Durbin, Cortez Masto Introduce Legislation to Allow Dreamers to Work in Congress

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) this week introduced the American Dream Employment Act, legislation to rescind the current prohibition on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients working or participating in paid internships in Congress. "I have met hundreds of Dreamers who are giving back to their communities as teachers, nurses, engi… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights His Efforts to Bring Fairness, Transparency, and Competition to Credit & Debit Card Swipe Fees

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Protection hearing titled, "Competition Policy for the Twenty-First Century: The Case for Antitrust Reform." During his statement, Durbin discussed his longstanding efforts to bring fairness, transparency and competition to credit and debit card interchange, or swipe, fees. The 201… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Climate Solutions at Agriculture Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today participated in a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing titled: "Farmers and Foresters: Opportunities to Lead in Tackling Climate Change." During the hearing, Durbin shared his interest in learning more about how the agriculture community is working to reduce carbon emissions and how that can be integrated with federal policies. Durbin also introduced John Reifsteck, CEO of GROWMARK in Bloomington, Illinois,… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois Baltic Groups

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Illinoisans from the Illinois Lithuanian-American Community and the American Latvian Association during their Baltic Advocacy Week. Durbin and the group discussed the importance of Baltic security in the face of Russian aggression and influence, as well as human rights in the region. "Baltic roots run deep in Illinois, including in my own family. Three decades after these brave nations broke free from the Soviets… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams Dark Money Influence in Federal Courts & Voting Rights

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during a Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights hearing titled, "What's Wrong with the Supreme Court: The Big-Money Assault on Our Judiciary." During his statement, Durbin expressed support for exposing and addressing the special-interest, dark money influence over the federal courts, elections, and voting rights. Durb… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues to Introduce Bill to Improve and Maintain Public Health Infrastructure

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 14 Democratic Senate colleagues to introduce the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA). The legislation would establish a new core public health infrastructure program, which ramps up to $4.5 billion in annual funding to bolster the nation's efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthen its ability to respond to other public heal… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $5 Million for Housing and Homeless Assistance in Northwest Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Northwest Illinois communities will receive a total of $5.7 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for affordable housing and homelessness programs. "Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home," Durbin said. "These federal programs are critically important to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity throughout Northwest Illinois, … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $11 Million for Housing and Homeless Assistance in Central Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Central Illinois communities will receive a total of $11.7 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for affordable housing and homelessness programs. "Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home," Durbin said. "These federal programs are critically important to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity throughout Central Illinois, esp… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $8 Million for Housing and Homeless Assistance in the Metro East

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Metro East communities will receive a total of $8.5 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for affordable housing and homelessness programs. "Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home," Durbin said. "These federal programs are critically important to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity throughout the Metro East, especially a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $168 Million for Housing and Homeless Assistance in the Chicagoland Area

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Chicagoland communities will receive a total of $168.8 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for affordable housing and homelessness programs. "Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home," Durbin said. "These federal programs are critically important to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity throughout Chicagoland, especially a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Baldwin, Smith, Bustos Introduce Bill to Address Teaching Disparities in Low-Income Communities of Color

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Tina Smith (D-MN), along with U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today introduced a bicameral bill that would address severe nationwide shortages of early childhood and K-12 teachers that disproportionately impacts students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. Exacerbated by low pay, school leadership instability, and poor teaching conditions, schools in low-income communities… Continue Reading

Durbin to Republicans: Stop Lamenting & Start Working with Democrats to Fix our Broken Immigration System

WASHINGTON - As the Biden Administration seeks to address the backlog of migrant children seeking refuge at the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Republican colleagues to work with Democrats to fix our broken immigration system. Durbin called out his colleagues on the other side of the aisle for lamenting the situation on the Senate floor, but refusing to roll up their sleeves and work with Democrats to… Continue Reading

On Bipartisan Basis, Senate Confirms Nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate confirmed the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. Attorney General by a bipartisan vote of 70-30: "Merrick Garland is determined to write a new chapter of public service in his life - and the Senate has finally given him that opportunity. He is the right person for this moment in history to lead the Department of Justice… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Bill to Invest in a Clean Climate Future and Spur Job Creation

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced the introduction of America's Clean Future Fund Act, a bill that would spur job creation by investing in a clean energy economy. The bill would achieve critical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, facilitate a fair transition for workers from declining energy sectors, and renew America's commitment to remain a world leader in technology, innovation, and a sustainable future. The bill also would provide $50 billion in … Continue Reading

Following Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Durbin Calls on Congress to Restore & Strengthen Voting Rights for All Americans

WASHINGTON - Following the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on Congress to work to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin specifically called for Congress to enact the For the People Act, which the House of Representatives passed last week. This bill would prohibit voter roll purges that states like Ohio and Georgia have enacted, and modernize and… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Rohit Chopra, Nominee for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Rohit Chopra, President Joe Biden's nominee for Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). During their Zoom call, Durbin and Chopra discussed protecting consumers from predatory lenders, student loan bankruptcy relief, and oversight of predatory for-profit college companies. For years, Durbin has sounded the alarm on predatory practices of payday lenders and for-profit colleges, both whom often prey on th… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois Farm Bureau

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, today met virtually with the Illinois Farm Bureau to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois, including the role of agriculture in climate policy, the importance of immigrant workers to the farm economy, support for biofuels, and pandemic-related financial assistance. "It was great to meet with members of the Illinois Farm Bureau today and hear how I can support … Continue Reading

Durbin: American Rescue Plan will Help Deliver Vaccines, Support Unemployed Americans

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted important provisions in President Biden's American Rescue Plan, which the Senate passed on Saturday, that will help distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccines and support unemployed workers and families during the pandemic. "All across the board, the bill that we passed, whether it's money for schools or money for hospitals or money for clinics or money for administering this vaccine, w… Continue Reading

Durbin: Judge Garland is the Right Nominee at this Moment to Lead the Justice Department

WASHINGTON - Ahead of the cloture vote on Judge Merrick Garland's nomination to be the next U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Senate colleagues to support Judge Garland's nomination. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Judge Garland by a bipartisan vote of 15-7. Durbin has argued that Judge Garland is the right leader to restore integrity and the rule of law to the J… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Lisa Monaco and Vanita Gupta on Domestic Terrorism and Supporting Law Enforcement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today chaired the nomination hearing for Lisa Monaco to be U.S. Deputy Attorney General and Vanita Gupta to be U.S. Associate Attorney General. Durbin asked Monaco to discuss the rising threat of white supremacy and domestic terrorism. "If you take a look at the course of American history, the Ku Klux Klan seems to appear and reappear about every 50 years. 1865, 1910 to 1915, then again in the '5… Continue Reading