Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Durbin Meets With Illinois State Police And Illinois Drug Enforcement Officers Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois State Police (ISP) Director Brendan Kelly and other representatives of the Illinois Drug Enforcement Officers Association (IDEOA). Durbin and the group discussed the importance of funding for the Byrne-JAG federal grant program, which supports state and local drug enforcement and public safety efforts. Durbin also discussed his bipartisan effort to make significant reductions in Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) opioid … Continue Reading
January 31, 2020
Durbin Statement On Failed Vote To Allow Witnesses And Documents In President Trump's Impeachment Trial
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the vote on the question of whether or not to allow witnesses and documents in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump failed by a vote of 49-51: "Senate Republicans are afraid of a trial and afraid of the truth. Turning the lights off in this impeachment proceeding is an admission by the White House that the President's phone conversation with the President of Ukraine was far from … Continue Reading
January 30, 2020
Durbin: Why Did President Trump Continue Holding Ukraine Military Aid Amid Warnings About Legality?
WASHINGTON-During the question and answer portion of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today asked both the House managers and the President's counsel why the President continued withholding $250 million in military aid to Ukraine when Department of Defense (DoD) officials were sounding the alarm that the hold would violate the law and short-change our ally of … Continue Reading
January 21, 2020
Durbin Statement On Senator McConnell's Impeachment Trial Resolution
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today gave the following remarks at a press conference with Senate Democratic leadership in response to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) Senate impeachment trial resolution proposal: "From the very first day of this impeachment trial, we learned that for Senator McConnell political loyalty to this President is more important than respect for the Constitution, the integrity of the Senate, and common decency. "With this … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Durbin Continues To Call For Fair And Honest Impeachment Trial Including Key Witnesses & Documents
WASHINGTON - On the day that Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) once again called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to conduct a fair impeachment trial with key witnesses and documents directly related to the Trump Administration's decision-making regarding the delay in military aid to Ukraine and the Administration's requests that Ukraine conduct certain investigations. "As we … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Durbin Statement On GAO Legal Decision Finding Trump Administration Violated Law By Withholding Ukraine Military Aid
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a legal decision, which finds that the Trump Administration's order to hold $250 million in defense aid to Ukraine violated the Impoundment Control Act, a law passed by Congress to rein in Nixon-era abuses. The GAO ruling found that a president can only put a hold on … Continue Reading
January 14, 2020
Durbin, Schneider Reintroduce Legislation To Combat Domestic Terrorist Threat
WASHINGTON-Following a year of horrific incidents of domestic terrorism targeting religious and ethnic minorities and communities of color, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) today reintroduced bicameral legislation to address the growing domestic-terrorism threat. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2020 would enhance the federal government's efforts to prevent domestic terrorism by establishing offices dedicated to combating … Continue Reading
January 10, 2020
In Aftermath Of Recent Attacks, Durbin Again Calls For Trump Admin To Step Up Efforts To Combat Domestic Terrorism & Hate Crimes
CHICAGO-Given the disturbing increase in domestic terrorism and hate crime incidents targeting religious minorities and communities of color, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today wrote to Attorney General William Barr and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray calling on them to take the initiative in leading a coordinated nationwide effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement and intelligence to disrupt and prevent these violent domestic … Continue Reading
January 07, 2020
Durbin To McConnell: Senate Must Conduct A Fair And Honest Impeachment Trial Including Key Witnesses & Documents
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to conduct a fair impeachment trial with key witnesses and documents directly related to the Trump Administration's decision-making regarding the delay in military aid to Ukraine and the Administration's requests that Ukraine conduct certain investigations. "What we are saying on the Democratic side is if there's to be a trial for … Continue Reading
December 23, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Nomination Of Stephen McGlynn To Serve As U.S. District Judge For The Southern District Of Illinois
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the White House announced the nomination of Stephen McGlynn to serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois: "We are pleased that the President has nominated Judge Stephen McGlynn. He has the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction as a district court judge in the Southern District of Illinois. We appreciate the … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Congress Passes Bipartisan Spending Bills With Illinois Priorities Secured By Durbin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills yesterday. The bills are expected to be signed by President Donald Trump today. "These bills invest in Illinois' environment, transportation infrastructure, health, agriculture, service members, and security. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, bringing home federal dollars … Continue Reading
December 12, 2019
Durbin, Lee Introduce Bill To Allow Nonviolent Elderly Prisoners Eligible For Release To Home Confinement To Benefit From Good Time Credit
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mike Lee (R-UT), both original sponsors of the landmark First Step Act of 2018, today introduced bipartisan legislation that amends the Elderly and Family Reunification for Certain Non-Violent Offenders Pilot Program reauthorized by the First Step Act. The First Step Act reauthorized and expanded a pilot program under the Second Chance Act to place eligible elderly and terminally ill inmates in home confinement. The law allows the Bureau of … Continue Reading
December 12, 2019
Durbin Honors Chicago Civil Rights Icon Rev. Clay Evans On Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) honored the life of Rev. Clay Evans who passed away on November 27 at the age of 94. Rev. Evans was highly regarded as a Gospel legend and civil rights icon. "If you ever had the good fortune to witness the Rev. Clay Evans preach, you were lucky. With his rousing sermons, his soulful baritone voice, and the 'Ship' choir behind him, Rev. Evans was memorizing," Durbin said. "My wife Loretta and I … Continue Reading
December 11, 2019
Durbin: DOJ IG Report Is Clear - The FBI's 2016 Russia Investigation Was Not Influence By Political Bias
WASHINGTON- In today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) confirmed that IG Horowitz found no evidence that the FBI's 2016 Russia investigation was influenced by improper motivation or political bias against President Trump in his report released on Monday. Durbin also called for IG Horowitz to report what the DOJ IG has learned about leaks from the FBI New York … Continue Reading
December 09, 2019
Durbin Statement on DOJ IG's Report On The FBI's 2016 Russia Investigation
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report examining the FBI's 2016 investigation into coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia's election interference efforts: "The non-partisan Inspector General's report concludes that the FBI's 2016 investigation into coordination between the Trump campaign … Continue Reading
November 19, 2019
Durbin to BOP Director: Why Is DOJ Undermining The First Step Act?
WASHINGTON-In today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Dr. Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) discussed the Trump Administration's implementation of the recently-enacted Grassley-Durbin First Step Act. Durbin pressed Dr. Hawk Sawyer on his concerns that DOJ is actively undermining the First Step Act and fighting to oppose retroactive Fair Sentencing Act relief for eligible … Continue Reading
November 15, 2019
Durbin, Lee Introduce Smarter Sentencing Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mike Lee (R-UT), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced legislation that would modernize federal drug sentencing polices by lowering certain mandatory drug sentences. "Mandatory minimum penalties have played a large role in the explosion of the U.S. prison population. These mandatory minimums have too often led to sentences that are unfair, fiscally irresponsible, and a threat to public safety," Durbin said. "The First … Continue Reading
November 14, 2019
Durbin, Booker, Harris Introduce New Legislation To Combat Overuse Of Solitary Confinement In Immigration Detention
WASHINGTON - Following reports from the Project on Government Oversight, The Washington Post, NBC News, and others that illustrated that solitary confinement is significantly overused in federal immigration detention, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) today introduced legislation to combat the rampant and unnecessary overuse of solitary confinement in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operated and ICE contract facilities. "Research … Continue Reading
November 14, 2019
Durbin Meets With Director Of Bureau Of Prisons, Dr. Hawk Sawyer, To Discuss Criminal Justice Reform
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Dr. Kathleen Hawk Sawyer to discuss the Trump Administration's implementation of the recently-enacted Grassley-Durbin First Step Act, inadequate BOP staffing, and the overuse of solitary confinement. Durbin also received an update on the activation of the Federal penitentiary in Thomson, Illinois. "BOP plays a critical role in implementing the … Continue Reading
November 08, 2019
Durbin, Menendez, Cardin Introduce Resolution Recognizing Sikh Americans
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced a resolution recognizing the historical, cultural, and religious significance of Sikh Americans and their contributions to the United States. The resolution is being introduced ahead of the 550th birthday of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, which is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar. The day recognizes the teachings of Guru Nanak on equality and service, serving as an … Continue Reading