Press Releases
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $2.1 Million In Opioid, Behavioral Health Services For Central Illinois Community Health Centers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded community health centers across Central Illinois a total of $2,169,000 through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) Program and the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program. Community health centers are community-based organizations that improve access to affordable, high-q… Continue Reading
08.13.19
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $4.5 Million In Opioid, Behavioral Health Services For Chicago Community Health Centers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded community health centers in Chicago, Illinois, a total of $4,503,836 through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) Program. Community health centers are community-based organizations that improve access to affordable, high-quality health care in underserved urban and rural c… Continue Reading
08.12.19
Durbin, Senators Call Out Partisan 'Project' To Tip Supreme Court In Favor Of NRA-Backed Plaintiffs
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to file a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case bringing the first major challenge to gun safety laws since 2010. Against the backdrop of shocking gun violence in America, the Senators detail how the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Federalist Society, and other dark money-funded partisan groups have announced their … Continue Reading
08.12.19
Durbin, Markey, Blumenthal Request Information On Student Data Collection Practices
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today sent letters to numerous education technology (EdTech) companies inquiring about data collection practices on American students. The Senators raised concerns that the learning tools used by these companies could pose a serious risk to students, parents, and educational institutions as a result of the potential for massive amounts of personal information to be stolen, collected, or sold without thei… Continue Reading
08.12.19
Illinois Congressional Democrats Urge Census Bureau To Ensure Full And Fair Count For 2020 Census
WASHINGTON - The Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation today sent a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham urging him to ensure a full and fair count of the State of Illinois with the upcoming 2020 Decennial Census. The members expressed concern with administrative and technological changes being made to the upcoming Census, and urged the Bureau to provide Illinois with the necessary resources to count all Illinois residents, especially vulnerable and hard… Continue Reading
08.09.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos, Loebsack Announce $1.2 Million In DOT Funding for Quad Cities Ferryboat Dock
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA-02), announced today that Quad Cities MetroLINK will receive $1,200,000 in federal grant funding to replace an old Channel Cat dock in Davenport. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Passenger Ferry Grant program. Today's grant will be used to rebuild Davenport's Lindsay Park dock. "I'm pleased that this… Continue Reading
08.09.19
Durbin Statement On Passing Of U.S. Representative Paul Findley
DECATUR - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the passing of former U.S. Representative Paul Findley, who represented Illinois' 20th Congressional District from January 3, 1961 - January 3, 1983: "Paul Findley was my political opponent, but he was also my friend. In 1982, I prevailed in the election over twenty-two year incumbent Congressman Paul Findley. Over the years, our infrequent conversations increased in number and a friendship emerged. I was hon… Continue Reading
08.09.19
Durbin Holds Roundtable To Discuss How Trump's Tariffs Are Impacting Farmers
NIANTIC-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today held a roundtable discussion with local agricultural leaders to discuss issues impacting farmers, including the President's recent trade war with China that places tariffs on Chinese goods. China is Illinois' number one agriculture export market. "This has been a tough planting season - and when you combine it with the President's mystifying decisions like a reckless trade w… Continue Reading
08.09.19
Durbin, Baldwin, Sanders, Warren, Blumenthal To FDA: Hold Avexis Accountable
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today blasted AveXis, a subdivision of pharmaceutical giant Novartis, for falsifying data in order to obtain approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its new gene therapy, Zolgensma, which was developed through taxpayer funding and is now sold for $2.1 million. In a letter to FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless, the Senators urg… Continue Reading
08.08.19
Durbin, Booker Call Out Barr, Wray For Inadequate Effort To Combat White Supremacist Terrorism
WASHINGTON-Following another devastating incident of domestic terrorism committed by a white supremacist, this time in El Paso, Texas, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today pressed Attorney General William Barr and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wrayabout what the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI are doing to combat white supremacist violence. "After the horrific September 11th terrorist attacks, your agencies shifted focus from invest… Continue Reading
08.08.19
In Peoria, Durbin Announces Bill To Boost Agricultural Research Funding
PEORIA-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today unveiled new legislation that would authorize a five percent annual funding increase over the next five years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). With most domestic agriculture research on the decline, the America Grows Act would restore the United States' commitment to publically-funded agriculture research at USDA. Durbin announced the bill while visiting the Peor… Continue Reading
08.08.19
Durbin Asks Barr To Investigate Opioid Companies That Fueled Addiction Epidemic
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the role of pharmaceutical companies and their executives in fueling the opioid epidemic in America. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Durbin cited recent Washington Post reporting that revealed 76 billion opioid pills were distributed in America between 2006 and 2012 and that opioid distributors and manufacturers ignored persistent red flags that those pills were being sold … Continue Reading
08.07.19
Durbin, Duckworth Urge MLB To Report Data On Foul Ball Injuries At Ballparks
WASHINGTON-After repeated incidents of Major League Baseball (MLB) fans being hit by foul balls, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) wrote to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, urging MLB to collect and report data about fan injuries at MLB baseball stadiums. In their letter, the Senators said that releasing this data would help provide the public a better understanding of fan injuries and evaluate the voluntary safety measures that teams are implementing. "This will provide… Continue Reading
08.06.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Stabenow, Peters Urge USDA To Delay Crop Insurance Premium Deadline
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; and Gary Peters (D-MI) today urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help farmers by deferring penalties or postponing the crop insurance premium deadline to December 1, 2019, instead of October 1, 2019. In a letter to USDA Under Secretary… Continue Reading
08.05.19
Durbin Discusses Bipartisan Bill To Speed Up Availability Of Generic Insulin
MOLINE - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the Affordable Insulin Approvals Now Act, a bipartisan bill to speed up approvals of lower-cost, generic, and "follow-on" insulin products in order to help reduce costs of the life-saving drug. Approximately 7.5 million Americans with diabetes rely on insulin every day to survive, yet the drug has experienced a price increase of more than 600 percent over the past two decades in the United States. This legislation, introduced by Durbin la… Continue Reading
08.02.19
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On GAO Report On VA Oversight Of State Veterans Homes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement today after a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) detailed recommendations for improved oversight by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of State Veterans Homes (SVH) across the country. In 2017, Durbin and Duckworth asked GAO to review VA oversight of SVH's after a deadly Legionnaires' outbreak at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy. "While SVHs are owned… Continue Reading
08.02.19
Durbin, Duckworth Urge VA Secretary To End Anti-Worker, Anti-Union Negotiation Tactics
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and a group of Democratic colleagues, sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie urging him to abandon the Department's current destructive approach to ongoing negotiations with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Despite VA and AFGE's history of engaging in good-faith negotiations that equally benefit employees, Veterans and the… Continue Reading
08.01.19
Durbin Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation To Combat Illegal Straw Purchasing And Firearms Trafficking
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), introduced bipartisan legislation to close loopholes that criminals exploit to obtain firearms through straw purchasing and firearms trafficking. The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2019 would, for the first time, make it an explicit federal crime to act as a straw purchaser of firearms. The bill would also create tough penalties for anyone who transfers a firearm with re… Continue Reading
08.01.19
Durbin Introduces Bipartisan Legislation To Strengthen Rural Health Workforce
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, along with Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Doug Jones (D-AL), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), introduced bipartisan legislation to address critical rural health workforce shortages. The Rural America Health Corps Act would create a new program that improves the existing National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program by providing new dedicated student loan forgiveness funding for health car… Continue Reading
08.01.19
Durbin Pays Tribute To Illinois Service Member Killed In Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today paid tribute to Specialist Michael Isaiah Nance, of Chicago, Illinois, who was killed on July 29 in Afghanistan. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin expressed his condolences to Nance's family and friends. "The motto of the 82nd Airborne is, 'Airborne all the way!' Isaiah lived every bit of this motto in his faithful service to America, and with his family and friends," Durbin said. "Mr. President, every member of the Senate would be pro… Continue Reading