Durbin Highlights New Federal Investments in Electric Vehicle Technology

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today virtually joined leaders from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Argonne National Laboratory to discuss new federal investments in electric vehicle (EV) battery research that will improve the transition to cleaner, electric transportation and help Illinois remain a leader in EV innovation. This week, DOEannounced $209 million in funding for 26 new laboratory projects focusing on electric vehiclesand advanced battery technologies. Additionally,… Continue Reading

Durbin Files NDAA Amendments To Hold Egypt Accountable For Disappearances Of Family Members Of Illinois Resident

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) filed amendments to this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would hold Egypt accountable for the harassment and detention of Americans and their family members. Durbin has advocated for the release of three family members of Aly Hussin Mahdy, who is a lawful U.S. asylee and Illinois resident, who saw his father, uncle, and cousin jailed after he urged peaceful protests in front of Egyptian embassies. Durbin's amendments… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Delay Of Chicago-Rockford International Airport Road Construction

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Greater Rockford Airport Authority announced it would halt construction of a new access road, which is part of the Chicago-Rockford International Airport's expansion, until spring 2022: "I continue to encourage both sides to meet on a solution that is in the best interest of the environment, regional jobs, and economic development. Today's announcement is a good first step." -30-… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Immigration In Build Back Better Reconciliation Framework

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the inclusion of immigration in President Biden's Build Back Better reconciliation framework: "Millions of undocumented people live in this country and contribute to our economy. They deserve to live, work, and travel without fear of deportation. President Biden understands this. That's why he included immigration reform in his Build Back Better fr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Bill Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that survivors of child sex abuse are able to seek justice under the federal civil remedy statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2255, without being barred by statutes of limitation. The Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act of 2021 would enable survivors who were victims of over a dozen federal … Continue Reading

Durbin, Feinstein Call on USDA OIG to Audit Oversight of Dog Breeders

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) today led six Senators in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) to conduct a more in-depth audit to properly examine the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) oversight of dog breeders regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The request comes after the USDA OIG noted in a recent report that the COVID-19 pandemic hindered efforts to c… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Attorney General Garland During Hearing On Oversight Of The Department Of Justice

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "Oversight of the Department of Justice." Durbin asked Garland what the Department is doing to respond to gun violence and gun trafficking operations in Chicago. "Hardly a day goes by in the City of Chicago where somebody isn't killed by a firearm. The cases are heartbreaking…The gun u… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Attorney General Garland During Hearing On Oversight Of The Department Of Justice

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "Oversight of the Department of Justice." Durbin asked Garland what the Department is doing to respond to gun violence and gun trafficking operations in Chicago. "Hardly a day goes by in the City of Chicago where somebody isn't killed by a firearm. The cases are heartbreaking…The gun u… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Nomination of Gregory Harris to be Central District of Illinois U.S. Attorney

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the White House's nomination of Gregory Harris to be U.S. Attorney in the Central District of Illinois: "With more than 25 years of experience working in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District, Greg Harris will be ready to hit the ground running on day one. He is exceptionally well-qualified and… Continue Reading

Durbin: The Senate Must Follow the House's Lead & Eliminate the Federal Crack and Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today urged his colleagues to support bipartisan legislation that will finally eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and apply it retroactively to those already convicted or sentenced. The Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act, introduced by Durbin and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), would eliminate the crack and powder cocaine sentencing d… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Federal Grants For Chicago And Quincy Police Departments To Support Mental Health Services

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the cities of Chicago and Quincy were awarded $233,893 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to support mental health and wellness services for law enforcement officers. The funding is part of the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Program, which supports suicide prevention programs, training and technic… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement in Senate Judiciary Committee's First Department of Justice Oversight Hearing Since 2017

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "Oversight of the Department of Justice." Durbin spoke about the importance of returning the Senate Judiciary Committee to its traditional oversight role, including by holding annual oversight hearings for agencies within the Committee's jurisdiction. Durbin highlighted the importance of DOJ's role in investig… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations Of Six Judicial Nominees And Three U.S. Attorneys

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Lucy Haeran Koh, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Jane M. Beckering, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Michigan; Shalina D. Kumar, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan; Armando O. Bonilla, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims; Carolyn N. Lerner, to be a Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims; and Jo… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Colleagues to Support Slate of District Court Nominees on the Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke in support of the nominations of Jia M. Cobb, to be United States District Judge for the District of Columbia; Karen McGlashan Williams, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Patricia Tolliver Giles, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael S. Nachmanoff, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Opioid Quotas with DEA Administrator Milgram

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram about the ongoing opioid epidemic, and DEA's role in reining in the pharmaceutical industry's excessive opioid production. Durbin and Milgram discussed DEA's proposed opioid production quotas for 2022, which will help prevent opioid addiction and misuse. Milgram is the first Senate-confirmed DEA Administrator since 2… Continue Reading

Durbin urges Colleagues to Support Nomination of Myrna Pérez to the Second Circuit

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke in support of the nomination of Myrna Pérez to serve on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin highlighted Ms. Pérez's extensive experience. The Senate will proceed to a confirmation vote on Ms. Pérez's nomination tonight. "[Pérez has] dedicated her career to defending America's right to vote through her work at the B… Continue Reading

Durbin: President Biden's Build Back Better Agenda Will Help Working Mothers Succeed

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke in support of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda. During his speech, Durbin shared what the expanded Child Tax Credit has meant to Illinoisans. "A lady named Lydia in my home state of Illinois described what this means to her. She wrote to my office and she said, 'With the Child Tax Credit, I'll be able to buy my kids their school supplies, clothes, things they need to go back to … Continue Reading

Durbin To HHS And FDA: More Accessible And Affordable At-Home Rapid Tests Can Help Our Pandemic Response

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra and Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Dr. Janet Woodcock to help expand rapid at-home COVID-19 testing. Durbin highlighted that despite the dramatic expansion of vaccinations by the Biden Administration, the nation's testing infrastructure remains an important and under-developed aspect of our public health emergency response. "In Sept… Continue Reading

Durbin, King, Smith, And Sinema Secure $14 Million For Open Textbook Pilot Program In Senate Appropriations Committee Annual Spending Bill

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) today announced the inclusion of $14 million for the Open Textbook Pilot Program in the Senate Appropriations Committee's Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The funding includes more than $8.2 million in continuation awards to complete funding for the sec… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations Of Beth Robinson & Jennifer Sung

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Beth Robinson, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; and Jennifer Sung, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. Durbin delivered opening remarks highlighting the nominees' qualifications and experience. Robinson received a 10-9 vote and Sung received a 10-10 vote to advance out of Committee. Under the provisions of S. Res. 27, Leader Schumer may now file a discharge motion on Ms. Su… Continue Reading