Durbin, Duckworth Announce $55 Million In Federal Funding For Airports Throughout Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that five Illinois regional airports will receive a total of $38,776,723 in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Additionally, the State of Illinois Block Grant Program will receive $16,288,753 through the AIP for development projects, bringing the total federal investment to $55,065,476. "Investing in our regional airports is key to our State's economi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bipartisan Senators Urge FDA To Remove All Pod- And Cartridge Based E-Cigarettes From Market Until They Can Be Proven Safe

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), today called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless to immediately remove all pod- and cartridge-based e-cigarettes from the market, unless or until they can prove that they benefit the public health. In a letter to Sharpless, the Senators cited 530 cases of vaping-related lung disease, as well as eight deaths.… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Introduce Resolution To Protect Ambitious National Fuel Economy And Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and 31 colleagues in reintroducing a Senate resolution in response to the Trump Administration's efforts to roll back federal fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards designed to fight climate change and protect Americans' access to clean air. Durbin, Duckworth, and their colleagues are reintroducing the resolution in advance of the Administration's expected move to formally revoke Calif… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Booker, Hirono Introduce Bill To Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness To Adjunct Professors

WASHINGTON - At a time when adjunct faculty members make up nearly half of higher education instructors nationwide, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) today introduced legislation that would allow part-time faculty at colleges and universities across the country - who are often paid low wages with few benefits - to be eligible to participate in the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. In Illinois, more than ha… Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Bill To Reduce Youth Tobacco Use & Vaping Epidemic

WASHINGTON-U.S Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D- IL) and U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) today announced the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2019, which would help reduce youth tobacco use by closing loopholes in the tax code that have long been exploited by the tobacco industry to avoid regulation and taxes for their products. This legislation wo… Continue Reading

Durbin: Appropriations Bills Provide Critical Funding For Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced Illinois priorities included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration; and Financial Services and General Government Appropriations funding bills. The legislation passed the Senate Appropriations Committee today and will now be sent to the Senate floor for final consideration. Durbin also … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Closed School Discharges For Former ITT Tech Students

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced automatic closed school discharges for more than 7,000 former ITT Tech (ITT) student borrowers-amounting to nearly $95 million in relief. The 2016 Obama-era borrower defense rule requires the Department to automatically grant closed school discharges, without any application, for borrowers who attended a school-such as ITT-that closed on or after November 1, 2013,… Continue Reading

Durbin, Braun Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Create Rural Infrastructure Office

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mike Braun (R-IN), both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today introduced the Rural Economic Infrastructure Equity Act of 2019, a bill to improve federal support for the transportation infrastructure needs of rural areas in America. In rural areas, 36 percent of roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and 10 percent of rural bridges are structurally deficient. This kind of poor infrastructure quality imp… Continue Reading

Durbin Warns Against Escalating Tensions With Iran

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today warned against President Donald Trump's dangerous escalation towards conflict with Iran, which could lead to yet another reckless, never-ending war in the Middle East. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that the U.S. Constitution is clear that the power to declare war is an explicit power of the Congress. "No war with Iran without the consent of Congress is authorized," Durbin said. "This Congress has rubberstamped… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Failed Vote To Proceed To Senate Appropriations Funding Bills

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today released the following statement after voting against the motion to proceed to four Senate Appropriations Committee funding bills, including the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee funding bill: "We all remember then-candidate Donald Trump's idea that we need a 2,000 mile wall from sea-to-sh… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Ask FCC To Step Up Prevention Of Robocalls

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use the tools at its disposal to curb the number of robocalls received by Americans. In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the four FCC Commissioners, Durbin and Duckworth urged the agency to enhance traceback efforts to bring these scammers to justice, stop this illicit robocall traffic, and prioritize enforcing the laws already on the books. Robocallers place… Continue Reading

After Seventh Death Related To Vaping, Durbin Reacts On Senate Floor, Calls For Action

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor following yesterday's report that a seventh person had died due to a vaping-related illness, this time in California. Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would imminently ban all non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes, including mint and menthol. Durbin urged the FDA to act quickly and not delay the removal of e-cigarette flavors - such as mint, menthol, unicorn milk, bubblegum… Continue Reading

Durbin To McConnell: Do Something On Gun Violence

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined dozens of Democratic U.S. Senators in floor speeches tonight to talk about the impact of gun violence and the many actions legislators could take to respond. Following the mass shootings in El Paso, Dayton, and Odessa - and the daily toll of gun violence in Chicago - Durbin called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to do his job and hold votes on legislation that would help reduce the gun violence epidemic. More than 200 … Continue Reading

Durbin Honors Civil Rights And Disability Rights Champion Marca Bristo On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today honored the life of civil rights and disability rights champion Marca Bristo, who passed away on September 8th in her adopted hometown of Chicago at the age of 66. Marca was a nationally and internationally acclaimed leader in the disability rights movement who was instrumental in helping write and pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. "Remove the barriers, and people with disabilities can lead rich… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Must Stand Up Against President Trump's Continued Diversion Of Funds From The Military To His Ineffective Border Wall

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today spoke out against President Donald Trump's continued efforts to divert funding from our military in order to build his medieval border wall. Last week, Durbin did not support reporting to the floor the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee funding bill because … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Recent Reporting On Justice Kavanaugh's Confirmation Process

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding recent reporting around Justice Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation process: "During the Kavanaugh confirmation process, I repeatedly called for a neutral, thorough, and impartial investigation into the allegations of sexual assault involving then-Judge Kavanaugh. FBI career investigators were not allowed to conduct that type of investigation. The consequences of that decision… Continue Reading

Durbin, Lightfoot, Jackson Working To Educate, Protect Kids In Response To Youth Vaping Epidemic

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO Dr. Janice Jackson today at Richard T. Crane Medical Preparatory High School to discuss the impact of vaping and e-cigarette use on children and teenagers. The news conference comes on the heels of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) announcement last week that it will imminently ban all non-tobacco e-cigarette flavors, including mint and menthol. On Friday, Durbin sent a letter to U.S.… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Surgeon General To Launch National Strategy To Educate, Prevent, & Respond To Youth Vaping Epidemic

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the U.S. Surgeon General to develop and launch a national strategy to educate, prevent, and respond to the youth e-cigarette epidemic. Durbin's letter to U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams comes on the heels of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) announcement this week that it would imminently ban all non-tobacco e-cigarette flavors, including mint and menthol. Preliminary data revealed this week shows that five … Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Temporary Protected Status For The Bahamas

WASHINGTON - Following reports that the Trump Administration will refuse to grant temporary protections to Bahamians affected by Hurricane Dorian, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and 15 of his Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing the Bahamas Temporary Protected Status of 2019. The legislation designates The Bahamas for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months and provides humanitarian protection for eligible Bahamian citizens who are unable to return to… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With The Illinois Farm Bureau To Discuss Farming Conditions, Disaster Aid, & Trade Policy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, met with the Illinois Farm Bureau to discuss financial difficulties with crop conditions in Illinois due to the wettest planting season in decades. During the meeting, farmers expressed concerns with the Trump Administration's uncertain trade approach with China, and the importance of more federal investments in infrastructure, like rural broadband. They also discussed the Trum… Continue Reading