Press Releases
Durbin, Duckworth, Bipartisan Senators Press USDA to Provide Relief for Local Farmers During COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and a bipartisan group of Senators in urging the Trump Administration to provide relief for local farmers who are struggling as the nation works to combat the spread of COVID-19. In a letter sent to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, the Senators urged USDA to ensure that a portion of the $9.5 billion they … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Durbin Discusses COVID-19 & CARES Act Relief with United Way of Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and financial relief for nonprofits in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act with United Way of Illinois and leaders of nonprofit organizations. Durbin spoke about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the CARES Act that can provide assistance through forgivable, 100 percent guaranteed loans to eligible small businesses and 501(c)(3) nonprofits with less than 500 … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth, Democratic Colleagues Press Trump Administration to Ensure Workers Receive Unemployment Benefits
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in leading 30 of their Democratic colleagues today in pressing the Department of Labor to ensure workers Congress intended to be covered by the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program receive the benefits they deserve. "[P]arts of the guidance appear narrow or ambiguous, which could make states think they need to exclude workers who Congress clearly intended to … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Durbin Statement on DeVos Settlement in Borrower Defense Lawsuit
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education promised to process student loan forgiveness claims for nearly 170,000 borrowers within 18 months as part of a proposed settlement announced Friday in a federal lawsuit: "One hundred seventy thousand defrauded student loan borrowers won big yesterday in federal court thanks to a settlement that forces Secretary DeVos to finally process claims for relief. … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $1.2 Billion in CARES Act Funding for Illinois Hospitals and Health Providers
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Illinois hospitals and health providers a total of $1,204,103,180 in grant funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide relief and support ongoing treatment efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today's funding is part of the CARES Act's "Marshall Pan," which included $100 billion for … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Discuss COVID-19 Response In Illinois with Army Secretary McCarthy
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services committee, spoke with U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy today to discuss the Army's COVID-19 response efforts in Illinois. Durbin and Duckworth asked about operations at the McCormick Place Field Hospital and ongoing U.S. Army efforts to support Illinois frontline health care … Continue Reading
April 10, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Press Trump Administration for Information on Distribution of Critical Medical Supplies
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, today raised serious concerns about the Trump Administration's reliance on private companies to distribute desperately needed medical supplies during the Coronavirus pandemic. Although the President has declared a national emergency and mobilized the Federal Emergency Management … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Response With Protect Our Care Illinois Chapter
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the Protect Our Care Illinois Chapter, a leading statewide group of Affordable Care Act (ACA), consumer, and health care advocates. Durbin spoke about the provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that have helped increase health care access and coverage and protect frontline health care workers fighting the pandemic in Illinois. Durbin also discussed … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
Durbin to SBA: Allow Farms and AG Businesses to Access EIDL Program
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged the Small Business Administration (SBA) to allow farms and agricultural businesses suffering economic injury due to COVID-19 be acknowledged as eligible for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The EIDL program provides low-interest federal loans of up to $2 million, which may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that cannot be paid due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Urge Admin to Increase Access to Doctors in Rural and Other Medically Underserved Areas
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and colleagues in both the House and the Senate, wrote a bipartisan, bicameral letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) urging the Administration to resume premium processing for physicians seeking employment-based visas. Doctors on these visas increase access to health care, especially rural areas, through the Conrad 30 program, which allows foreign medical … Continue Reading
April 08, 2020
Durbin, Peters, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to Ensure Transit Workers Receive Essential Protective Equipment
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Gary Peters (MI), along with 19 of their Senate colleagues, today urged the Trump Administration to ensure that transit agencies can acquire personal protective equipment for their frontline workers. In a letter to Acting Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) K. Jane Williams, the Senators cited the story of Detroit bus driver Jason Hargrove, who passed away from Coronavirus after he expressed his concern about the disease … Continue Reading
April 08, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Discuss COVID-19 Response with Chicago Mayor Lightfoot
SPRINGFIELD - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) spoke with Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot about Chicago's COVID-19 pandemic response and how they can continue to assist her efforts to protect Illinoisans. Durbin and Duckworth discussed strategies to support minority and women owned businesses, protecting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, protecting frontline transit workers and investing in infrastructure to help get people back to … Continue Reading
April 08, 2020
Durbin, Warren, Colleagues Urge Education Department to Protect CARES Act Funds from Predatory For-Profit College Industry
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), sent a letter to the Department of Education requesting clarification on whether it will allow for-profit colleges to be eligible for funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which establishes the $14 billion Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to aid students and stabilize colleges and universities impacted by the … Continue Reading
April 08, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Call for Expanding Coronavirus Testing Capability by Providing Flexibility to Testing Laboratories
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), today called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide additional regulatory flexibility to hospitals and private laboratories to enable scaled-up testing capacity for the novel coronavirus. Even as rapid testing is becoming available, hospitals are still facing delays in obtaining patient results and … Continue Reading
April 08, 2020
Durbin to SBA & Treasury: Prioritize Financial Needs of Small Businesses in Underserved & Rural Communities
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged the Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Department of Treasury to prioritize the financial needs of small businesses in underserved and rural markets when processing and disbursing loans under the Paycheck Protection Program. In a letter to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Durbin asked the agencies to quickly issue guidance to lenders and agents that clearly outlines how lenders can best … Continue Reading
April 08, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $52 Million in Federal Funding to Help Illinois Health Centers Respond to COVID-19
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive a total of $52,697,049 in federal grants to support 45 Community Health Centers (CHCs) in their COVID-19 response efforts. This funding comes from the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that both Durbin and Duckworth voted for to help increase COVID-19 screening and testing needs, acquire medical supplies and protective equipment, and boost … Continue Reading
April 08, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues to HHS: Reopen the ACA Marketplace, Allow More Americans to Get Health Insurance During COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and 24 Senate Democrats to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reopen the Affordable Care Act's online marketplace to allow more un- and under-insured Americans to get health insurance as they face potential health issues related to COVID-19. In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, the Senators urged HHS to allow Americans to enroll … Continue Reading
April 07, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth, Democratic Colleagues Press Trump Administration on Unemployment Insurance Benefits
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and 33 Democratic colleagues today in pressing the Trump Administration to take additional action to ensure workers receive unemployment insurance benefits as quickly as possible. The Senators outlined a number of actions the Administration should take to help states disburse supercharged unemployment insurance: provide technological support, assist states in … Continue Reading
April 07, 2020
Durbin Statement on GAO Report Underscoring Need to Address Maternal Mortality Crisis
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on maternal mortality, which describes how maternal deaths are tracked, trends and disparities in mortality data, and how federal funding is being used to reduce pregnancy-related deaths. Durbin, along with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 10 other Senate Democrats, requested the report in 2018 to determine how effectively federal … Continue Reading
April 07, 2020
Durbin to Illinois Hospitals: CARES Act Program Can Provide Immediate Financial Relief
SPRINGFIELD - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged Illinois hospitals to take advantage of a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act program that can provide financial support immediately during the COVID-19 pandemic, following millions of dollars in successful funding requests for both urban and rural hospitals in Illinois. The Medicare accelerated payment program, included in the CARES Act, allows qualifying hospitals-including acute care hospitals, children's … Continue Reading