Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill to Create National Heritage Area in Chicago's Bronzeville Community

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced a bill that would create a National Park Service (NPS) National Heritage Area in the greater Bronzeville community of Chicago. The Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Act would create a National Heritage Area from 18th Street to the North, 71st Street to the South, Lake Michigan to the East, and Canal Street to the West-approximately five miles south of downtown. This area would tell the st… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Illinois Shield Testing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement applauding an announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to SHIELD T3, an innovative system of COVID-19 testing and tracing developed by the University of Illinois to help monitor the health of students. The SHIELD test is a low-cost, rapid saliva-based test that holds the promise of being scaled up to address nationwide testing needs: … Continue Reading

Durbin, Garcia Applaud Administration Decision to Help Developing Nations Address Economic Fallout From COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-04) today applauded Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's announcement that the Administration will support the lawmakers' proposal to release Special Drawing Rights (SDR) as one mechanism to help with the global economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Durbin and García, along with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), are lead sponsors of legislation that directs th… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Intel Report Linking Saudi Crown Prince to Murder of Jamal Khashoggi

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the Biden Administration's release of an intelligence report that concludes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi: "This report confirms what was already suspected, directly linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This barbaric act joins a long list of outrages, inc… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Announcement of Mass Community Vaccination Center in Chicago

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today applauded an announcement that the Biden Administration will dramatically increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations in Illinois by launching a community vaccination center (CVC) Federal Pilot Site in Chicago on March 10. The site, which will be located at the United Center, will have the capacity for 6,000 COVID-19 vaccinations a day. "Getting vaccine shots into the arms of Americans will h… Continue Reading

Durbin to USPS Chicago Leadership: Take Action to Ensure Timely Delivery of Essential Mail

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged local United States Postal Service (USPS) leadership in Illinois to address service issues in the USPS Chicago region. In a letter to Krista Finazzo, Vice President, Area Retail and Delivery Operations Central Area, Durbin noted that the region has experienced a disruption in service due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff shortages, and recent snowstorms, but also said more must be done to ensure the timely delivery of medicine and othe… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Biden Administration Immigration Priorities with DHS Secretary Ali Mayorkas

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke with U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Ali Mayorkas about the need for Congress to fix our broken immigration system, smart and effective border security, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and other critical issues. "Secretary Mayorkas and I share a vision that America is a nation of immigrants and we must have an imm… Continue Reading

Ahead of Oversight Hearing Next Week, Durbin Speaks with FBI Director Wray About Domestic Terrorism Threat

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray on how the Bureau is allocating its resources to respond to and address the threat of violence by white supremacists and other far-right-wing extremists following the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. Today's call comes ahead of an FBI oversight hearing next Tuesday, March 2, in the Senate Judiciary Committee… Continue Reading

Durbin Speaks on USPS Delays, Slams Changes Sabotaging Critical Services to Illinoisans Amid Pandemic

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged his colleagues to work to improve the Postal Service by providing resources and tools it needs to offer reliable, affordable services during this critical time. Durbin spoke about service issues in Chicago and read aloud letters he's received from constituents who rely on the Postal Service for basic needs, like receiving paychecks, bills, and prescription medications. Durbin also slammed the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Extend CARES Act Bankruptcy Relief Provisions

WASHINGTON - Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act, bipartisan legislation to temporarily extend COVID-19 bankruptcy relief provisions enacted as part of the March 2020 CARES Act and December 2020 omnibus appropriations bill. "Extending these temporary bankru… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Response with Illinois Public Health Officials

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) discussed the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic with Illinois members of the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO). Durbin heard about efforts in Henderson, Lake, and Cook Counties to expand vaccinations, address health disparities, and support the health workforce. Durbin highlighted the federal government's efforts to improve COVID-19 vaccine distribution and testing across Illinois, and shared how… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Biden Nominations to USPS Board of Governors

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Joe Biden nominated Amber McReynolds, Anton Hajjar, and Ron Stroman to serve on the United States Postal Service Board of Governors: "I've heard from too many Illinoisans who have experienced hardship with breakdowns in USPS service over the past year, despite the incredible effort of postal workers. The Postal Service has been gutted by the previous Administration and Postmaster G… Continue Reading

Durbin, Lee Introduce Bipartisan Inspector General Access Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct. Currently, the DOJ Inspector General (IG) has no authority to investigate professional misconduct by DOJ lawyers. DOJ is the only agency whose IG has such a jurisdictional carve-out. … Continue Reading

Durbin: COVID Continues To Be A National Crisis; We Must Respond By Passing the American Rescue Plan

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on his Senate colleagues to support President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, which would deliver economic relief to American families and small businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. President Biden's American Rescue Plan is a historic legislative package designed to change the course of the pandemic, get students back to school, give families and businesses a bridge to an economic recov… Continue Reading

Chair Durbin, Judiciary Dems to FBI Director Wray: How Are You Responding to Ongoing Domestic Terrorism Threat?

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with several Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray requesting information on the FBI's response to the ongoing threat of domestic terrorism in the United States. The letter comes ahead of an FBI oversight hearing next Tuesday, March 2, in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Wray will te… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce MOMMA Act to Reduce Maternal and Infant Mortality Rates

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced the bicameral Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA) Act. The legislation seeks to reduce America's rising maternal and infant mortality rate, especially for moms and babies of color who are significantly more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy. On average, maternal mortality claims the lives of about 700 American moms each year-an additional 70,000 women suffer nea… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Mental Health, Opioid Overdose Epidemic Amid COIVD-19 & Need to Pass Biden's American Rescue Plan

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the drastic increase in opioid overdose deaths and suicides in 2020. Durbin highlighted that there were more suicides by Black residents of Cook County, Illinois, in 2020 than over the past ten years, with a total of 437 residents taking their lives. At the same time, more than 700 Cook County residents die… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Justice Department's Decision to Retain U.S. Attorney John Lausch

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after it was reported that the Biden Justice Department will retain John Lausch as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois until his successor is confirmed. Durbin and Duckworth first voiced their desire to retain Mr. Lausch until his successor is confirmed in November 2020. On February 9, they wrote a letter to the President renewing this request. "We are pleas… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Justice Department Decision to Retain U.S. Attorney John Lausch

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after it was reported that the Biden Justice Department will retain John Lausch as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois until his successor is confirmed. Durbin and Duckworth first voiced their desire to retain Mr. Lausch until his successor is confirmed in November 2020. On February 9, they wrote a letter to the President renewing this request. "We are pleas… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cohen: It Is Time for Congress to Close Loophole that Encourages For-Profit Colleges to Target Veterans & Service Members

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) today introduced bicameral legislation that would help put an end to the for-profit college industry's aggressive recruiting of veterans, service members, and their families. The Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act would prohibit for-profit colleges and universities from receiving more than 85 percent of their revenue from the federal government and change the calculation of fe… Continue Reading