, Bulk Caffeine

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Earlier today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) stood with representatives for the Center for Science in the Public Interest and families whose loved ones have died after using powdered caffeine as they renewed their call on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the retail sale and marketing of pure, bulk powdered caffeine, which even in small doses can be deadly. Data collected by the American Association of… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on White House Commitment of $100 Million Toward Goal of Tuition-Free Community College

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised the Obama Administration's decision to pledge $100 million to expand workforce training programs at community colleges around the country. Today's funding is part of President Obama's goal of providing two years of free community college tuition to hardworking students. According to the Illinois Community College Board, five community colleges in Illinois have a tuition free program - City Colleges of Chicago, Elgin Community College,… Continue Reading

Durbin Renews Call for Legislation to Address Rising Number of Poisonings in Children Due to Detergent Packets

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called for passage of legislation he introduced with U.S. Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) to address the rising number of poisonings in children due to laundry detergent packets. Earlier today the American Academy of Pediatrics released a study showing a 17 percent increase in calls between 2013 and 2014 to Poison Control Centers across America related to ultra-concentrated detergent packets. "Today's American Academy of Pedi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk, Bost, Shimkus & Davis Request Meeting with NGA Director to Present Their Case for St. Clair County

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Delegation representing Southwestern Illinois - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-IL), U.S. Representative John Shimkus (R-IL), and U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) - wrote National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Director Robert Cardillo today to detail their "strong concerns" with the agency's rationale for selecting a site for its new facility, known as NGA W… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses New Initiatives to Address High Rates of Lead Exposure Across the Nation

SPRINGFIELD, IL - As part of a larger effort by Senate Democrats to combat lead contamination, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted new initiatives to protect children in affordable housing from lead poisoning and update the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) lead and copper regulations to establish mandatory lead testing of pipes and water in cities-large and small-across the country. Earlier this week, Senate Democrats introduced the True LEADership Act, a comprehensive plan … Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos: Senate Committee Passed Bill Fully Funds Thompson Prison Activation for 2017

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (IL-17) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee - of which Durbin is a member - passed a bipartisan FY2017 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill that continues funding for the activation of the Thomson correctional facility in Thomson, Illinois. The legislation must now be passed by the full Senate and then reconciled with the House version of the bill. "Once controversia… Continue Reading

With Anti-Muslim Bigotry on the Rise, Durbin Seeks Information About Airlines’ Efforts to Prevent Discrimination on Flights

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a series of recent incidents on airlines involving alleged discrimination against American Muslims and Arab Americans - including a report of a student being removed from his flight after speaking Arabic on a phone call earlier this week - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote to Airlines for America President Nicholas Calio to share his concerns, and to seek additional information about what its member airlines are doing to prevent similar future incidents. … Continue Reading

Durbin Hosts Meeting with Bipartisan Southwestern Illinois Congressional Delegation & St. Clair County to Discuss NGA West

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today hosted a meeting with U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) and U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-IL) to discuss the site selection process for the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) facility with St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern. The group was also joined by former U.S. Representative Jerry Costello (D-IL) and retired Air Force General Duncan McNabb, who served as Commander of Air Mobility Command and U.S. Transportation … Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Responsible Transition to American-Made Rocket Engines for National Security Satellite Launches

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today pressed the case for responsibly transitioning from Russian-made rocket engines to American-made engines for national defense satellite launches. Despite concerns from senior military and intelligence officials, a proposal is emerging in the Senate Armed Services Committee to cut off American military purchasing of the RD-180 engines used to launch satellites that directly support U.S. … Continue Reading

Durbin: Government Needs to be Part of the Solution to America's Lead Crisis

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined 10 of his colleagues at a press conference in Washington, DC to unveil a comprehensive plan that recommits the federal government to a critical role in water infrastructure investment, lead remediation and the strong drinking water protections provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. Today's True LEADership Act of 2016 includes two bills that Durbin introduced earlier this year: The Copper and Lead Evaluation, Ass… Continue Reading

Durbin: $151 Million in Federal in Federal Funding Will Help Stabilize Illinois Communities Hit Hardest By Foreclosure Crisis

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today praised the announcement by the U.S. Department of Treasury that the State of Illinois has been awarded $151,299,560 in funding to support efforts to revitalize neighborhoods that were hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. Today's funding was awarded through Phase 2 of the Hardest Hit Fund, for which Congress recently appropriated a total of $2 billion. Durbin is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and advocated for boosting… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Enhance Security & Improve Air Travel

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the Senate's passage of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The legislation which includes provisions to strengthen U.S. airport security and improve air travel now goes to the House of Representatives for approval. "The tragic attack in Brussels was a harrowing reminder that more can be done to enhance security for airport and transit systems across our country - especially … Continue Reading

Durbin: Supreme Court Must Act to Keep Families Together, Affirm President's Immigration Actions

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the floor of the Senate today after attending oral arguments at the Supreme Court in the case of United States v. Texas, a legal challenge to the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program and the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. "This lawsuit I believe has no legal merit. It is driven by political hostility toward President Obama and his immigration policy. The Supreme Court repeatedl… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Call for Immediate Passage of President's Emergency Funding Request to Help Stem Spread of Zika Virus in United States and Abroad

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined a coalition of 41 senators in sending a new letter to Senate Republican leaders calling for immediate passage of President Obama's emergency supplemental funding request of $1.9 billion for prevention and treatment of the Zika virus outbreak. Specifically, the new letter calls for the Senate Appropriations committee to mark-up the President's emergency funding request as soon as possible to ensure swift passage by the full Senate an… Continue Reading

After Two Years, Senators Call for Finalization of Long Overdue Tobacco Regulations

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Almost two years ago to the day, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule expanding its authority to include previously unregulated tobacco products like e-cigarettes and cigars. Today, as Big Tobacco continues to develop, market, and sell those products without federal oversight, fifteen Senators called on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shaun Donovan to issue a final rule bringing all tobacco products under the FDA's jurisdiction as soon as pos… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on Chicago-Based Life Insurance Company to Disavow Practice of Withholding Funds to Rightful Beneficiaries

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In response to a 60 Minutes investigation that identified Chicago-based Kemper Corporation as the "main" insurance company fighting reform efforts, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the company to disavow the practice of withholding life insurance payouts to beneficiaries that do not directly file claims with the insurance company. Beneficiaries do not always know that they have been named under a life insurance policy and accordingly do not always file … Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Sec. Carter to Protect Key Pentagon Spending Oversight

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today sent a letter to Defense Secretary Ash Carter urging him to resist defense industry efforts to undermine critical Pentagon oversight that protects U.S. taxpayers from hundreds of millions of dollars in wasteful spending. "An April 8 article in Politico alleges that some defense companies under the guise of this reform are attempting to curtail the Director of Defense Pricing from … Continue Reading

Durbin Presses Abbott Labs on Outsourcing 150 American Jobs to Indian Company

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories has forced approximately 150 laid-off employees to sign a gag order preventing them from discussing the layoffs with federal agencies, as they are legally entitled to do. The employees were required to sign sweeping non-disparagement agreements in order to receive any severance pay. Last month, Durbin wrote to Miles White, the CEO of Abbott Labs, urging him to reconsider their plan to outsource the … Continue Reading