Durbin Statement on President Trump's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump submitted his fiscal year 2018 budget request to Congress: "In the America of President Trump's budget, children, working families, seniors, and people with disabilities will be 'fined,' while the wealthiest Americans will get a 'bonus.' What's so 'great' about that America?"… Continue Reading

Senators to Trump Admin: Cutting Off Funding for Public Transit Projects Threatens Jobs & Stifles Economy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Tom Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on DOJ to Provide Increased Support for Gun Violence Prevention Initiatives in Chicago

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session asking for prompt U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) support on a number of gun violence prevention initiatives as we head into the summer months when shootings typically increase. Durbin is asking DOJ to expand the ability for Chicago-area law enforcement to use resources that can significantly reduce gun violence, including the operation of Strategic Decision Support Centers (SDSCs) and improved a… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Appointment of Special Counsel to Investigate Russian Connection

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: This is a critical step and I'm glad Mr. Rosenstein took it. The past 48 hours have shown the lengths that the President and his Administration will go to hinder and halt this investigation, so I will withhold judgment pending its progress. The eyes of the nation are on Mr. Mueller and his team. The special counsel will examine and prosecute any crimes that may have been committed, but this will not s… Continue Reading

Senators Call for Answers on Stalled Student Debt Relief

WASHINGTON - Following reports that the Trump Administration has stopped granting relief to student loan borrowers defrauded by for-profit colleges, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) demanded answers regarding the delay of payment on tens of thousands of student loan discharges and refunds approved under the "borrower defense" authority. On January 13th, the U.S. Department of Education announced that i… Continue Reading

Durbin, Portman, Brown, Capito, King, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to Substance Abuse Treatment Under Medicaid

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Angus King (I-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced the Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion (Medicaid CARE) Act, which would expand access to substance abuse treatment for tens of thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries across the country. The Medicaid CARE Act would increase addiction treatment services to help combat the heroin and prescription opioid epide… Continue Reading

Durbin: Under Trumpcare - Medicaid Decimated, Children's Health Care Threatened, and Big Tax Breaks for the Wealthy

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today admonished House Republicans for slashing Medicaid funding for families, women, seniors, rural communities, and children in their plan to repeal health care. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) gave states the option to expand Medicaid to millions more Americans - 32 states participate in the expansion, including Illinois. As a result, 11 million people nationwide - and 650,000 people in Illinois - are newly enrolled… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $250,000 in Federal Funding for Firefighter Resources

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded a total of $281,167 to Forest Park Fire Department, Mattoon Fire Department, Oak Park Fire Department, and Wauconda Fire District through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. Each department awarded will use the funds for operations and safety including professional training, wellness and fitness programs equipment, personal protective eq… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $150,000 in Federal Funding for Firefighter Resources in Villa Park

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded a total of $ 159,091 to the Villa Park Fire Department through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The funding will be used for operations and safety including professional training, wellness and fitness programs equipment, personal protective equipment, modifications to facilities, and supplies that support firefighting and non-affiliat… Continue Reading

Durbin: Rosenstein Must Appoint Special Prosecutor or Resign

DECATUR-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: In an interview with NBC News, President Trump admitted to firing FBI Director James Comey because of his investigation of the Trump campaign's Russian connections-that is dangerously close to obstruction of justice. This morning, the President tweeted a thinly veiled threat to Mr. Comey, which could be construed as threatening a witness in this investigation, which is another violation of federal law. To… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on AG Sessions Move to Force Needlessly Harsh Prison Sentences for Nonviolent Drug Offenses

CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on a new Justice Department policy that rescinds the Smart on Crime Initiative, which directed federal prosecutors to reserve stiff mandatory minimum sentences for individuals convicted of the most serious offenses, and instead requires prosecutors to seek the longest possible sentence even for low-level nonviolent offenses: This policy shift flies in the face of the growing bipartisan consensus that we need… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Central Illinois Impact of GOP Health Care Repeal Bill

DECATUR - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Central Illinois health care leaders regarding the local impact of Congressional Republicans' efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Last week, House Republicans passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which would repeal health care for millions of Americans, including one million in Illinois. The bill, which every Illinois Republican House Member voted for, would once again jeopardize coverage for people with pre-existing co… Continue Reading

Durbin on Trump Voter Fraud Order: We Need an Independent, Nonpartisan Investigation into the 2016 Election

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after reports that President Donald Trump has signed an executive order launching a commission to review voter integrity in the U.S. election system. "Just two days after the ouster of former-FBI Director James Comey and amid growing scrutiny and questions into the Trump campaign's connection with Russia, President Trump is trying to divert attention from the ongoing FBI investigation by returning t… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Are All One Diagnosis Away from Needing Quality, Affordable Health Care

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today denounced House Republicans for turning their backs on Americans with pre-existing conditions in their plan to repeal health care. Under Trumpcare, insurance companies would once again be allowed to impose pre-existing condition penalties on people if a state receives a "waiver", even though Republicans continue to deny this simple fact. "It was just a little over a week ago when I became a statistic, not jus… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on Trump to Respond to Russian Cyberattacks on French Election—and Ours

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Trump Administration to respond to reports of Russian cyberattacks on the French presidential election. In letters to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and FBI Director James Comey, Durbin called for a detailed accounting of the Administration's assessment and planned response to the attack on America's oldest ally. "The recen… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Removal of FBI Director James Comey

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced that FBI Director James Comey had been terminated. The news comes as the Trump Administration faces growing scrutiny over possible ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. "The termination and removal of James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation raises the critical question as to whether the FBI investigation of Russian in… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois Hospital Groups on Impact of GOP Health Care Repeal Bill

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met today with hospital administrators from across Illinois, from Southern Illinois to Chicago. Their conclusion is that the Republican health care repeal bill passed last week by the House of Representatives threatens health insurance coverage for an estimated one million Illinoisans, weakens protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and endangers the services offered by Illinois hospitals and an estimated 60,000 jobs. "Hospitals across our… Continue Reading

Durbin: What are we waiting for to respond to Russian cyberattack on 2016 election?

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed the Trump Administration for its evasion and obstruction of investigations of possible links between members of the President's inner circle and the Russian government. Durbin again criticized the Administration for putting America's national security at risk by keeping Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor for eighteen days after learning he had lied about his communications with the Russians. Recalling comments made … Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Yates and Clapper about Trump's Connection to Russia

WASHINGTON - During a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) questioned former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper about Russia's cyber act of war against the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Durbin asked Yates about the extent of the Trump Administration's knowledge of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn's communications with Russia, noting that Flynn continue… Continue Reading

Durbin, Feinstein Statement on Drastic, Unilateral Changes to Private Bills

WASHINGTON - Senate Immigration Subcommittee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) issued the following statement in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's decision to discontinue a decades-long bipartisan policy of issuing stays of removal for private immigration bills when the Chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee requests a report on a beneficiary's case. "Children's and families' lives are on the line. Priv… Continue Reading