Press Releases
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Screening Committees for Judicial, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal Nominations
CHICAGO-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced the formation of three screening committees to assist the Senators in evaluating candidates for vacant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal, and federal judgeship positions in Illinois. The Senators are establishing separate screening committees for each of Illinois' three federal districts. The task of the screening committees is to review and vet candidates for the vacancies and advise the Senators regarding the candi… Continue Reading
05.26.17
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $1.1 Million for Early Head Start Program at Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families has awarded a total of $1,104,542 to support the Early Head Start program at the Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois. "This funding will help level the playing field for thousands of families across Illinois thanks to the dedication and hard work of the staff at the Children's Home and Aid Society o… Continue Reading
05.26.17
Durbin: Trumpcare Would Inflame Opioid Crisis in DuPage County
DOWNERS GROVE - In the midst of the opioid crisis, President Trump's budget and plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would greatly diminish access to substance abuse treatment in the western suburbs, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said today in a meeting at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. Last year, there were 78 opioid overdose deaths in DuPage County, a 53 percent increase over the previous year. President Trump's proposed budget would exacerbate these problems by cutting programs that he… Continue Reading
05.25.17
Durbin, Senators Reintroduce Legislation to Help Students Burdened by Debt
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Al Franken (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) reintroduced legislation to help address America's student debt crisis. The Fairness for Struggling Students Act would once again allow privately issued student loans to be discharged in bankruptcy, giving them the same treatment as nearly all other f… Continue Reading
05.25.17
Durbin: Trumpcare Leaves 23 Million Americans High and Dry
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed Congressional Republicans for continuing to advocate for Trumpcare, even after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of their bill to repeal Americans' health care. The CBO estimates that, if the Republican bill were to become law, 14 million people next year - and 23 million people over the next ten years - would lose their health insurance. "Three weeks ago, Speaker Pa… Continue Reading
05.25.17
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $18 Million in Federal Funding to IDOT for Safety Technology Implementation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will receive $18,869,888 from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) safety technology on the Terminal Railroad in St. Louis, Missouri. PTC is a federally mandated computerized system that prevents certain types of train-to-train collisions, helps avoid derailments and other accidents caused by exce… Continue Reading
05.24.17
Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley, Lipinski Announce $20 Million in Federal Funding to Metra for Safety Technology Implementation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05) and Dan Lipinski (IL-03) today announced that Metra will receive $20,168,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) safety technology on its Milwaukee North and West lines. PTC is a federally mandated computerized system that prevents certain types of train-to-train collisions, helps avoid derailments and other accide… Continue Reading
05.24.17
Durbin: Trump's Budget Pulls Rug Out From Under Our Nation's Most Vulnerable
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, chastised President Trump's fiscal year 2018 budget request to Congress. "For all the talk on the campaign trail of standing up for the forgotten Americans in this country, the President's budget takes aim at the exact programs that many rely on. From healthcare and food stamps to student loans and disability, President Trump's budget is nothing less th… Continue Reading
05.23.17
Durbin Statement on President Trump's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump submitted his fiscal year 2018 budget request to Congress: "In the America of President Trump's budget, children, working families, seniors, and people with disabilities will be 'fined,' while the wealthiest Americans will get a 'bonus.' What's so 'great' about that America?"… Continue Reading
05.22.17
Senators to Trump Admin: Cutting Off Funding for Public Transit Projects Threatens Jobs & Stifles Economy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Tom Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and… Continue Reading
05.22.17
Durbin Calls on DOJ to Provide Increased Support for Gun Violence Prevention Initiatives in Chicago
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session asking for prompt U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) support on a number of gun violence prevention initiatives as we head into the summer months when shootings typically increase. Durbin is asking DOJ to expand the ability for Chicago-area law enforcement to use resources that can significantly reduce gun violence, including the operation of Strategic Decision Support Centers (SDSCs) and improved a… Continue Reading
05.17.17
Durbin Statement on Appointment of Special Counsel to Investigate Russian Connection
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: This is a critical step and I'm glad Mr. Rosenstein took it. The past 48 hours have shown the lengths that the President and his Administration will go to hinder and halt this investigation, so I will withhold judgment pending its progress. The eyes of the nation are on Mr. Mueller and his team. The special counsel will examine and prosecute any crimes that may have been committed, but this will not s… Continue Reading
05.17.17
Senators Call for Answers on Stalled Student Debt Relief
WASHINGTON - Following reports that the Trump Administration has stopped granting relief to student loan borrowers defrauded by for-profit colleges, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) demanded answers regarding the delay of payment on tens of thousands of student loan discharges and refunds approved under the "borrower defense" authority. On January 13th, the U.S. Department of Education announced that i… Continue Reading
05.17.17
Durbin, Portman, Brown, Capito, King, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to Substance Abuse Treatment Under Medicaid
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Angus King (I-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced the Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion (Medicaid CARE) Act, which would expand access to substance abuse treatment for tens of thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries across the country. The Medicaid CARE Act would increase addiction treatment services to help combat the heroin and prescription opioid epide… Continue Reading
05.17.17
Durbin: Under Trumpcare - Medicaid Decimated, Children's Health Care Threatened, and Big Tax Breaks for the Wealthy
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today admonished House Republicans for slashing Medicaid funding for families, women, seniors, rural communities, and children in their plan to repeal health care. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) gave states the option to expand Medicaid to millions more Americans - 32 states participate in the expansion, including Illinois. As a result, 11 million people nationwide - and 650,000 people in Illinois - are newly enrolled… Continue Reading
05.16.17
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $250,000 in Federal Funding for Firefighter Resources
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded a total of $281,167 to Forest Park Fire Department, Mattoon Fire Department, Oak Park Fire Department, and Wauconda Fire District through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. Each department awarded will use the funds for operations and safety including professional training, wellness and fitness programs equipment, personal protective eq… Continue Reading
05.16.17
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $150,000 in Federal Funding for Firefighter Resources in Villa Park
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded a total of $ 159,091 to the Villa Park Fire Department through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The funding will be used for operations and safety including professional training, wellness and fitness programs equipment, personal protective equipment, modifications to facilities, and supplies that support firefighting and non-affiliat… Continue Reading
05.12.17
Durbin: Rosenstein Must Appoint Special Prosecutor or Resign
DECATUR-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: In an interview with NBC News, President Trump admitted to firing FBI Director James Comey because of his investigation of the Trump campaign's Russian connections-that is dangerously close to obstruction of justice. This morning, the President tweeted a thinly veiled threat to Mr. Comey, which could be construed as threatening a witness in this investigation, which is another violation of federal law. To… Continue Reading
05.12.17
Durbin Statement on AG Sessions Move to Force Needlessly Harsh Prison Sentences for Nonviolent Drug Offenses
CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on a new Justice Department policy that rescinds the Smart on Crime Initiative, which directed federal prosecutors to reserve stiff mandatory minimum sentences for individuals convicted of the most serious offenses, and instead requires prosecutors to seek the longest possible sentence even for low-level nonviolent offenses: This policy shift flies in the face of the growing bipartisan consensus that we need… Continue Reading
05.12.17
Durbin Discusses Central Illinois Impact of GOP Health Care Repeal Bill
DECATUR - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Central Illinois health care leaders regarding the local impact of Congressional Republicans' efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Last week, House Republicans passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which would repeal health care for millions of Americans, including one million in Illinois. The bill, which every Illinois Republican House Member voted for, would once again jeopardize coverage for people with pre-existing co… Continue Reading