Durbin: Targeting Refugees And Muslims Based On Fear, Not Facts

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) again condemned President Donald Trump's executive order targeting refugees fleeing terrorism and war and Muslims from seven countries. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin called on Republicans to overturn the order, which is causing mass chaos and tearing families apart at airports around the United States and the world over. ‎ "This decision to indefinitely suspend the admission of Syrian refugees into the United States is not a decision base… Continue Reading

Durbin Opposes Sessions For Attorney General

WASHINGTON-Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after announcing he would vote against Senator Jeff Sessions' nomination to be U.S. Attorney General. "On issue after issue, Senator Sessions has said that, as Attorney General, he would simply 'enforce the law.' But, as were reminded last night, it is also the duty of our nation's chief law enforcement officer to stand up to the President when his actions do not ser… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Call On STB To Extend Oversight Period Of Canadian National Railroad

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth today joined the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Village of Barrington in pressing the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to extend its oversight period for the Canadian National Railroad (CN) to January 2019 and urged CN to institute additional grade crossing mitigation measures. In 2009, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) placed CN under an unprecedented monitoring period when it acquired the Elgin, Joli… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senate Judiciary Democrats: Is DOJ Doing Its Job To Review Trump Executive Orders?

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee demanding answers about the U.S. Department of Justice's role in reviewing President Donald Trump's executive actions. On Friday, when asked if its Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) was performing its duty to review the "form and legality" of executive orders and proclamations, the Justice Department responded "no comment." While subsequent reports have suggested OLC may have reviewed at least… Continue Reading

Durbin Hears from Addiction and Mental Health Providers on Impact of Repealing the ACA

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with addiction and mental health providers and advocates to discuss Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the impact it would have on mental health and substance abuse treatment. This 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 or… Continue Reading

Durbin: History Will Judge Where America’s Leaders Stood Today

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Democratic Whip and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, released the following statement: "History will judge where America's leaders stood today," said Durbin. "Faced with the humanitarian crisis of our time, the United States cannot turn its back on children fleeing persecution, genocide, and terror. During the Holocaust we failed to fulfill to our duty to humanity. We cannot allow mindless fear to lead us into … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $820,000 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 $820,000 in federal funding for projects in Coles and Menard 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 the Embarras Area Water District and the Greenview Community Fire Protection District. "This federal funding will help boost communities in sou… Continue Reading

Durbin Hears from DuPage Health Care Leaders on Local Impact of Repealing Affordable Care Act

WINFIELD, IL - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with DuPage County healthcare leaders regarding the local impact of congressional Republicans' plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This 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 reg… Continue Reading

Durbin To President Trump: It’s A Deal - Let’s Fully Investigate 2016 Election

SHEPERDSTOWN, WV-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that he supports a full and independent investigation of the 2016 presidential election, including a review of irregularities, voter suppression, foreign interference, and President Trump's allegations of fraud. "Though our reasons may differ, the President and I agree that the American people deserve an independent, nonpartisan investigation of the 2016 election-let the truth come out about his baseless allegations … Continue Reading

Durbin: President Trump Tweets Big On Federal Help For Chicago Violence, His Nominee For Attorney General Ducks The Issue

SHEPERDSTOWN, WV - In recent exchanges with U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), President Trump's nominee for U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) pressed him to sustain and increase U.S. Department of Justice support for Chicago's public safety efforts in light of the gun violence crisis in the city. Durbin also called on Sen. Sessions to honor and implement the Agreement in Principle that the City of Chicago and the Justice Department signed on January 13, 2017 that provides f… Continue Reading

Durbin: Trump Immigration Executive Orders Make Nation Less Safe

SHEPERDSTOWN, WV-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Democratic Whip and Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, today issued the following statement after President Donald Trump signed executive orders cracking down on immigrant communities, that, among other things, dramatically increase the number of immigration agents and strip federal funding from communities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. "Creating a mass deportation force and de… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $3 Million In Federal Funding For Preventive Health Services

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the Illinois Department of Public Health and Planned Parenthood of Illinois a combined $3,437,000 in federal funding for preventive care services. "This funding is integral in providing women and families with comprehensive family planning and preventive health services. From cancer screenings and birth control, to flu vaccines and routine phy… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Ratification Of Equal Rights Amendment Long Overdue

WASHINGTON - On the heels of the historic Women's March on Washington, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and 24 other senators in calling for the removal of the deadline set by Congress for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). When the ERA was passed in 1972, Congress stipulated in a joint resolution that the amendment had to be ratified by three-fourths of the states within seven years. It later extended that deadline until 1982. 35 of the require… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Over $7 Million For Illinois Community Health Centers

WASHINGTON - 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 four community health centers in Illinois a total of $7,222,617 through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program. Community health centers are community-based organizations that improve access to affordable, high-quality health care in underserved urban and rural communities by integrating primary hea… Continue Reading

Durbin: Repealing Health Care Would Be Detrimental To Hospitals And Rural Communities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called out congressional Republicans for their efforts to repeal health care without any replacement plan to protect all Americans' access to quality health insurance, especially seniors and individuals with pre-existing conditions. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin described his meeting this week with administrators from hospitals across Central Illinois and how devastating repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be to rural communi… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Need The Truth About President Trump And Russia Now

WASHINGTON - In a speech at the Center for American Progress, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the need for an immediate, independent investigation of U.S. intelligence reports of Russian cyberattacks on the 2016 presidential election, as well as allegations of Russian attempts to compromise President Trump and contact between Trump officials and the Russian government. "Last Friday, America achieved what so many nations have failed to do - peacefully transition to … Continue Reading

Durbin Named Top Democrat On Senate Immigration Subcommittee

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he was appointed Ranking Member of the Immigration Subcommittee: "It was 20 years ago that I began my service in the Senate, on the Judiciary Committee, and on the Immigration Subcommittee. Though our bipartisan efforts to fix our broken immigration system have been blocked time and again, we must continue working to ensure that our immigration laws are wo… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Vote Against CIA Director Nominee Rep. Mike Pompeo

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: "Today, I voted against Rep. Pompeo's confirmation as Director of the CIA. His changing statements on the use of torture leave me no choice. His written answers to the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying that he will consult with CIA experts as to whether the methods in the U.S. Army Field Manual are sufficient, and if they aren't, work with legal experts and congressional overseers to make changes, are extremely al… Continue Reading

Durbin Hears from Hospital Leaders on Local Impact of Republican Plan to Repeal Affordable Care Act

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with hospital CEOs-including four from federally-designated Critical Access Hospitals - to discuss the local impact of congressional Republicans' plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This 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 Friday, President Trump signed an executive order giving federal age… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses Secretary Of State Nominee Rex Tillerson On Russia Ties, U.S. Foreign Policy Under Pres.-Elect Trump

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson. Durbin pressed Mr. Tillerson about his role in carrying out U.S. foreign policy under President-elect Trump, particularly given his recent dismissal of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as obsolete. "The first thing I asked Mr. Tillerson was how he thought he could be an effective Secretary of State, dealing with a President who regularly tweets dramatic reversals of American foreign p… Continue Reading