Press Releases
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
02.14.17
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
02.14.17
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
02.13.17
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
02.13.17
Durbin To Oppose Treasury Secretary Nominee Steven Mnuchin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, the former Chairman and CEO of OneWest, a bank known in the industry as a "foreclosure machine." "Mr. Mnuchin's business record tells us he was directly engaged in the predatory practices that led to our financial recession and destroyed the life savings of countless American working families. He's the wrong man to be America's Treasu… Continue Reading
02.13.17
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $2.5 Million For Head Start In Champaign County
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families has awarded Champaign County $2,570,465 to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs."The Head Start program is the source of countless success stories in Illinois and around the country-it's a stepping stone children need to succeed from elementary school to college and beyond," said Durbin. "Today's fun… Continue Reading
02.13.17
Durbin Demands Trump Administration Restore Animal Cruelty, Puppy Mill Records On USDA Website
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined a group of 18 Democratic Senators in calling on the Trump Administration to immediately restore animal cruelty information recently purged from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website. APHIS makes inspection reports for all regulated entities and annual reports submitted by research laboratories available to the public in order to create greater transparency, accoun… Continue Reading
02.10.17
Durbin, Duckworth To Trump: Stop Tweeting About Chicago And Get Serious About Gun Violence
WASHINGTON-Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth today called on President Trump to do more than just tweet about the gun violence epidemic in Chicago, and join them in providing a surge in federal support and resources to assist in public safety, law enforcement, and economic development efforts in the city. "Tweeting does not break cycles of violence; tweeting does not help lift people out of poverty; tweeting does not save lives. We urge you instead to provide a surge in federal s… Continue Reading
02.10.17
Durbin Calls On Trump Administration To Release Transcripts Of Flynn’s Secret Conversations With Russia
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: Revelations that White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn secretly discussed U.S. sanctions with the Russian Ambassador one month before President Trump took office are a chilling new piece of the sinister puzzle of the President's dealings with a hostile foreign power. These allegations warrant a serious and thorough investigation by an independent commission to determine their veracity and wh… Continue Reading
02.10.17
Durbin Hears from Southern Illinois Healthcare Leaders on Local Impact of Repealing Affordable Care Act
CARBONDALE - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Southern Illinois healthcare leaders regarding the local impact of congressional Republicans' plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Last month, Republican leaders took the first step in repealing the law by approving a budget that allows for major provisions of the ACA to be eliminated by simple majority vote. On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order giving federal agencies broad authority to undo r… Continue Reading
02.09.17
Durbin Calls For Congressional Hearings On Trump Immigration And Refugee Bans
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, is calling for hearings on President Donald Trump's executive orders cracking down on immigrant communities and banning all refugees, immigrants, and visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries. "These executive orders, which have dramatic implications for our immigration system, are inconsistent with America's heritage as a nation of immigrants and a safe haven for t… Continue Reading
02.09.17
Durbin Statement On Reports Of Conflict Minerals Executive Order
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after reports that the Trump Administration is considering an executive order rolling back a rule requiring companies registered in the United States to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) what they are doing to mitigate sourcing from conflict mines in and around the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "This law was passed to help save the lives of the children, women, and men who were being sl… Continue Reading
02.09.17
Durbin, Duckworth Join Call For Review Of Cost And Impact Of Trump’s Harmful Travel Ban, Mass Deporation Scheme, And Border Wall
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined a group of senators calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the actions and costs associated with President Donald Trump's recent executive orders to establish a mass deportation force, construct a wall on the Southern border, and ban refugees and immigrants from certain Muslim-majority nations."Each of these executive orders will likely require significant new action on the part of the … Continue Reading
02.09.17
Durbin To Oppose HHS Nominee Rep. Price
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced on the Senate floor that he will oppose President Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Representative Tom Price (R-GA). Senator Durbin stressed that on issue after issue-from Congressman Price's support for privatizing Medicare, to his attempts to slash funding for the Medicaid program, to his long-standing goal of repealing of the Affordable Care Act, to his misguided efforts to restrict wome… Continue Reading
02.09.17
Durbin Statement On Unanimous Ruling Freezing Trump Travel Ban
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision suspending the Trump Administration's travel ban on refugees and targeting travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries: This unanimous decision by the Ninth Circuit continues to block the Executive Order of President Trump restricting the travel of immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The Court explicitly remin… Continue Reading
02.08.17
Durbin Opposes Ag Nominee Sen. Sessions
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting against President Trump's nominee for U.S. Attorney General. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 52-47-1. On issue after issue, Senator Sessions has said that, as Attorney General, he would simply "follow the law." But it is also the duty of our nation's chief law enforcement officer to use his discretion to choose when to enforce the law and when to stand up to the Presiden… Continue Reading
02.08.17
Durbin, Duckworth Demand Answers About Outrageous Price Hike For Lifesaving Anti-Opioid Drug
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) are among a group of 31 Senators that are demanding answers from a leading pharmaceutical company about the dramatic price hike for a life-saving medication used to respond to opioid overdoses. Recent reports unveiled that drug maker Kaléo Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures an easy-to-use injector device containing the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, raised its price from $690 in 2014, to $4,500 currently. While … Continue Reading
02.08.17
Durbin: Sen. Sessions’ Record On Voting Rights Should Not Be Whitewashed
WASHINGTON-Following Senate Republicans' move to silence the words of the late Coretta Scott King in the Senate chamber last night, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today underscored the importance of reviewing the civil rights record of President Donald Trump's Attorney General nominee in the context of recent state efforts aimed at making it more difficult for minority communities to vote. Durbin also noted that Republicans delayed the confirmation of Loretta Lynch, a long-time Justice Department pros… Continue Reading
02.08.17
Senators Meet With Baltic And Polish Ambassadors To Discuss Russian Aggression In The Region
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) met today with Lithuanian Ambassador to the U.S. Rolandas Kriš?i?nas, Latvian Ambassador to the U.S. Andris Teikmanis, Estonian Ambassador to the U.S. Eerik Marmei, and Polish Ambassador to the U.S. Piotr Wilczek, to discuss Russian aggression in the region, the importance of maintaining transatlantic unity, and support for NATO and continued … Continue Reading
02.08.17
Durbin Joins Group Of 27 Senators To Reintroduce Family Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and 25 other senators to reintroduce the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, or FAMILY Act, legislation that would create a universal, gender-neutral paid family and medical leave program. "Your bank account balance should not determine your ability to care for a loved one when illness strikes. Yet for millions of Americans, caring for an elderly parent or sick child means losing a day's wages, or wor… Continue Reading