Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Campaigns and Elections
Senate Passes Durbin, Graham Bipartisan Election Interference Bill
WASHINGTON-The U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes (DETER) Act, which was introduced by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in order to prevent foreign governments from exploiting our immigration laws to advance their efforts to undermine our democracy. This bill, the first Senate Judiciary Committee legislation to pass the Senate in response to Russia's attack on our … Continue Reading
May 17, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Landmark Election Security Legislation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to introduced election security legislation that would require backup paper ballots and provide election security grants to states for cyber improvements and audits. The Election Security Act represents the election security portions of H.R.1 and was introduced as standalone legislation in the House of Representatives last week. "The Russian cyberattack on the Illinois … Continue Reading
May 16, 2019
Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Durbin, Graham Bipartisan Election Interference Bill
WASHINGTON-The Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously passed the bipartisan Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes (DETER) Act. The bill was introduced by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in order to prevent foreign governments from exploiting our immigration laws to advance their efforts to undermine our democracy. This bill will make "improper interference in U.S. elections" a violation of U.S. … Continue Reading
May 16, 2019
Durbin: Why Won't Leader McConnell Bring An Election Security Bill To The Floor?
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Rules Committee, today called out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for refusing to bring a comprehensive election security bill to the floor following the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report, which showed that Russia was able to successfully attack our democracy in 2016. "At the CIA and intelligence agencies, millions of dollars are being spent to stop the Russians from making a … Continue Reading
May 07, 2019
Durbin: Special Counsel Report Is Far From "Case Closed"
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pushed back on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's argument that the Mueller report is a "closed case" and renewed his call for U.S. Attorney General Barr to recuse himself from the 14 ongoing referred criminal investigations identified in Special Counsel Mueller's report. Durbin also argued that as Senate Republican Leader, Senator McConnell did little to nothing to acknowledge the threat … Continue Reading
May 06, 2019
Durbin, Graham Reintroduce Bipartisan Election Interference Bill
WASHINGTON-Following the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia's interference in the 2016 election, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today reintroduced the bipartisan Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes (DETER) Act, which will prevent foreign governments from exploiting our immigration laws to advance their efforts to undermine our democracy. This bill will make "improper interference in U.S. elections" a violation of U.S. … Continue Reading
April 18, 2019
Durbin Statement On Special Counsel Mueller's Report To Congress
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia's interference in the 2016 election being sent to Congress: "The Special Counsel's findings paint a very different picture than what the President and his Attorney General would have the American people believe. Special Counsel Mueller has provided a detailed and sobering … Continue Reading
April 02, 2019
Durbin, Schatz, Feinstein, Gillibrand Introduce Constitutional Amendment To End Undemocratic Electoral College
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today introduced a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College system and restore democracy by allowing the direct election of presidents through popular vote alone. "Before the 2000 election, I introduced a bipartisan resolution to amend the Constitution and create a system of direct election for presidents. And I still believe today as I did then that the … Continue Reading
February 28, 2019
Illinois Meets With Illinois State Board Of Elections Director To Discuss Election Security Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Rules Committee, today once again met with Steve Sandvoss, the Executive Director of the Illinois State Board of Elections, to discuss continued federal funding for election security. Last year, Illinois received $13.2 million in new federal funding to strengthen its election security systems, part of the Fiscal Year 2018 federal omnibus spending bill that provided $380 million to the … Continue Reading
February 26, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues To Introduce Voter Empowerment Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and six of their Democratic colleagues to introduce the Voter Empowerment Act. This legislation would help protect the voting rights of people across the country by ensuring equal access to the ballot for every eligible voter, modernizing voter registration, and helping to eliminate deceptive practices that deter people from voting. Companion legislation was introduced in … Continue Reading
January 03, 2019
Durbin Statement on Swearing-In Of New Illinois Representative
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after U.S. Representatives Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D-IL-04), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) were sworn in as new U.S. Representatives: It is an honor to welcome these three talented new Representatives as they are sworn-in as members of Congress in Washington. In particular, Representative Underwood's arrival is historic as she is the youngest African American woman ever in Congress. Her … Continue Reading
November 14, 2018
Durbin Meets With Illinois Representatives-Elect
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Jesus "Chuy" Garcia and Sean Casten, U.S. Representatives-elect from Illinois, to congratulate them and discuss their goals for the 116th Congress. "It's an honor to welcome these newly-elected Representatives to Washington and congratulate them on their victories. They each bring a unique perspective and new energy to our efforts to address the issues facing Illinoisans and our nation, and I look forward to working with them in the … Continue Reading
November 14, 2018
Durbin Re-Elected Senate Democratic Whip For 116th Congress
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after being unanimously re-elected as the Senate's second-highest ranking Democrat, the Senate Democratic Whip, for the 116th Congress by his Senate Democratic colleagues this morning. Durbin has served in the number two role in the caucus since 2005. I am honored that the Senate Democratic Caucus has again supported me to serve as Whip. Our party is more diverse than ever, our Congress is divided, and the … Continue Reading
October 11, 2018
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Durbin-Graham Bipartisan Election Interference Bill
WASHINGTON-The Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously approved the bipartisan Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes (DETER) Act, which will prevent foreign regimes from exploiting our immigration laws to advance their efforts to undermine our democracy. Introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in April, this bill will make "improper interference in U.S. elections" a ground of inadmissibility and deportability under U.S. immigration law, … Continue Reading
July 24, 2018
Durbin Calls On Senate Republicans To Support Election Security Funding For States
WASHINGTON-In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged his Republican colleagues to support an amendment that would offer an additional $250 million in election security grants for states to protect their election systems. The amendment, which was prepared by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), is being offered to the appropriations legislation the Senate is considering this week. "Every member of this chamber will … Continue Reading
July 14, 2018
Durbin, Senior Dem Senators: President Trump Must Cancel Meeting With Putin Unless He Makes Attack On U.S. Election Number One Issue
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee; Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, … Continue Reading
July 13, 2018
Durbin Statement On Special Counsel Indictment Of 12 Russians For Hacking In 2016 U.S. Election
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced Special Counsel Mueller's indictment of 12 Russians for their activities to interfere in the 2016 election by engaging in a sustained operation to hack into the computer networks of Democratic campaign organizations, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, and state and local election administrators and vendors. The indicted individuals were members of … Continue Reading
June 12, 2018
Durbin Questions Trump Admin On Efforts To Stop Future Election Interference
WASHINGTON-At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed members of the Trump Administration on their efforts to thwart future election interference by the Russians or any adversary of the United States. In 2016, Russia successfully hacked into the Illinois State Board of Elections' voter registration system and targeted at least 20 other states with similar attacks. "We do know that Special Counsel Mueller has aggressively gone after Russian … Continue Reading
April 26, 2018
Durbin, Graham Introduce Bipartisan Election Interference Bill
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today introduced the bipartisan Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes (DETER) Act, which will prevent foreign regimes from exploiting our immigration laws to advance their efforts to undermine our democracy. This bill will make "improper interference in U.S. elections" a ground of inadmissibility under U.S. immigration law, and violators would be barred from obtaining a visa to enter the United States. "In … Continue Reading
April 09, 2018
Durbin, Quigley, Clerk Orr and State Election Officials Highlight New Funding for Election Security
CHICAGO - Illinois will receive $13.2 million in new federal funding to strengthen its election security systems, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) announced today along with Cook County Clerk David Orr and Executive Director of the Illinois State Board of Elections Steve Sandvoss. The funding - which is part of the federal omnibus spending bill that was signed into law last month - will provide critical assistance to states that are using outdated and … Continue Reading