Durbin Meets Virtually With Illinois Soybean Association

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, met virtually today with the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss agricultural priorities for Illinois' soybean growers. On the call, the group emphasized the importance of continued federal support for building new foreign markets for soybeans, the challenge of rising input costs, and how the Senate Agriculture Committee is preparing for the 2023 Farm Bill. T… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after meeting with Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Biden's nominee to the Supreme Court: "This is a moment of great historical significance. In the Court's history, there have been 115 Justices and not one of them has been a Black woman. With this nomination, President Biden has taken a critical step towards making our highest court look more like A… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Latest Circuit & District Court Nominees Before Judiciary Committee

WASHINGTON - During today's Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Arianna Freeman, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit. Durbin asked Ms. Freeman about her background as a public defender and specifically her representation of Anthony Velazquez. As Ms. Freeman argued, Mr. Velazquez's trial counsel had provided ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to properly enter a plea of… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Hearing Dates For Judge Jackson's Nomination To The Supreme Court

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing dates for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court in a letter to his Committee colleagues. The hearings will begin on Monday, March 21, with statements from Committee members, the individuals who will introduce Judge Jackson, and Judge Jackson herself. Questioning of Judge Jackson will begin on Tuesday, March 22 a… Continue Reading

Durbin: Carjackings Are A Scourge On Society That We Have A Responsibility To Address

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during a hearing entitled "Federal Support for Preventing and Responding to Carjackings." In his opening statement, Durbin reiterated that while preventing and prosecuting violent crime is primarily a state and local responsibility, the federal government plays an important role in addressing the rise in carjackings nationwide. Key quotes: "Carjackings… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On President Biden's State Of The Union Address

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Biden's first State of the Union Address: "The American people have endured incredible hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When President Biden took office, he pledged to get shots in arms, people back to work and school, and our economy back on track. Thanks to his leadership with both the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, millions of people are vaccinated and … Continue Reading

Durbin: Judge Jackson Will Be A Supreme Court Justice In The Mold Of Justice Breyer

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke about the historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. "Every Supreme Court nomination is critically important. This one has special historic significance. In the United States' history, our Supreme Court has had 115 Justices, 108 of those Justices have had one thing in common-they were all white men. Five of those who… Continue Reading

Durbin To Putin: Your Legacy Will Be One Of Shame And Infamy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, took to the Senate floor today to once again renounce Russia's relentless unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine and recognize Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova who met with the Ukraine Caucus yesterday. "Why is Putin doing this? Because of his own petty grievances and warped nostalgia for the dark days of the Soviet Union and taking control. In his twisted mind, an entire innocent na… Continue Reading

Durbin Hosts Three Illinoisans for President Biden's First State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a virtual news conference to preview President Biden's first State of the Union Address to Congress. Durbin's "virtual guests" include Mayor Vernard Alsberry Jr., of Hazel Crest; Don Finn of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Worker (IBEW) Local 134 in Chicago; and Christine Morris, RN, Site Manager at Heartland Health Services in Peoria. All three guests have made significant contributions to their communities through… Continue Reading

Durbin, Portman, Urkaine Caucus Meet With Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, met with Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova. The Ambassador provided an update to the Senate Ukraine Caucus on the Russian military invasion into Ukraine. The bipartisan meeting was attended by 22 senators. "The Ukrainian people are fighting a valiant battle against all odds," said Durbin. "Today's meeting reaffirmed the United States' commitment to do every… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan H-1B, L-1 Visa Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced bipartisan, legislation to reform and close loopholes in the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act will reduce fraud and abuse, provide protections for American workers and visa holders, and require more transparency in the recruitment of foreign workers. This comprehensive overh… Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Increase Number Of Green Cards, Eliminating The Backlog

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced the Resolving Extended Limbo for Immigrant Employees and Families (RELIEF) Act, legislation to eliminate the family and employment green card backlog by increasing the number of green cards. Almost four million future Americans are on the State Department's immigrant visa waiting list, in addition to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. who are also waiting for green cards. … Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Carjacking

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Cook County Sherriff Thomas Dart and President and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau David J. Glawe about striking the balance between consumer privacy and providing law enforcement with prompt location tracking information of carjacked vehicles at today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Federal Support for Preventing and Responding to Carjackings." Durbin asked wh… Continue Reading

In Speech On Senate Floor, Durbin Rebukes Russia's Attack On Ukraine, Speaks Out In Support Of Granting TPS For Ukrainians

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor expressing his full support to the Ukrainian people as they push back against Russian military forces brutally attacking cities across the country. In his remarks, Durbin recognized Poland for taking in Ukrainian refugees and called on the Biden Administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians already in the United States. Durbin's … Continue Reading

Senators Durbin, Menendez, Portman Lead Letter Urging Biden Administration To Designate Ukraine For Temporary Protected Status

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus; U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today led 39 Senators in a letter to President Biden urging the Administration to grant Temporary Protected Statu… Continue Reading

Feinstein, Durbin, Grassley Call For Additional Information On FBI's Response To Nassar Case

Washington-Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and a bipartisan group of Senate Judiciary Committee members today called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to provide additional details about the FBI's approach to child sex abuse cases following its failures to properly investigate the Larry Nassar case. In November, the senators sent letters to the FBI and Office of the Inspector General following the OIG's investigation into the … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson-former clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer-to be the next Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court: "From a strong list of prospective candidates, President Biden has chosen an extraordinary nominee in D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. To … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine: "Let me be clear: Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine's sovereign land is a dire threat to the established international order and must be resolutely deterred. Ukraine and our NATO allies facing ongoing Russian belligerence have strong bipartisan, bicameral support in the U.S. Congress. As someone who has strong ties to the region, my prayers are wit… Continue Reading

Durbin in Poland, Lithuania to Discuss Russian Aggression, Support for Baltic States & NATO

WARSAW-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and the Baltic Freedom Caucus, is in Warsaw, Poland, today as part of travel to two eastern European nations to discuss Russian aggression and interference in western democracies, and congressional support for the transatlantic relationship and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Durbin was joined by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in Warsaw for meetings with senio… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Announce $1.8 Million Grant For Metrolink To Expand Ferry Service

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today announced that Rock Island County will receive $1,850,000 in federal funding to expand MetroLINK's passenger ferry service. The funding, awarded by the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Passenger Ferry Grant Program, will support the construction of a terminal near the newly developed "Bend District" on the Mississippi River in East Moline, Illinois. The new terminal… Continue Reading