Durbin Meets With Trump Nominee To Be U.S. Ambassador To UN, Kelly Craft

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Kelly Craft, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN). In today's meeting, Durbin pressed Ambassador Craft on her plan to work with our allies to advance U.S. policies; how she plans to address crises around the world - including in Venezuela, Burma, and the Middle East; how she plans to address global threats and conflicts, as well as the ensuing challenge of protect… Continue Reading

Durbin To Acting FDA Commissioner: You Must Act On The Youth E-Cigarette Epidemic In Order To Earn My Support

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless to get off the sidelines and address the public health epidemic of youth use of e-cigarettes. In a letter to Sharpless, Durbin said that if the Acting Commissioner were to be nominated to serve in a more permanent role, he would need to see more action to address youth use of e-cigarettes, not just strong statements, in order to support Sh… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois Soybean Growers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, today met with the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois, including crop conditions, biodiesel markets, lock and dam upgrades, and the damage done by Chinese tariffs. "This has been a tough planting season - and when you combine it with the President's mystifying decisions like a reckless trade war and secret oil refinery waivers that destroy … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Fair Elections Now Act

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 24 Senate colleagues, today introduced the Fair Elections Now Act, which would dramatically change the way U.S. Senate elections are financed. Under the legislation, qualified Senate candidates would earn grants, matching funds, and television vouchers to run competitive campaigns based on small-dollar contributions, rather than rely on funding from wealthy donors and corporate special interests. The Fair Elections Now Act w… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Discuss Election Security With State Board Of Elections Chair Chuck Scholz

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Illinois State Board of Elections Chairman Chuck Scholz to discuss election security and how the federal government can assist the state in protecting its elections from foreign interference. Durbin and Duckworth discussed their efforts in the Senate to push Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to bring bills to the floor that would help ensure safe and secure elections. "This week, the FBI Direct… Continue Reading

Durbin Testifies At House Oversight Subcommittee Hearing On JUUL'S Role In Youth E-Cigarette Epidemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today testified at a House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy hearing entitled "Examining JUUL's Role in the Youth Nicotine Epidemic." Durbin testified about JUUL's role in the youth nicotine addiction epidemic, relationship to Big Tobacco companies, and its use of marketing to appeal to youth. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of American teenagers using any tobacco product increased by nearly 40 percent - the lar… Continue Reading

Durbin: President Trump Is Continuing His Hate-Filled, Anti-Immigrant Agenda

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today spoke out against the Trump Administration's new rule to quickly deport undocumented immigrants using a fast-track deportation process. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also argued that President Donald Trump's cruel and ineffective policies have made our southern border much less secure than when he took office. "Now today, as in almost every day, the Adm… Continue Reading

Senate Passes Resolution Honoring Justice John Paul Stevens

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today unanimously passed a resolution honoring the life of Justice John Paul Stevens, who passed away last week at the age of 99. The resolution was introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). Justice Stevens served on the Supreme Court for nearly 35 years. "Justice Stevens was committed to safeguarding the rights and liberties protected by the Constitution, and he cherished the importance of the judiciary as an impartial guardian of… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses FBI Director Wray On Effort To Combat White Supremacist Violence

WASHINGTON-In today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Christopher Wray, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) pressed Director Wray on the Trump Administration's shifting approach to tracking domestic terrorism incidents, which has obfuscated the white supremacist threat. An unclassified May 2017 FBI-DHS joint intelligence bulletin found that "white supremacist extremism poses [a] persistent threat of lethal violence," and that white supremacists were responsible f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Lipinski, Foster, Schneider, Casten Press EPA For Strict Ethylene Oxide Standards

WASHINGTON - In light of recent developments regarding the potential re-opening of the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook, Illinois, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), and Sean Casten (D-IL-06) today urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set new, strict national standards for facilities emitting ethylene oxide (EtO) as soon as possible. The members also … Continue Reading

Durbin Visits Southwest Border To View Migrant Detention Facilities

MCALLEN-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, was in McAllen, Texas, today with a group of Senate Democrats to get a firsthand look at the humanitarian crisis on the southwest border. Durbin toured McAllen Border Patrol Stations Donna and Ursula to evaluate the conditions at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention facilities and meet with immigrant families and children currently being held in detention. "Am… Continue Reading

Durbin & Senators Introduce Bill To Prevent Unnecessary Private Student Loan Debt And Improve Transparency

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) today introduced the Know Before You Owe Private Education Loan Act of 2019 to prevent unnecessary private student loan debt and improve transparency. According to the Federal Reserve, total student loan debt in America is now $1.5 trillion. While federal student debt often gets the most attention, the growth of private student loan debt is also con… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Defense Secretary Nominee, Dr. Mark Esper

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today met with Dr. Mark Esper, President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense. During today's meeting, Durbin asked Dr. Esper about the ongoing U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis at the border that President Trump created with his anti-immigrant policies. "Dr. Esper is a respected professional, who has devoted a maj… Continue Reading

Senate Passes Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Brunei For Barbaric Laws

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate has passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Todd Young (R-IN), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) that condemns the government of Brunei for recently imposing laws that include, among other troubling things, death by stoning for adultery and homosexual relations. Their resolution also calls for the repeal of these barbaric laws and visa bans for anyone involved in their implementa… Continue Reading

Durbin Gives Pharma Fleece Award To Opioid Companies That Fueled Addiction Epidemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today on the Senate floor, as part of his continued "Pharma Fleece Awards" series of floor speeches highlighting egregious cases of pharmaceutical industry greed, slammed drug manufacturers and distributors for igniting the nation's opioid addiction epidemic by flooding the United States with tens of billions of opioid doses. A story by the Washington Post published last night found that Big Pharma saturated the country with 76 billion oxycodone and h… Continue Reading

Durbin Honors Justice John Paul Stevens On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today honored the life of Justice John Paul Stevens who passed away yesterday at the age of 99. Justice Stevens served on the Supreme Court for nearly 35 years. "He leaves behind an enormous legacy. He was committed to safeguarding the rights and liberties protected by the Constitution, and he cherished the importance of the judiciary as an impartial guard… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Praise Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Resolution Commemorating Fifth Anniversary Of Ukraine's Revolution Of Dignity

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, co-chair and co-founder of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today praised Senate passage of a bipartisan resolution commemorating the fifth anniversary of Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity. The resolution recognizes the bravery of the people of Ukraine who participated in the Maidan protests and honors the memory of the more than 100 protestors who were killed. In addition, it encourages Ukraine to continue its progress over the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Reed Introduce Bills To Stop Corporate Inversions & Put Money Back Into The Pockets Of Working-Class Families

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jack Reed (D-RI) today introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to stop business practices known as inversions - corporate deals that allow U.S. companies to shift their corporate citizenship from the United States to a low-tax foreign jurisdiction, even while keeping their executives and headquarters in the United States. This is accomplished by merging with a foreign company that can be as little as one-fifth of the size of the U.S. corpo… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams New Trump Administration Rule On Asylum Seekers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today argued that President Donald Trump's cruel and ineffective immigration policies have made our southern border much less secure than when he took office. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also called out the Trump Administration for the unprecedented cruelty they have shown to immigrants - especially families and children. "Now the Trump Administration has p… Continue Reading

Durbin To McConnell: Americans Want Action On Prescription Drug Prices, Not Foreign Tax Treaties

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today on the Senate floor challenged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to end his legislative graveyard and bring bills to the floor that help lower the cost of prescription drugs for American families. This week, the Senate will vote on four different tax treaties with Spain, Switzerland, Japan, and Luxembourg. Durbin questioned why these treaties are more important to McConnell than working to hold pharmaceutical manufac… Continue Reading