Press Releases
Durbin Statement On Senate Confirmation Of Brian Benczkowski
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate voted to approve the controversial nomination of Brian Benczkowski to lead the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division: I cannot believe the Republican Party just rubber-stamped a nominee to head the Justice Department's Criminal Division who has no prosecutorial experience, who chose to represent a Russian bank with deep ties to Vladimir Putin, and who would not commit to… Continue Reading
07.11.18
Durbin, Wyden, Feinstein, Murray Call Out Glaring Inaccuracies In HHS Secretary Azar's Testimony On Child Separation
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar questioning the truthfulness of testimony he gave to the Senate Finance Committee regarding HHS'care of children removed from their parents by the Tru… Continue Reading
07.11.18
Durbin: Failure To Reunite Separated Children Is A Toxic Mix Of Cruelty & Incompetency
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on his Senate colleagues to oppose President Donald Trump's cruel efforts to indefinitely detain migrant children. Durbin's speech on the Senate floor comes one day after a federal district court's deadline for reuniting children under the age of five that were separated from their parents under Trump's "zero tolerance" policy. Yesterday, the Trump administration notified the court that it had identified 102 separated chi… Continue Reading
07.10.18
Durbin: Trump Is Incapable Of Distinguishing Friends From Enemies
WASHINGTON - Ahead of President Trump's upcoming meetings with NATO allies and Russian President Putin, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor to express deep concern about the current course of American foreign policy under President Trump. Durbin slammed President Trump's willingness to recklessly undermine allies and instead cozy up to adversaries like Russia and North Korea. Durbin also criticized the stunning silence from most Republicans in Congress while … Continue Reading
07.10.18
Durbin Meets With VA Secretary Nominee, Presses For Support Of Quincy Veterans' Home & To Protect Veterans From For-Profit Colleges
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Robert Wilkie, who has been nominated as the next Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). During the meeting, Durbin discussed ongoing efforts to update the Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) at Quincy - a state owned facility - and the importance of improving operations and timely care at VA facilities throughout Illinois and across the country. A photo of … Continue Reading
07.10.18
Durbin: Senate Should Not Confirm Benzckowski, Controversial DOJ Nominee With Russia Ties
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Senate to oppose the controversial nomination of Brian Benczkowski to lead the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Criminal Division. While he was seeking a DOJ position in 2017, Mr. Benczkowski chose to represent Alfa Bank, a massive private commercial bank in Russia closely allied with President Vladimir Putin and his government, and he has refused to pledge to recuse himself from Russia-related matters if confirmed. In a… Continue Reading
07.10.18
Durbin Statement On President Trump's Supreme Court Nomination Of Brett Kavanaugh
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Trump's nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court: The next Justice will likely be the deciding vote on whether Americans will keep affordable health insurance for pre-existing conditions, whether women will lose the freedom to make their own health care choices, and whether we have a Constitution that protects the rights of all… Continue Reading
06.29.18
Durbin Calls On Trump Administration To Comply With Court Order, Reunite Families Separated By Trump's "Zero Tolerance" Policy
EAST ST. LOUIS-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on President Donald Trump to immediately announce his intention to fully comply with a federal district court's order to return children separated under his Administration's "zero tolerance" policy to their parents within 30 days, and within 14 days for children under age five, and to regularly update Congress on his progress towards meeting the court's deadlines. Durbin's letter to President Trump follows yesterday's br… Continue Reading
06.29.18
Senate passes Durbin, Roberts Farm Bill Amendment To Support Rural EMS Agencies
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate passed the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, which included an amendment by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Pat Roberts (R-KS), and cosponsored by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), to reauthorize a federal grant program that directly supports rural emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting courses to satisfy certification requirements, and purchasing equipment-… Continue Reading
06.28.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Passes Funding Bill That Includes Durbin Priority Of Increased Medical Research Funding
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a $2 billion, or 5.4 percent, increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which passed 30-1 out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Over the past five years, Durbin has worked to provide NIH with $10 billion in increased funding, a 34 percent increase. Within this am… Continue Reading
06.28.18
Durbin, Duckworth, Schneider Urge U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers To Prevent Foxconn Flooding Impact
WASHINGTON - While President Donald Trump breaks ground at the Foxconn project in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) today urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase their oversight of the Foxconn project to prevent increased flooding in Lake County, Illinois. The State of Wisconsin has allowed Foxconn to fill in up to 26 acres of wetlands, which would lead to a higher volume of… Continue Reading
06.28.18
Durbin & Senators Press FDA To Protect Children From Addictive Vaping Products
WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 13 of his Senate colleagues, sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about JUUL e-cigarette vaping products, and other e-cigarettes with flavors like gummy bear, cotton candy, peanut butter cup, and cookies 'n cream, urging the agency to take swift action against these products that are clearly being marketed to children and teens. The Senators urged the FDA to reconsider its decision to delay a review of the… Continue Reading
06.27.18
Durbin Statement On Retirement Of Justice Kennedy
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and upcoming vacancy on the Court: I thank Justice Kennedy for his decades of service to the Court and the country. Senator McConnell set the new standard by giving the American people their say in the upcoming election before Court vacancies are filled. With so much at stake for the people of our country, t… Continue Reading
06.27.18
Durbin Statement On Janus V. AFSCME Supreme Court Decision
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): In Illinois, Governor Bruce Rauner has made it clear that he favors corporations and special interests over Illinois workers and their families. He has repeatedly pushed an agenda of hostility to unions. This agenda is hurting workers across Illinois. And now, Governor Rauner has s… Continue Reading
06.27.18
Durbin Statement On Court Order Blocking Trump Child Separation Policy
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on a preliminary injunction issued by a federal district court judge in San Diego against the Trump Administration's child separation policy: This ruling is clear: the Trump Administration's child separation policy harms kids and must be stopped. It's time to close this embarrassing chapter in our nation's history once and for all. Kids win. -30-… Continue Reading
06.26.18
Durbin: No Law Required Trump's Child Separation Policy, And We Don't Need Any New Laws To Reunite Families
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the Trump Administration's cruel policy of separating children from their parents who arrive at the Southern border of the United States seeking protection from horrific violence in the Northern Triangle region of Central America. Durbin discussed his recent visit to a facility in Chicago that houses children who have been separated from their parents due to the President's 'zero-tolerance' policy tha… Continue Reading
06.26.18
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $4.1 Million in Federal Assistance to Support Quincy Veterans Home, Speak with New IDVA Director
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded $4,156,722 to the State of Illinois to support the cost of 2016 renovations of the domestic water system for legionella control at the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy (IVH) and help support ongoing improvements at the facility. Durbin and Duckworth also spoke today with the new Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, Stephen Cur… Continue Reading
06.26.18
Durbin Calls On Accreditor To Investigate Reports Of Misleading Practices By Dream Center Education Holdings
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) on recent reports that Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH), the owner of Art Institutes, misled students about the accreditation status of several of its campuses including the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago and Schaumburg. Durbin's letter to Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley, President of HLC, comes after a recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, which reported that DCEH failed to i… Continue Reading
06.26.18
Durbin Calls On Trump Admin To Answer Questions About Children Forcibly Separated From Parents At Border
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed Alex Azar, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for detailed information on the health and well-being of children forcibly separated from their parents as part of the Trump Administration's "zero tolerance" policy. The nation's medical community has uniformly warned about the catastrophic health effects of this Administration's family separation policy on children, and expressed strong opposition … Continue Reading
06.26.18
Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Ruling On Trump's Muslim Ban
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold President Trump's revised Executive Order banning travel from certain Muslim-majority countries: I agree with Justice Sotomayor: this decision upholding President Trump's Muslim Travel Ban fails to safeguard the principle of religious neutrality embedded in our Bill of Rights. History will not be kind to this president's policies or the Supreme Court Justices wh… Continue Reading