Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $600,000 in Federal Funding for Firefighter Training and Resources

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded $628,017 to Brown County Ambulance Service and the State Fire Training Academy at the University of Illinois through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. This program is administered by the DHS's Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day … Continue Reading

Durbin Enlists High School Principals, Counselors, Teachers to Sound the Alarm on For-Profit Colleges

CHICAGO - With high school seniors making decisions about their educational futures, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is enlisting the help of Illinois high school principals, counselors, and teachers to warn college-bound students and their families about the risks of enrolling in a for-profit college. In a letter, Durbin calls on educators to give students "honest and accurate information" to counter the barrage of flashy, often deceptive marketing from for-profits. "Students who attend for-pr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Illinois Delegation Urge FEMA to Make Disaster Deductible Concept Fair to States and Localities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led the Illinois congressional delegation in a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) expressing concern over the impact FEMA's Public Assistance deductible concept will have on states' ability to receive federal assistance after a disaster occurs. FEMA's Public Assistance deductible would require states to meet a predetermined, annual expenditure of state emergency management funds or disaster recovery costs to qualify for FE… Continue Reading

Senators Call on Deputy Attorney General Nominee to Address Recent DOJ Criminal Justice and Police Reform Developments

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) called on Deputy Attorney General nominee Rod Rosenstein - who, if confirmed, would oversee the Department of Justice's criminal justice and police reform efforts - to explain how he would respond after Attorney General Jeff Sessions signaled a reversal of those efforts. In a letter to Rosenstein, the senators asked if he was consulted on… Continue Reading

Durbin, Schatz, Hassan, Schumer Press United Airlines for Answers Following the Forcible Removal of a Passenger

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are pressing United Airlines for answers following the forcible removal of a ticketed passenger on Flight 3411 from Chicago, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky. "Consumer trust and confidence are critical to ensure this industry continues to thrive, and we hope United Airlines will work diligently to immediately address this incident and make necessary improvements to ensure it does … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Great Lakes Senators Urge Trump Administration to Release Army Corps Brandon Road Study to Stop Spread of Asian Carp

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in calling on the Trump Administration to release a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study that recommends specific measures to prevent Asian Carp from reaching beyond the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, a crucial chokepoint in the Chicago waterway system. The study, which is critical to stopping the flow of Asian Carp and other invasive species, was set to be released at the end of February but… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement on HUD Plans to Offer Vouchers to Residents of Distressed Public Housing in Cairo

CHICAGO-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it would make housing vouchers available to residents of the Elmwood and McBride housing complexes located in Cairo, Illinois. HUD will also offer relocation counseling to the 183 affected households, helping relocate them to available nearby public housing or public housing anywhere in the United States. "After years of misma… Continue Reading

Durbin Sounds Alarm Over Potential Russian Takeover of U.S. Energy Infrastructure

NEW YORK - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a bipartisan letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressing serious national security concerns over the potential takeover by Russia's state-controlled oil company of critical U.S. energy infrastructure that could put Vladimir Putin and his associates in position to influence American gas prices and oil refinery production. The lett… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Call for EPA Chief to Address Likely Conflicts of Interest Regarding Clean Power Plan

NEW YORK - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined his colleagues in calling for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to address the apparent conflict of interest regarding his participation in EPA's review of the Clean Power Plan, which Mr. Pruitt formerly challenged in court as Oklahoma's Attorney General. Durbin, along with Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), E… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cassidy, Burgess, Cummings Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation To Improve Accountability Of Foreign Medical Schools Receiving Federal Student Aid

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) joined U.S. Representatives Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) to reintroduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would protect students and taxpayers by closing a loophole that gives special treatment to a small number of overseas medical schools. The Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act would require all medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada to meet the same minimum requirements to r… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on U.S. Missile Strikes in Syria

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: My preliminary briefing by the White House indicated that this was a measured response to the Syrian nerve gas atrocity. Any further action will require close scrutiny by Congress, and any escalation beyond airstrikes or missile strikes will require engaging the American people in that decision.… Continue Reading

Durbin: Trump Nominee Will Enter Supreme Court with an Asterisk

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell changed Senate rules to allow Supreme Court nominations to advance on a simple majority vote. For decades, Senate rules have required 60 votes to end debate on a Supreme Court nomination, helping to ensure some measure of bipartisan support and prevent confirmation of justices with extremist views. Earlier today, President Donald Trump's nominee for the Supreme … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Failure of Trump Supreme Court Pick to Earn 60 Votes

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after President Donald Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, failed to garner the 60 votes required to advance: Every Supreme Court nominee in the past quarter-century showed they could exceed the 60 vote threshold in the Senate. Senator McConnell is now poised to abolish this longstanding Senate rule to achieve his partisan goal. He will wear the mantle of responsibility for this his… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Merkley in Protest Against Gorsuch Nomination on the Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - Before sunrise, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined his colleague Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) on the Senate floor to discuss their opposition to President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch. Senators Durbin and Merkley slammed Senate Republicans' unprecedented obstruction of President Obama's Supreme Court nominee last year as well as the Republican Senate Majority Leader's rush to limit debate on Judge Gorsuch's nomination. Senator Merkley held the Senate … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: Images of the victims of Assad's latest chemical weapons attack-including women and children-are a horrific reminder that the six-year conflict in Syria is the humanitarian crisis of our time. History will judge how America responded, and so far, our response has been insufficient-failing to create humanitarian safe zones, shutting the door on Syrian refugees, and now this White House is cozying up to A… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Demand Trump Administration Release Secret Plan to Undermine Health Care System That Was Presented to House Freedom Caucus

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined 20 U.S. Senators in a letter to Tom Price, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling on the Trump Administration to release a secret plan that was presented to the House Freedom Caucus. In a bid to win the far right group's support, reports indicate that the Administration identified specific Affordable Care Act (ACA) rules that the Administration would gut in exchange for the Freedom Caucus' support. With Pr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos, McKinley Press Attorney General Sessions to Fully Exempt Bureau of Prisons from Hiring Freeze

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL) and David McKinley (R-WV) today urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to immediately and fully exempt the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) from the federal hiring freeze ordered by President Donald Trump on January 23, 2017. In a bipartisan letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the lawmakers stressed that the security of our nation's prisons and the safety of our communities are at stake as long as the hir… Continue Reading

Durbin: Trump's Proposed Budget Would Eliminate After-School Programs for Thousands of Chicago Kids

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited a Chicago elementary school that would lose funding under President Trump's proposed budget cuts to after-school programs. Chicago Public Schools' (CPS) after-school programs depend on federal funding from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, which is the only federal funding source dedicated to after-school enrichment at low-income schools. President Trump's budget proposes to eliminate the 21st CCLC program, i… Continue Reading

Durbin: Nunes Must Withdraw From Investigation of Trump's Russian Connection

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: Devin Nunes should have the decency to withdraw as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee investigation of President Trump's Russian connections. Paul Ryan, as Speaker, should have the strength to remove him if he doesn't. Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) was named to the Executive Committee of President Trump's Transition Team on November 11th, 2016.… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with CTA and CDOT to Discuss President Trump's Budget

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval Carter and Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Managing Deputy Commissioner Kevin O'Malley to discuss President Donald Trump's proposed budget cuts and the devastating impact they could have on transportation infrastructure projects around Chicago. They also discussed progress on the Red and Purple Modernization Program, CREATE's 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, updates … Continue Reading