Press Releases
Durbin Speaks On Senate Floor Ahead Of First Judicial Confirmation Vote Of Second Trump Administration
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke about the trends of judicial nominations during the second Trump Administration, ahead of the vote to confirm its first judicial nominee. Before the vote to confirm Whitney Hermandorfer to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Durbin provided a … Continue Reading
July 14, 2025
Durbin Speaks Out Against Trump Administration's Termination Of Temporary Protected Status For Afghan Nationals In The U.S.
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke out against the Trump Administration for terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) forAfghan nationals in the United States. TPS was first designated for Afghans under the previous administration in 2022 after the U.S. withdraw from Afghanistan, marking the end of America’s longest war. Durbin said, “For over two decades, tens of thousands of Afghan civilians worked alongside our … Continue Reading
July 11, 2025
Durbin, Kelly, Padilla, Senate Democrats Pres Trump Administration On Weaponizing Immigration Court Hearings To Trap, Arrest, Deport Immigrants
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) led a group of 21 Senate Democrats in pressing the Trump Administration on its recent initiatives to weaponize immigration court hearings as an inhumane trap to arrest immigrants who are just trying to follow the law by terminating their immigration court cases and deporting them without adequate due process. In a letter to … Continue Reading
July 11, 2025
Senate Appropriations Committee Advances Agriculture, Rural Development, & FDA Spending Bill With Illinois Priorities Secured By Durbin, Duckworth
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a funding bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). Durbin and Duckworth worked to secure various priorities for Illinois in this appropriations bill, both through Congressionally Directed Spending requests and through the programmatic appropriations … Continue Reading
July 11, 2025
Durbin Calls Out Threats To Illinois' Safety Net Hospitals From Trump's Big Beautiful Bill
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined health care leaders at Roseland Community Hospital on Chicago’s South Side to discuss the threats posed by President Trump’sOne Big Beautiful Bill. Roseland, along with other safety net hospitals in Illinois, faces potential closure due to Medicaid cuts included in the bill. “Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is the largest cut to health care and food assistance in history, slashing more than one trillion dollars from health … Continue Reading
July 11, 2025
Durbin, Kelly, Padilla, Senate Democrats Press Trump Administration on Weaponizing Immigration Court Hearings to Trap, Arrest, Deport Immigrants
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) led a group of 21 Senate Democrats in pressing the Trump Administration on its recent initiatives to weaponize immigration court hearings as an inhumane trap to arrest immigrants who are just trying to follow the law by terminating their immigration court cases and deporting them without adequate due process. In a letter to … Continue Reading
July 11, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $942K For Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $942,571 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Authority for Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport to be used for runway rehabilitation. “By improving airport infrastructure, we are laying the foundation for increased connectivity and reliability,” said Durbin. “This federal funding for Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport will … Continue Reading
July 11, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $400K For Willard Airport
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $400,000 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Authority for the University of Illinois Willard Airport to be used for runway rehabilitation. “By improving airport infrastructure, we are laying the foundation for increased connectivity and reliability,” said Durbin. “This federal funding for Willard Airport will upgrade the airport’s … Continue Reading
July 10, 2025
Durbin Speaks Against President Trump's Efforts To Strip Public Broadcasting Of Federal Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led Senators in speeches on the Senate floor against President Trump’s $9.4 billion rescissions request to cut funding already appropriated by Congress—specifically the $1.1 billion cut to federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), including $700 million that provides critical funding for local public media. Should Republicans pass the President’s rescissions package, it would devastate more than 1,500 … Continue Reading
July 10, 2025
Durbin Releases Documents Corroborating Justice Department Whistleblower's Allegations Against Embattled Trump Judicial Pick Emil Bove
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released text messages, email exchanges, and documents further corroborating the whistleblower disclosures of Mr. Erez Reuveni, formerly the Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice, on Emil Bove’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. On the disclosures and the status of Mr. Bove’s judicial nomination, … Continue Reading
July 09, 2025
In Appropriations Hearing, Durbin Calls Out Trump Administration For Halting Grants That Fund Research For Diabetes Treatment And Prevention
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today participated in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing entitled “A Future Without Type 1 Diabetes: Accelerating Breakthroughs and Creating Hope.” During the hearing, Durbin advocated for robust federal funding for medical research institutions, particularly for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that have been critical in studying and developing treatments for … Continue Reading
July 08, 2025
Durbin Slams Republicans' So-Called "One Big, Beautiful Bill" Which Slashes Health Care Coverage For 17 Million Americans To Provide Massive Tax Breaks For Billionaires
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed the Republicans’ so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will slash Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, and Medicare coverage for 17 million Americans to provide massive tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. During his speech, Durbin underscored the dangers of this Republican bill, which was signed into law by President Trump on the Fourth of July. “Americans across this nation … Continue Reading
July 08, 2025
Durbin Expresses Condolences For The Lives Lost And Those Impacted By The Flooding In Central Texas
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today shared his condolences for the lives lost and those impacted by the flash floods that devastated Central Texas this past weekend and thanked the first responders and volunteers who have worked around the clock to save lives. “I know I speak for millions of Americans when I say we are heartbroken over the flash floods that devastated Central Texas this past weekend. Early Friday morning, while … Continue Reading
July 04, 2025
Durbin Statement Marking Three Years Since The Highland Park Shooting
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement marking three years since the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois: “Today, we remember Katherine Goldstein, Irina and Kevin McCarthy, Stephen Straus, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, and Eduardo Uvaldo, who we lost in an unspeakable act of violence three years ago. I join the Highland Park community in continuing to grieve the loss of these seven lives. “As we remember this … Continue Reading
July 01, 2025
Senate Judiciary Democrats Investigate the Justice, Defense, And Homeland Security Departments About DOJ's Defiance Of Court Orders After Whistleblower Disclosure
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in further investigatingwhistleblower accusations made by Mr. Erez Reuveni, formerly the Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice (DOJ), against Principal Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove and senior DOJ leadership. In a letter to Attorney General Bondi, Department of Homeland … Continue Reading
July 01, 2025
Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of Republicans' So-Called "One Big, Beautiful Bill"
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after voting against Senate Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 50-50 with Vice President Vance breaking the tie vote. Every Senate Democrat voted against the measure. “Let’s make one thing clear - there is nothing ‘beautiful’ about slashing health care coverage for 17 million Americans all so President Trump can deliver a shiny tax cut to the wealthiest individuals and corporations. … Continue Reading
June 30, 2025
Durbin Files Amendments To Republicans' Reconciliation Bill To Protect Rural Hospitals And Medical Research
WASHINGTON - Ahead of an upcoming vote-a-rama, where Senate Democrats will expose the truth about Republicans’ harmful scheme to cut health care and food assistance to provide billionaires with tax breaks, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) filed two motions to commit the bill back to the Senate Finance Committee and make revisions to protect against cuts to rural hospitals and medical research. Under the Senate Republican bill, $930 billion will be cut from Medicaid—in addition to … Continue Reading
June 29, 2025
Ahead of Vote-a-rama, Durbin Sounds The Alarm On Republicans' So-Called "One Big, Beautiful Bill"
WASHINGTON - Ahead of an upcoming vote-a-rama, where Senate Democrats will expose the truth about Republicans’ so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will slash Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, and Medicare coverage for more than 16 million Americans to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor where he underscored the dangers of this Republican proposal and called on four of his Senate Republican … Continue Reading
June 27, 2025
Durbin Outlines Harmful Judiciary Committee Provisions Included In Republicans' Reconciliation Bill
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke about some of the harmful Judiciary provisions included in Republicans’ so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which aims to slash Medicaid and Medicare coverage for hardworking Americans in order to pay for significant tax breaks forbillionaires. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, 16 million Americans will lose their … Continue Reading
June 27, 2025
Durbin Votes For War Powers Resolution Requiring Congressional Authority For Further U.S. Military Action Against Iran
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate failed to pass Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) war powers resolution, which would require a prompt debate and vote prior to using additional U.S. military force against Iran. Kaine introduced the resolution on June 16 as violence was escalating in the Middle East. His resolution became even more important after President Trump bombed three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend without … Continue Reading