Press Releases
Durbin Meets With The Illinois Farm Bureau
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, met with the Illinois Farm Bureau to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois. During the meeting, farmers expressed concerns with the Trump Administration's uncertain trade approach with China and the Trump Administration's abuse of small oil refinery waivers that have hurt the biofuels market. "The decision by the Trump Administration to effectively shut down the biofuels industry has hurt … Continue Reading
March 12, 2020
Illinois Congressional Democrats: Border Wall Reprogramming Will Result In Shortfalls Of Illinois National Guard Equipment
WASHINGTON - Today, Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper expressing concern over the shortfalls of equipment for the Illinois National Guard in the wake of the Department of Defense's (DOD) decision to transfer National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA) funds to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's ineffective wall on the southwest border. For Fiscal Year 2020, the Illinois Army National Guard … Continue Reading
March 12, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Call On President Trump To Utilize FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund To Aid State & Local Response To Coronavirus Outbreak
WASHINGTON-Following Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's state of emergency declaration in response to the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), and 27 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump urging him to immediately consider any disaster declarations so states can utilize the $42.6 billion currently available in the Disaster … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin Meets With Illinois Public Transportation Officials
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois public transportation officials from the Chicago Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Metra, and PACE to discuss transportation priorities in Illinois. The group discussed Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation and the importance of providing federal funding to improve surface transportation. "Investing in Illinois' public transportation infrastructure helps create jobs and improves the safety and efficiency of … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin Discusses Detection Of PFAS Near Scott Air Force Base With Secretary Of The Air Force
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today met with U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett to discuss the detection of the two main types of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - PFOS and PFOA - during site inspections at Scott Air Force Base (AFB), which may be impacting off-base water wells. The Air Force is now working to determine how many water wells might be impacted, whether people are consuming the … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin, Senate Dem Leaders Announce New Targeted Economic & Community Relief Proposal To Help States With Coronavirus Outbreak
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) along with Senate Democratic Leaders today announced a new, targeted economic and community relief proposal to help communities and individuals deal with the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. The proposal is based on input from policy experts and state and local officials about what is needed to help workers, their families, and the communities they live in to manage the economic disruption and services crisis at the local level in both the … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin, Schumer, Murray, Scott, Lee Statement On Senate Vote Overturning DeVos Borrower Defense Rule
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), and U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) and Susie Lee (D-NV-03), released the following statements after the Senate's 53-42 bipartisan vote to approve Congressional Review Act (CRA) H.J.Res. 76, to overturn the U.S. Department of Education's 2019 Borrower Defense rule that guts essential protections for student borrowers and taxpayers. The … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin, Colleagues Push DeVos To Issue Clear Guidance On Coronavirus For Schools And Families Following Widespread School Closures
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) in leading 31 other Democratic Senators in urging Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to provide clarity and guidance for school districts and institutions of higher education, as well as families and students, following widespread school closures across the country due to the spread of the coronavirus. In a letter to Secretary DeVos, the Senators stressed that it is crucial that the Department of Education provide … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin Presses CDC On Need For Additional Coronavirus Test Kit Supplies
WASHINGTON - Amid the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the urgent need for additional coronavirus test kit supplies in Illinois and around the country in order to improve diagnosis and treatment efforts. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin urged the Trump Administration to respond to this issue quickly with clear, factual information and strategies to boost the … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin Meets With Illinois Corn Growers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, met with the Illinois Corn Growers Association to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois, including crop conditions, trade, lock and dam infrastructure, ethanol and biofuels, and refinery waivers. "Corn growers are an integral part of Illinois' agriculture economy, and we need to ensure they have certainty from the federal government as we head into the 2020 planting season. Additionally, the … Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Durbin, Cassidy Introduce Bill To Ensure Greater Transparency For Third-Party Sellers Of Consumer Products Online
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced legislation to combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by ensuring transparency of large-volume third-party sellers in online retail marketplaces. The Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act would direct online retail marketplaces that include third-party sellers of consumer products to authenticate the … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Senate Advances Congressional Review Act Resolution Overturning DeVos Borrower Defense Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate voted 55-41 on a motion to proceed to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval overturning Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' rewritten borrower defense rule: "With a bipartisan vote today, the Senate is one step closer to ensuring that veterans and student borrowers who were defrauded by their schools will still have the opportunity to seek … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
One Year After House Passage, Durbin Calls On Senate To Pass For The People Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to call on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to bring the For the People Act to the Senate floor for a vote one year after it was passed by the House. The For the People Act is a sweeping package of comprehensive reforms that would fix our broken politics and make government work for the people. The landmark legislation aims to restore the promise of American democracy … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Durbin Asks CDC For Clarification And Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Airport Screening Procedures
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Robert Redfield, to clarify guidance from CDC about airport screening procedures in place to protect Americans from the coronavirus outbreak. Durbin, in a letter to Director Redfield, outlined his concern that travelers from countries with high incidences of COVID-19 and State Department and CDC travel advisories are not being screened, particularly … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), introduced the Great American Outdoors Act, landmark legislation to preserve and protect our country's public lands. The bipartisan legislation provides permanent and full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks and other land management agencies. "Illinois … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Durbin: The Time Has Come To Stand Up For Defrauded Veterans And Student Borrowers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today, in a speech on the Senate floor, urged his Senate colleagues to support the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval overturning Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' rewritten borrower defense rule when it comes for a vote this week. "With her new borrower defense rule, Secretary DeVos, at the Department of Education, will make it virtually impossible for these future defrauded borrowers to receive … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Durbin to HHS And NIH: Taxpayer-Funded Coronavirus Vaccines Must Be Affordable For Patients
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar and Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Francis Collins to ensure any coronavirus vaccines or therapeutics are affordable for American patients. Durbin, in a letter to Secretary Azar and Director Collins, asked how the agencies will implement the provisions in the coronavirus emergency supplemental appropriations act to promote affordability. Last … Continue Reading
March 10, 2020
Durbin Calls On Trump Administration To Prioritize Health & Safety Working Families In Coronavirus Response
WASHINGTON - Amid the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), during a speech on the Senate floor, called on the Trump Administration to prioritize the health and safety of working families during the coronavirus outbreak, including paid sick leave, enhanced unemployment insurance, transportation, food security, educational plans, affordable treatment, and widespread and free coronavirus testing. Last week, Durbin, along with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), helped … Continue Reading
March 09, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Illinois State Of Emergency Declaration In Response To Coronavirus
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker declared a state of emergency in response to new cases of coronavirus: "This is a commonsense, proactive measure to ensure the health and safety of Illinoisans. We commend Governor Pritzker, Mayor Lightfoot, and health care workers throughout Illinois who are on the front lines of this public health challenge. We will continue to keep in close … Continue Reading
March 09, 2020
Durbin, Grassley Introdcue Bipartisan Resolution To Celebrate 30th Anniversary Of Restoration Of Independence Of Baltic States
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), co-chairs of the Senate Baltic Caucus, today led 23 of their Senate colleagues in introducing a bipartisan resolution to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the restoration of independence of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The resolution also reaffirms the United States' commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) amid Russian aggression. The House Baltic Caucus is introducing a … Continue Reading