Press Releases
Durbin Reintroduces Bill To End Student Loan Debt Crisis
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), and a group of 42 members of Congress, reintroduced the Debt-Free College Act, legislation that will reverse the growing student debt crisis in the United States. The bill restores a path to affordable college by providing states incentives through matching grants to increase investments in public higher education and provide students with debt-free college. … Continue Reading
March 06, 2019
Durbin Questions CBP Commissioner On Trump Administration's Failing Border Security Policies
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, today questioned U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan on the Trump Administration's failing border security policies. In today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Durbin pressed Commissioner McAleenan on the Trump Administration's unilateral - and in some cases illegal - measures that are destabilizing Central America and driving more … Continue Reading
March 06, 2019
Durbin: Senate Must Reject President Trump's Emergency Declaration
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today urged his Senate colleagues to reject President Donald Trump's legally dubious emergency declaration in order to fulfill his campaign promise of building a wall at the southern border. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin explained how President Trump is taking money from military readiness-construction projects, training, equipment that our military needs-in order … Continue Reading
March 06, 2019
Durbin Submits Testimony To House Judiciary Committee Hearings On Dreamers & TPS Recipients
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), the longtime lead sponsor of the Dream Act and Ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, today submitted testimony to the House Judiciary Committee hearing on protecting Dreamers and TPS recipients. Nineteen years ago, Durbin introduced the original Dream Act to give young immigrants who grew up in this country a path to citizenship. In April 2010, he became the first member of Congress to call for the … Continue Reading
March 06, 2019
Durbin Meets With Metra CEO
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Metra CEO Jim Derwinski and members of Metra's Board of Directors to discuss transportation priorities in Illinois, including last week's Amtrak computer system failure at Chicago Union Station that resulted in 12 hours of delay impacting 100,000 Metra and Amtrak passengers. Durbin also discussed increased funding for Metra operations, the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) safety technology, and service issues on Metra's … Continue Reading
March 06, 2019
Following FDA Warning, Durbin Meets With Walgreens To Urge Pharmacy To Stop Selling Tobacco Products
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Walgreens Co-Chief Operating Officer Alex Gourlay to discuss tobacco sales to minors at their stores, and urge Walgreens to stop selling tobacco products. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that some of our nation's largest health pharmacies have been illegally selling tobacco products to minors. Walgreens was the top violator among pharmacies that sell tobacco products, with 22 percent of Walgreens stores … Continue Reading
March 06, 2019
Durbin Meets With Open Textbook Pilot Grantees And Students
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Open Textbook Pilot grant recipients, open textbook experts, and college students to get an update on how federal funds are helping students save money. Over the last two fiscal years, Durbin, along with Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Tina Smith (D-MN), successfully secured $10 million in federal funding to create an Open Textbook Pilot program at the Department of Education. The Pilot is a competitive grant program for institutions … Continue Reading
March 05, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Press Trump Administration To Release New Bridge Repair Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today urged the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to immediately release $475 million in new federal funding for risk-based bridge repair and replacement that they secured in the recently passed Fiscal Year 2019 appropriations bill. Illinois currently has the third largest bridge inventory in the country. Of the 26,775 bridges in Illinois, 2,303 bridges, or 8.6 percent, are classified as structurally … Continue Reading
March 05, 2019
Durbin Meets With Open Textbook Pilot Grantees And Students
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Open Textbook Pilot grant recipients, open textbook experts, and college students to get an update on how federal funds are helping students save money. Over the last two fiscal years, Durbin, along with Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Tina Smith (D-MN), successfully secured $10 million in federal funding to create an Open Textbook Pilot program at the Department of Education. The Pilot is a competitive grant program for institutions … Continue Reading
March 05, 2019
Durbin: Judicial Nominations Process Is Breaking Down Under Republican Majority
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called out his Senate Republican colleagues for the breakdown in the judicial nominations process under the their majority. This week, the Senate is considering three more highly controversial judicial nominees, including Chad Readler, who filed the Trump Administration's brief in the Texas. v. U.S. case where he opposed the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) pre-existing coverage requirement. Mr. Readler's brief argued that this … Continue Reading
March 05, 2019
Durbin On Eli Lilly Insulin Pricing Scheme: I Won't Be Sending Any Flowers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today on the Senate floor slammed Eli Lilly - a pharmaceutical company that manufactures insulin - following an announcement that it would be selling a less expensive, "generic" version of its rapid-acting insulin, Humalog. Humalog was introduced in 1996 and cost $21, but today that same vial now can cost as much as $329. Eli Lilly announced it would lower the price to $140 in the United States for some patients, while in Canada a patient can still … Continue Reading
March 05, 2019
Durbin, Murkowski, Degette, Raskin Introduce Bill To Restrict Kid-Friendly Flavors In E-Cigarettes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO-01) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to crack down on kid-friendly flavorings in highly-addictive e-cigarettes and cigars. The Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids (SAFE Kids) Act will place strong restrictions on e-cigarette flavorings and ban cigar flavorings altogether. "Ask any teacher, parent, or public … Continue Reading
March 04, 2019
Durbin Statement On Announcement By Eli Lilly To Sell Lower Cost, Generic Insulin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Eli Lilly announced it would be selling a less expensive, generic version of its rapid-acting insulin, Humalog. Humalog was introduced in 1996 and cost $21, but today that same vial now costs $329. "Humalog can cost as little as $38 in Canada and yet Americans are charged up to $329. Now Eli Lilly is lowering the price in the U.S. for selected customers to $140. Charging Americans four … Continue Reading
March 04, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth, Foster, Lipinski, Schneider, Casten Press ATSDR For Updated Health Report For Willowbrook
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), and Sean Casten (D-IL-06) today requested that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) conduct another site-specific Health Consultation for Willowbrook, Illinois, based on the most recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ethylene oxide (EtO) ambient air measurements from November 2018 - … Continue Reading
March 01, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Call On Amtrak To Make Changes To Prevent Another Equipment Failure At Union Station
WASHINGTON-Following yesterday's Amtrak computer system failure at Chicago Union Station, which lasted more than 12 hours, caused significant delays and overcrowding, and impacted both morning and evening commutes, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter to Amtrak CEO and President Richard Anderson asking for swift policy and operational changes to prevent future equipment failures. Today, Anderson admitted that Amtrak made a series of errors, including … Continue Reading
March 01, 2019
Durbin Statement On Amtrak Computer System Failure At Union Station
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after he spoke to Amtrak CEO and President Richard Anderson about yesterday's Amtrak computer system failure at Chicago Union Station, which lasted more than 12 hours, caused significant delays and overcrowding, and impacted both morning and evening commutes: I talked to Mr. Anderson this morning and in blunt terms, asked him what happened in Chicago yesterday? Why did thousands of commuters see their service … Continue Reading
March 01, 2019
Durbin, Cramer, Cassidy, Smith To FDA: Price Of Insulin Is Unacceptable
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), and Tina Smith (D-MN) today urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to speed up approvals of lower-cost, generic insulin products in order to help lower costs of the life-saving drug for 7.5 million Americans with diabetes who rely on insulin to survive. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, the Senators called for the agency to amend recently issued guidance that poses unreasonable … Continue Reading
February 28, 2019
Senate Passes & House Introduces Bicameral Resolution Honoring Victims & Injured Police Officers Of Aurora Shooting
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) honoring the victims and injured police officers of this month's shooting at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, Illinois, in which a gunman killed Russell Beyer, Vicente Juarez, Clayton "Clay" Parks, Josh Pinkard, and Trevor Wehner, and injured Aurora Police Officers Adam Miller, Marco Gomez, John Cebulski, James Zegar, Reynaldo Rivera, and Diego Avila. U.S. … Continue Reading
February 28, 2019
Durbin, Waters Re-Introduce Bill To Give Students Defrauded By For-Profit Colleges Their Day In Court
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) have reintroduced bicameral 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 … Continue Reading
February 28, 2019
Durbin, Cassidy Introduce Legislation To Support Leading Rehab Facilities
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today introduced bipartisan legislation to support rehabilitation facilities that lead the nation in medical research. The Preserving Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act recognizes the unique role that a leading class of rehabilitation facilities play in our health care system, by driving innovative research for the entire field, providing medical training to students, and serving the highest need patients across the … Continue Reading