Press Releases

January 18, 2018

Durbin, Duckworth To Rauner: Where's Your Plan For IVH Quincy

WASHINGTON - Following Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner's press conference on January 10, 2018, where he stated that his new goal for the Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) Quincy was to reach "zero instances of Legionella infection," U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed Gov. Rauner for a copy of his Administration's plan of action to reach his stated goal. "This goal, and the need for a detailed plan of action, is critical and long overdue given the multiple … Continue Reading


January 16, 2018

Durbin Presses DHS Secretary On Bipartisan Immigration Deal, President's Remarks, At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on the future of the Dream Act and her recollection of the January 11th meeting on immigration at the White House at an oversight hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee. "Madame Secretary, I hope you remember me. We were together at two meetings last week. I'd like to ask you about one of those meetings. It occurred about noon on January the 11th. … Continue Reading


January 12, 2018

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Screening Committee Application Process For Federal District Court In The Northern District Of Illinois

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that they will begin accepting applications from those interested in serving as a Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois. The Senators will be assisted by a screening committee whose task is to review and vet District Court candidates and advise the Senators regarding the candidates' qualifications and fitness for the position. The Senators' screening committee in the Northern … Continue Reading


January 12, 2018

Durbin Statement On Trump Remarks, Bipartisan Immigration Deal

CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on his Thursday meeting at the White House to discuss the bipartisan immigration deal with President Trump: In the course of his comments, President Trump said things that were hate-filled, vile, and racist. He used those words, and he used them repeatedly. I cannot believe that in the history of the White House, in that Oval Office, any president has ever spoken the words that I personally heard our … Continue Reading


January 10, 2018

Durbin Statement On Gov. Rauner's Comments At Illinois Veterans' Home Quincy, Illinois General Assembly Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Governor Bruce Rauner concluded his stay at the Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) Quincy and the Illinois General Assembly held a joint legislative hearing to examine the ongoing legionellosis outbreaks at IVH Quincy and the State's response: "While IVH Quincy is owned, operated, and managed by the State of Illinois, I've supported IVH Quincy through my role in the federal government and will continue to do … Continue Reading


January 10, 2018

Durbin, Senators Press Education Department's FSA Chief For Details On Student Loan Disbursement Prepaid Card Pilot Program

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) pressed Dr. Wayne Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), for additional information on a proposed pilot program that would disburse student financial aid through a prepaid card product. In a letter to Dr. Johnson, the lawmakers expressed that if FSA proceeds with a pilot program, it will … Continue Reading


January 09, 2018

Durbin Statement On Bipartisan Immigration Meeting At White House

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: The President and every member of Congress in that room agreed on the urgent need to fix this DACA crisis now. Republicans laid out their four priorities, and Democrats laid out ours: the Dream Act. The next step is for bipartisan negotiators, who have already been working for months, to immediately reach an agreement that can pass both chambers and be signed into law by January … Continue Reading


January 08, 2018

Lawmakers File Amicus Brief Against Sessions' Efforts To Block Byrne-JAG Funds From American Cities

WASHINGTON-Twelve members of the United States Senate and 33 members of the United States House filed a Congressional amicus brief in the appeal of the case City of Chicago v. Sessions, which is the lawsuit that the City of Chicago brought in August seeking a preliminary injunction to stop Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from blocking critical violence prevention funds from American cities in order to boost the Trump Administration's extreme immigration … Continue Reading


January 05, 2018

Durbin Statement On New White House Immigration Proposal

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the Trump Administration's immigration policy demands presented to Senate negotiators this afternoon. The White House released the same list of demands in October of 2017. Today, they demanded an additional $18 billion in funding for the construction of a border wall. "President Trump has said he may need a good government shutdown to get his wall. With this demand, he seems to be heading in that … Continue Reading


January 05, 2018

Durbin Visits Illinois Veterans' Home at Quincy

QUINCY - In the midst of growing concerns about Legionnaires' disease at Illinois veterans' homes, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today visited Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) at Quincy to meet with leadership and tour the facility. Durbin called for improved transparency from Governor Rauner and his Administration in disclosing all new cases of Legionnaires' disease and has urged the state to comply with all recommendations from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent future … Continue Reading


January 05, 2018

Durbin, Duckworth Urge DOJ And FCC To Closely Scrutinize Proposed Sinclair-Tribune Merger

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and seven other senators in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to closely scrutinize media mergers that fall within their jurisdictions, particularly, the proposed Sinclair Broadcasting-Tribune Media merger. A combined Sinclair-Tribune would own 233 television stations and reach 72 percent of American households, … Continue Reading


January 03, 2018

Durbin: The Clock Is Ticking On Dreamers

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor today to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act now. More than 14,500 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status at a rate of roughly 1,000 each week. Beginning early this year, 1,000 additional young people will lose their protection from deportation each day. "I plead with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in this closely divided Senate before January 19 to … Continue Reading


December 21, 2017

Durbin Statement On Government Funding and the Dream Act

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: I did not support this government funding measure because it did not include the Dream Act. Since President Trump abolished DACA three months ago, more than 13,000 Dreamers have lost that protection-at a rate of 1,000 each week. This isn't just about the Dream Act for these young people-we are fighting for the American … Continue Reading


December 21, 2017

Durbin: This Isn't Just About The Dream Act - It's About The American Dream

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor today to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act now. More than 13,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status at a rate of roughly 1,000 each week. Beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose their protection from deportation each day. "In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was so frustrated with General McClellan-he wouldn't … Continue Reading


December 21, 2017

Durbin Speaks With CDC Director About Deadly Situation At Quincy Veterans' Home

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald about the Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) Quincy and the continued outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease, which have taken the lives of 13 veterans and residents over the past three years. During today's call, Dr. Fitzgerald noted that CDC staff visited IVH Quincy in early December and took samples. The laboratory results from those tests will be completed … Continue Reading


December 21, 2017

Durbin, Duckworth Press Metra, Amtrak, Freight Rail for Update on Positive Train Control Safety Technology

WASHINGTON-Following the tragic Amtrak derailment in Washington this week that left at least three people dead and about 100 others injured, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed Metra, Amtrak, and the American Association of Railroads (AAR) to provide the Illinois Delegation with an update on their ongoing efforts to implement positive train control (PTC) safety technology in Illinois by the December 31, 2018 statutory deadline. PTC is a federally mandated … Continue Reading


December 21, 2017

Illinois Congressional Delegation Urges CMS To Approve Illinois's 1115 Medicaid Waiver

WASHINGTON - The Illinois Congressional Delegation today pressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma to promptly approve Illinois's Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver. Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waivers provide states an avenue to test new approaches in Medicaid, and Illinois's waiver would help provide more tools to address mental illness and combat the opioid epidemic. Illinois's waiver application has been stuck at CMS review for … Continue Reading


December 20, 2017

Durbin Statement on DeVos Decision to Slash Student Loan Relief For Defrauded Students

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary Betsy DeVos announced a new discharge process for borrower defense to repayment (BDR) claims that will lead to only partial debt relief for students who have been defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges and universities. Under the Obama Administration, complete student loan forgiveness was granted. "So let me get this straight: Secretary DeVos … Continue Reading


December 20, 2017

Durbin: Is This The Last Chrismas In America For Hundreds Of Thousands Of Young Dreamers?

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor today to call on Congressional Republicans to pass the bipartisan Dream Act now. More than 12,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status at a rate of roughly 1,000 each week. Beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose their protection from deportation each day. "Yesterday, one of my Republican colleagues looked me in the eye and said 'we're talking about amnesty. These are … Continue Reading


December 19, 2017

Durbin Continues to press Republican Congress to pass the Dream Act Now

WASHINGTON-More than three months after the Trump Administration ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act now. More than 12,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status at a rate of roughly 1,000 each week. Beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose their protection from deportation each … Continue Reading

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