Press Releases
Durbin, Budzinski Attend Groundbreaking Ceremony for Cahokia Heights Sanitary Sewer Trunkline Project
CAHOKIA HEIGHTS – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) today attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cahokia Heights sanitary sewer trunkline project, which will rehabilitate 17,000 lineal feet of the main sanitary sewer trunkline to provide a safe and reliable sewer system. Durbin has secured more than $30 million in federal funding to address the ongoing flooding in Cahokia Heights, including $3.5 million in federal funding throug… Continue Reading
04.01.24
Durbin, Markey, Warren Lead Group of Senate Democrats in Urging Biden Administration to Phase Out Solitary Confinement
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in leading a letter from a group of Senate Democrats to Department of Homeland Security Secretary (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Patrick Lechleitner calling for ICE to limit and phase out solitary confinement. In addition to Durbin, Markey, and Warren, the letter is signe… Continue Reading
03.28.24
Durbin Leads Group of Senate Democrats Pressing Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons on Voting Access for Incarcerated People
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led a group of eleven Senate Democrats in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Colette Peters requesting more information on their efforts to promote voting access for incarcerated people in federal prisons. In addition to Durbin, the letter is signed by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), C… Continue Reading
03.28.24
Ahead of Cesar Chavez Day, Durbin, Bennet, Stabenow, Senate Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Support Farm Workers, Address Agricultural Labor Crisis
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, along with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), member and Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, alongside U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and John Hickenlooper (… Continue Reading
03.28.24
DURBIN, DUCKWORTH SEND LETTERS URGING MEDICAID HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES IN ILLINOIS TO ADDRESS LEAD POISONING RISK TO CHILDREN
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) visited the Erikson Institute today to announce letters he and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent to five Medicaid managed care companies (MCOs) in Illinois, urging them to address lead poisoning risks to children in Chicago by preemptively sending drinking water test kits, water filters, home visitors, and educational materials to all enrolled children in the city. The letters are being sent to: Aetna, BlueCross, CountyCare, Meridian,… Continue Reading
03.27.24
Durbin, Schakowsky, IL AG Raoul Discuss Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act
CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today held a press conference to discuss the Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act. This federal legislation would give the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Do-Not-Call Registry teeth by providing all telephone subscribers—including small businesses—the ability to seek damages for all unconsented-to telemarketing calls immediately after suc… Continue Reading
03.26.24
Durbin Discusses Federal Funding and DEFIANCE Act at Connections for Abused Women and Their Children
CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Connections for Abused Women and their Children (CAWC) to discuss the DEFIANCE Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation he introduced that creates a civil remedy for victims of nonconsensual, sexually explicit “deepfake” images and videos. Durbin also discussed the $500,000 in federal funding he secured for CAWC through Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS)—more commonly known as an earmark—in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) “minibus” appropri… Continue Reading
03.26.24
Durbin, Senate Democrats Urge President Biden to Take Executive Action to Provide Relief for Undocumented Immigrants
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led a group of 19 Senate Democrats in a letter requesting administrative relief forundocumented immigrants. As the Biden Administration considers executive actions on the border after Senate Republicans balked at a bipartisan border deal in February at the whim of former President Trump, this letter outlines recommendations for executive actions to streamline immigration relief for the undocumented … Continue Reading
03.26.24
Durbin Statement on Visa & Mastercard Settlement with U.S. Merchants to Address Excessive Swipe Fees
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the lead sponsor of the Credit Card Competition Act, today released the following statement regarding the news that Visa and Mastercard reached a settlement with U.S. merchants to lower credit interchange rates and cap those rates into 2030: “At a time when hard-working Americans and small business owners are struggling with higher costs of everyday essentials like gas and groceries, reducing the… Continue Reading
03.26.24
Durbin Statement on Visa & Mastercard to Settlement with U.S. Merchants to Address Excessive Swipe Fees
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the lead sponsor of the Credit Card Competition Act, today released the following statement regarding the news that Visa and Mastercard reached a settlement with U.S. merchants to lower credit interchange rates and cap those rates into 2030: “At a time when hard-working Americans and small business owners are struggling with higher costs of everyday essentials like gas and groceries, reducing the… Continue Reading
03.25.24
Durbin Joins Informational Picket to Voice Objections to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's "Delivering for America" Plan
DOWNERS GROVE – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today participated in an informational picket during U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s visit to voice objections to DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” plan. USPS is conducting a Mail Processing Facility Review on facilities in Champaign, Peoria, the Quad Cities, and Springfield, as well as a number of other facilities across the country. These reviews are conducted before downsizing, expanding, or closing facilities. By dow… Continue Reading
03.25.24
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Illinois Priorities Secured in Second "Minibus" Government Funding Bill
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced the Illinois priorities they helped secure in the second “minibus” of government funding bills, which follows passage of the first “minibus” of six funding bills earlier this month. The package includes funding bills for Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education… Continue Reading
03.25.24
Durbin Joins Normal Mayor Chris Koos to Highlight Recent Improvements on Amtrak's Lincoln Service
NORMAL – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Normal Mayor Chris Koos to highlight recent improvements on Amtrak’s Lincoln Service and discuss his recent confirmation to the Amtrak Board of Directors. Mayor Koos was first nominated to the Amtrak Board of Directors in 2020, but never confirmed. As a result of Durbin’s recommendation, President Biden nominated Mayor Koos to the Amtrak Board again in 2022. Mayor Koos has served the longest-running term of any mayor in Normal’s history. Dur… Continue Reading
03.23.24
Durbin Statement on Passage of Second "Minibus" of Six Government Funding Bills
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after the Senate passed six funding bills—a second “minibus” following the passage of the initial “minibus” of six funding bills earlier this month. Today’s package includes funding bills forDefense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; and State… Continue Reading
03.22.24
Ahead of ACA Anniversary, Durbin, Duckworth Highlight Record Enrollment and Slam Donald Trump and Republicans for Continuing to Push ACA Repeal
WASHINGTON – Ahead of the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act(ACA) this Saturday, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined their Senate Democratic colleagues to tout record-breaking ACA enrollment, highlighting how Democrats have built on the successes of the ACA, and speaking out against Donald Trump threatening to repeal the ACA in a potential second term. Trump recently vowed that he would “never give up” on repealing theAffordable … Continue Reading
03.22.24
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $7 Million for Rockford's Whitman Street Interchange Project
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $7,148,000 for the City of Rockford’s Whitman Street Interchange Reconfiguration Project through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Grant Program to remove the urban interchange constructed in the early 1960's and re-establish the grid roadway system. “For too long, the Whitman Street interchange has stood as a bottleneck, inhibiting t… Continue Reading
03.22.24
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $2 Million to Reconnect Chicago's West Side
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $2,000,000 for the City of Chicago through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program to improve community safety, cohesion, and quality of life through a plan for enhanced connectivity over and around I-290 that serves the needs of residents living and working in Chicago’s West Side. “Historically, Chicago’s West Side has been separat… Continue Reading
03.21.24
Durbin Meets with Illinois Superintendent of Education
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Tony Sanders, Illinois Superintendent of Education, to discuss the future of assessments for students in Illinois and the importance of preparing students for postsecondary education. Durbin and Dr. Sanders also spoke about securing resources to support schools that are taking on more students as migrants arrive in Illinois. Durbin has repeatedly urged congressional appropriators to steadily increase funding to suppor… Continue Reading
03.21.24
Durbin Meets with CDC Injury Center Director, Dr. Arwady
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Allison Arwady, the new Director for the Injury Center within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to discuss legislative efforts to better address trauma and violence, mental health, suicide, and drug overdose. During their meeting, Durbin and Dr. Arwady spoke about Durbin’s bipartisan RISE from Trauma Act, which would reauthorize CDC’s activities and dramatically increase funding for community-based … Continue Reading
03.21.24
In Speech on Senate Floor, Durbin Calls Out CEOs of Visa, Mastercard, United & American Airlines for Balking at Invitation to Testify Before Judiciary Committee on Credit Card Competition
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called out the CEOs of Visa, Mastercard, United Airlines, and American Airlines forbalking at his invitation to testify at a public hearing regarding competition in the credit card market and Durbin’s Credit Card Competition Act. During his speech, Durbin made clear that if the CEOs are willing to discuss the Credit Card Competition Act—legislation that woul… Continue Reading