Durbin, Duckworth Work To Bring Fairness To Fema Disaster Declaration Process

WASHINGTON - Following last week's string of severe weather and tornadoes that caused extensive damage and three fatalities across Illinois, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced the introduction of the Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act. The bill would reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) disaster declaration process to make it more transparent and equitable to small and rural communities in larger states like Illinois. Due t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Chicago Delegation Members Meet With Illinois Tollway In Support Of Elgin O’hare Western Access Project

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Brad Schneider (IL-10), and Danny Davis (IL-07) today met with Illinois Tollway Chairman Bob Schillerstrom to express their support for the Tollway's petition to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) regarding their ongoing dispute with Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) over the Elgin O'Hare Western Access (EOWA) project. The project creates new western road access … Continue Reading

Durbin, Wicker Introduce Legislation To Promote Study Abroad

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) today introduced the bipartisan Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act, which creates a competitive grant program for institutions of higher education to expand study abroad opportunities for American college students. Study abroad is an important component of a well-rounded post-secondary education, giving students the opportunity to engage with other cultures, enhance foreign language skills, and expand international k… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $4 Million Loan To Expand Broadband Service In Moultrie County

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a $4,000,000 federal loan for the Moultrie Independent Telephone Company (MITCO) to expand broadband service in the Moultrie County area. MITCO will use the funds to make upgrades to fiber service in a portion of its service territory. Today's funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Telecommunications Programs of the Rural Utilities Service. "Without reliable access to broa… Continue Reading

Durbin: President Trump Trying To Deflect From Number One Issue: Russia

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about President Donald Trump's desperate attempts to distract the American public and media from the astonishing series of revelations about Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 election in support of the Trump campaign. Senator Durbin also renewed his call for an independent, transparent investigation of Russia's efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. "It's important to step back from th… Continue Reading

Durbin To Trump: Generating Real Solutions To Chicago’s Violence Requires More Than 140 Characters

WASHINGTON - In anticipation of the release of President Donald Trump's first budget request to Congress, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today pressed the President to include increased investments in federal programs that will help Chicago reduce violence by expanding economic opportunities and addressing health and education disparities in the hardest-hit communities. In a letter to President Trump, Durbin broadly outlined the need for a more… Continue Reading

Durbin: Nothing Ordinary About Investigation Into Russian Connection

WASHINGTON - With newly-confirmed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions facing mounting scrutiny over previously undisclosed contact with Russian officials, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today grilled Deputy Attorney General nominee Rod Rosenstein regarding the Justice Department's investigation into Russia's cyber act of war against the 2016 U.S. presidential election. If confirmed, Rosenstein would oversee any Justice Department inves… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Republican Health Care Repeal Plan

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after House Republicans released their health care repeal legislation: "The Republican health care repeal plan would cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance. It increases costs for seniors and middle-class families and cuts benefits. It would end Medicaid as we know it-hurting seniors, children, people with disabilities, as well as shifting costs onto already-stretched state budg… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $4 Million In HUD Funding For Illinois Affordable Housing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the State of Illinois will receive $4,310,055 in grant funding through the Housing Trust Fund (HTF), a federal grant program administered by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HTF program seeks to increase and preserve the supply of decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing for extremely low- and very low-income households, including homeless families. HTF funds may be used for… Continue Reading

Durbin Reintroduces Bill To Give Students Defrauded By For-Profit Colleges Their Day In Court

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) has reintroduced legislation designed to strengthen students' ability to hold for-profit colleges accountable in court for their misconduct. The Court Legal Access & Student Support (CLASS) Act prohibits any school receiving Title IV student aid funding from placing restrictions on students' ability to pursue legal claims, individually or with others, against higher education institutions in court. The CLASS Act aims to end the strategic use of ma… Continue Reading

Durbin, Casey Reintroduce Bill To Support Congenital Heart Defect Research

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Casey (D-PA) reintroduced legislation to promote federal research on congenital heart defects (CHD) and raise awareness of the impact these health problems have throughout patients' lives. The Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act also helps states collect data on the prevalence of CHD and understand trends and disparities among those living with CHD. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced its companion … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On New Trump Travel Ban

CHICAGO - Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, released the following statement after President Trump signed a revised executive order banning travel from certain Muslim-majority countries and all refugees. "No amount of relabeling will change the fact that President Trump's travel ban is unconstitutional and un-American. Wasting taxpayer dollars and unnecessarily inflicting pain on innocent families isn't going to change that. Trump'… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out President Trump’s Failure To Put American Workers First

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, is calling out President Donald Trump for failing to deliver on his campaign promise to put American workers first by cracking down on H-1B visa abuse. In a letter to President Trump, Senator Durbin slammed the Administration's decision to pursue "cruel and un-American policies that harm our economy, do not make us safer, and are inconsistent with our heritage as a nation of immigr… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out President Trump's Failure to Put America Workers First

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, is calling out President Donald Trump for failing to deliver on his campaign promise to put American workers first by cracking down on H-1B visa abuse. In a letter to President Trump, Senator Durbin slammed the Administration's decision to pursue "cruel and un-American policies that harm our economy, do not make us safer, and are inconsistent with our heritage as a nation of immigr… Continue Reading

Durbin And Duckworth Host First Illinois Constituent Coffee Of 115th Congress

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted the first Illinois Constituent Coffee of the 115th Congress is Washington, D.C. The tradition was started by U.S. Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) in 1985 and has continued with Senator Durbin hosting with then-Senators Carol Moseley Braun, Peter Fitzgerald, Barack Obama, Roland Burris, and Mark Kirk. "In 1985, my mentor, Senator Paul Simon, launched the Illinois Hospitality Breakfast series. For one hour, every Thu… Continue Reading

Department Of Defense Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON-The Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act, 2017 provides $577.9 billion in base and Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) funding, compared to $572.8 billion enacted in fiscal year 2016 and $576.5 billion in the President's budget request. The base budget appropriation is $516 billion, with $61.8 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations of the Department of Defense. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Department of Defense Subcommittee, said: "This bill s… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Sessions False Testimony On Russian Connection

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding Attorney General Jeff Sessions: At Senator Sessions' confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee, I called on him to commit to recuse himself from Justice Department investigations into the Trump campaign's illegal dealings with the Russian government. During that hearing, Sessions said, "I have not had any communications with the Russians." That is false, and he said it under oath. The P… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley Press Army Corps To Approve Funding For McCook Reservoir

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) pressed the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) for strong and continued support for the construction of the McCook Reservoir Project in a letter to Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army Douglas Lamont. An allocation of additional funding by the Corps is necessary to meet the December 31, 2017 deadline for completion of Stage 1 of the McCook Reservoir, which is required by the p… Continue Reading

Durbin Opposes Rep. Ryan Zinke For Interior

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after voting against President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior. Representative Ryan Zinke was confirmed by a vote of 68-31. America has a proud record of protecting our National Parks and historic treasures-Teddy Roosevelt would be proud. It's the Interior Secretary's job to preserve these valuable resources for future generations. Nothing in Congressman Zinke's record suggests he appr… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Intel Director Nominee Sen. Dan Coats

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after meeting with President Trump's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, Senator Dan Coats of Indiana: I've known and respected Dan for decades as a person of integrity-the challenges facing our intelligence community, both foreign and domestic, call for a leader like him. In our meeting, Senator Coats pledged to provide information and cooperate with investigations of Russia's cyberattacks on… Continue Reading