Following Reports Jerry Falwell Jr. To Lead Presidential Task Force, Durbin Calls On Education Secretary Devos To Guard Against Potential Conflicts Of Interest

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos regarding reports that President Trump has asked Jerry L. Falwell, Jr., President of Liberty University, to lead a new "task force" to recommend changes to federal regulations, policies, and procedures in higher education. Such a task force could make recommendations o… Continue Reading

Durbin Encourages Illinois Medical And Dental Schools To Partner With DEA On Opioid Prescription Training

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged medical and dental schools across Illinois to work with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to host informal training sessions for students about responsible opioid prescribing and recommendations from the field for confronting the opioid epidemic. In a letter to the schools, Durbin noted that health care providers - as well as those responsible for training the next generation of medical professionals - are the gatekeepers between tre… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On White House Rollback Of Transgender Student Rights

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after President Donald Trump issued a new policy ?that rolls back protections for transgender students: "The Trump Administration's decision to subject vulnerable children to intolerance in the name of states' rights is disingenuous and marks a major setback in the fight for civil rights," said Durbin. "Denying transgender students access to the bathroom that matches their gender identity puts them at greater risk of bull… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $284,200 In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development In Fulton And Knox Counties

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $284,200 in federal funding for projects in Fulton and Knox 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 construct a new township building and install a new storm siren. "This federal funding will help boost communities in Fulton and Knox Counties, serving … Continue Reading

Durbin In Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine To Discuss NATO, Russia

WARSAW-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin is in Poland today, as part of travel to three eastern European nations to discuss Russian aggression and interference in western democracies, and congressional support for the transatlantic relationship and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Durbin was joined by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in Warsaw for meetings with senior government officials. In Vilnius, Lithuania, Durbin will meet with President Dalia Grybauskaite, Parliament… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On DHS Mass Deportation Guidelines

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, released the following statement in response to leaked memos from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implementing President Trump's controversial executive orders on immigration. "These guidelines are now the official policy of the Trump Administration, implementing the President's mass deportation Executive Orders. I have called on my counterpart on the Judiciar… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Passing Of Bob Michel

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the passing of former House Republican Leader and Illinois Congressman Bob Michel: "Every politician alive should pray that, like Bob Michel, the last words said of him would be 'the face of decency and public service'. Michel's replacement as Republican leader in the U.S. House by Newt Gingrich marked the end of an era of civility in Congress. It has never been the same since. His passing this morning reminds us th… Continue Reading

Durbin Opposes Scott Pruitt For EPA

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after voting against President Donald Trump's nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Scott Pruitt was confirmed by a vote of 52-46. By confirming Scott Pruitt as EPA Administrator, Republicans are turning their backs on decades of bipartisan environmental progress. Pruitt has demonstrated time and again his unwillingness to accept the science of climate change and his contempt for the la… Continue Reading

Durbin: The American People Deserve An Investigation Of Trump’s Russian Connection Now

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the immediate need for an investigation of the Russian connection to President Trump's campaign and administration officials as new revelations pour out of the West Wing following the resignation of President Trump's former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn. "The American people have a right to know what the Russians did, and they have a right to know if and when members of the Trump campaign o… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Reports Of National Guard Deportation Force

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, released the following statement after a leaked pre-decisional memo outlining a Trump Administration plan to mobilize 100,000 National Guard troops to arrest and detain unauthorized immigrants. The reports are being denied by the White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "The reported Trump Administration plan to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to … Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Demand Scott Pruitt Recuse Himself From All Issues Related To Lawsuits He Brought Against The EPA

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and a group of 30 Senators called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator nominee Scott Pruitt today to recuse himself from participating in any matter related to litigation that he pursued against the EPA as Oklahoma Attorney General. In the letter, the Senators specifically call on Mr. Pruitt to recuse himself from decisions on how the EPA will defend itself against the lawsuits he brought for as long as thos… Continue Reading

Durbin To Trump: Stop Tweeting And Start Prioritizing Resources To Reduce Gun Violence In Chicago

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on President Trump to do more than just tweet about the gun violence epidemic in Chicago, and provide a surge in federal support and resources to assist in public safety and economic development efforts in the city. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin pressed President Trump to direct the Department of Justice to enhance programs that improve community policing, such as the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and… Continue Reading

Senators To President Trump: Do Not Remove CFPB Director Cordray

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Assistant Democratic Leader Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), along with Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today called on President Donald J. Trump to uphold the promises he made to the American people and resist calls from Wa… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Reports Of DACA Recipient Held In Washington

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, released the following statement on reports of an individual protected from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program being detained in Tacoma, Washington: We do not know the details of this arrest but absent credible evidence of crime, DACA protects those who are enrolled from deportation. We are in contact with ICE for clarification of this detention. Thousand… Continue Reading

Durbin Opposes OMB Nominee Rep. Mulvaney

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to President Trump's nominee to lead The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. "As a member of the House, Mick Mulvaney prided himself on taking the most radical budget positions-raising the retirement age for Social Security to 70 and privatizing Medicare. The head of OMB requires better judgement. I will vot… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With President Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch. "At this pivotal time in our history, the Supreme Court must be an independent check on the Executive branch-its Justices must be unafraid to stand up to the President in the name of the Constitution and the rule of law. With a dizzying array of legal and constitutional disputes already haunting this White House… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Resignation Of Gen. Flynn, Need For Independent Investigation

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the resignation of President Trump's National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, after revelations that he had discussed sanctions with the Russian government before he and the President had taken office: The American people deserve to know the truth about possibly illegal contacts between the Russian government and the President's campaign and Transition, as well as who else is involved or could be vulner… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On The Confirmation Of David Shulkin As VA Secretary

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Dr. David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Senate unanimously approved his nomination. "A son of Fort Sheridan in Highland Park, Illinois, David Shulkin is eminently qualified to serve as our nation's VA Secretary," said Senator Durbin. "Dr. Shulkin has been a strong advocate for the VA against privatization, and as the agency's Under Secretary of Health under President Obam… Continue Reading

Durbin: Instead Of Curbing Gun Violence, Republicans Want To Weaken Gun Laws

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke out against efforts by Congressional Republicans to weaken the federal gun background check system through the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA effort would repeal a rule issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA) last year that directs SSA to notify the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) when the SSA has determined, on the basis of medical evidence, that a person receiving disability benefits has a ment… Continue Reading

Durbin To Oppose Labor Secretary Nominee Puzder

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Labor, restaurant mogul Andrew Puzder: "Andrew Puzder has a long record of short-changing his employees and ignoring health and safety dangers in his businesses. The working families of Illinois would not want Andrew Puzder as their boss, and America deserves a better person to serve as its Labor Secretary."… Continue Reading