Press Releases
Durbin, Grassley Celebrate Senate Passage Of Bill Securing Nationwide Background Checks For Child Care Workers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, celebrated passage of their bipartisan Comprehensive Health and Integrity in Licensing and Documentation (CHILD) Act to ensure all individuals with unsupervised access to children—including contractors hired by schools—are authorized to receive a nationwide background check. “Kids in schools should be … Continue Reading
April 21, 2026
Durbin Discusses Republicans’ Cuts To Medicaid, Health Care Workforce Shortages With Illinois Health & Hospital Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois hospitals leaders from the Illinois Health & Hospital Association (IHA) to discuss the harms of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut $1 trillion from Medicaid spending to provide tax breaks for billionaires. Illinois alone is projected to face a cut of $48 billion in Medicaid funding, forcing Illinois hospitals to potentially face workforce losses, reductions in mental health and obstetrics … Continue Reading
April 21, 2026
In Appropriations Hearing, Durbin Calls Out Secretary Kennedy For FDA’s Failure To Crack Down On Illegal E-Cigarettes, Vape Products
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today questioned Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies’ hearing about the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget request for HHS. During the hearing, Durbin called on Secretary Kennedy to crack down on illegal e-cigarette products, especially … Continue Reading
April 21, 2026
Durbin Details Horrific Conditions In Immigration Detention Under Trump Administration
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke out against the dramatic increase in deaths and horrific conditions in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, including family detention, during the second Trump Administration. Earlier this month, the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association published a 22-year study of deaths in ICE custody. It found that the … Continue Reading
April 21, 2026
Durbin Questions Election Denier & Conspiracy Theorist, Jeffrey Clark, During Latest Arctic Frost Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Jeffrey Clark at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing entitled “Arctic Frost: Conspiracy and Coordination Against President Trump and the American Right.” Mr. Clark is an environmental lawyer who was the Acting Assistant Attorney General for DOJ’s Civil Division at the end of 2020 and played a key role in President Trump’s failed efforts to overturn the 2020 … Continue Reading
April 21, 2026
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement Slamming Senate Republicans For Holding Yet Another Wasteful Hearing On Arctic Frost
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing entitled “Arctic Frost: Conspiracy and Coordination Against President Trump and the American Right.” Instead of allowing Special Prosecutor Jack Smith to testify, the subcommittee heard from Jeffrey Clark, an environmental lawyer who was the Acting Assistant Attorney General for DOJ’s Civil Division at the … Continue Reading
April 20, 2026
Durbin Speaks On Latest Kash Patel Revelations, Urges Replacement
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel to be replaced after The Atlantic published an article outlining his excessive drinking and unexplained absences. Durbin began by characterizing Patel’s tenure, saying: “When Kash Patel was confirmed, I said that he had neither the experience, judgment, nor temperament to lead the … Continue Reading
April 20, 2026
Durbin Calls For Reforms To FISA Section 702
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for serious reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire on April 30. Section 702 grew out of a secret warrantless surveillance program conducted by the Bush Administration after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. When this illegal spying program was exposed, Congress enacted … Continue Reading
April 20, 2026
Durbin, Moran Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Increase Agricultural Research Funding
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), both members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today reintroduced legislation that would require a five percent annual funding increase, plus inflation, each year for the next ten years for research activities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). With federal agriculture research investments on the decline, the America … Continue Reading
April 18, 2026
Following Reports Of Excessive Drinking And Inappropriate Behavior, Durbin Calls For Kash Patel To Be Replaced As FBI Director
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel to be replaced after The Atlantic published an article outlining his excessive drinking and unexplained absences: “President Trump’s FBI Director Kash Patel is destroying one of the most respected law enforcement agencies in the world. Like Noem and Bondi, it’s time to replace … Continue Reading
April 17, 2026
Durbin Urges Illinois Educators To Sound The Alarm On For-Profit Colleges
CHICAGO - As high school seniors finalize their postsecondary education plans for the upcoming school year ahead of College Decision Day on May 1, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) is enlisting the help of Illinois high school principals, counselors, and teachers to warn college-bound students and their families about the risks associated with attending for-profit colleges. In the past few years, the U.S. has experienced workforce shortages across various industries. By 2028, the … Continue Reading
April 16, 2026
Durbin, Wicker, Shaheen, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Host Ukrainian Prime Minister
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), both Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with a bipartisan group of Senators, today hosted Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko. Her visit comes as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its fifth year with little sign of resolution. During the meeting, the group discussed the importance of … Continue Reading
April 16, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Talk Regional Development With Champaign County First
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with representatives from Champaign County First to discuss the region’s priorities and advocating for federal policies that improve the lives of those in Central Illinois. During the meeting, Durbin and Duckworth received updates about the region’s transportation and infrastructure projects, including upgrading the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District with new diesel-electric hybrid … Continue Reading
April 16, 2026
Durbin And Cruz Lead Bipartisan Group Of Senators In Resolution Urging The Release Of Political Prisoners In China
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) led a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing a resolution calling on Chinese President Xi Jinping to release political prisoners Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and Jimmy Lai. The resolution also urges President Trump to prioritize securing their release during his visit to China this month. In addition to Durbin and Cruz, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
Durbin Slams Republicans For Continuing To Hold Up The Bipartisan Deal To Fund Most Of DHS, Including TSA & FEMA
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, slammed congressional Republicans for continuing to hold up a bipartisan deal that would fund every agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—except U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The bipartisan deal that has passed the Senate … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
Durbin Talks With Illinois Pork Producers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today met with the Illinois Pork Producers Association who shared their top policy priorities in the pork industry. Durbin and the group spoke about the effects of California’s Proposition 12 on Illinois pork production, the critical role of foreign workers in keeping the Illinois pork industry strong, strengthening export markets like Mexico and Canada, and … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
Durbin Releases Statement Following Failed Iran War Powers Resolution Vote
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted against Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (D-IL) war powers resolution that would have removed United States Armed Forces from hostilities in Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution states that the power to declare war is an explicit power of Congress and Congress overwhelmingly reaffirmed this constitutional provision when … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
Durbin Presses Trump Loyalist Nominated To A Lifetime Judicial Position On The Outcome Of The 2020 Election
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned judicial nominees during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Durbin first questioned Justin Smith, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, about the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Smith is a President Trump loyalist and election denier. In 2020, he signed an amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania, seeking to overturn the results of the … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
Durbin Denounces Trump Loyalist Nominated To The U.S. Court Of Appeals For The Eighth Circuit During Nominations Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Justin Smith, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; Jeffrey Kuhlman, to the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas; Anthony Mattivi, to the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas; and Anthony Powell to the U.S. District Court for the District of … Continue Reading
April 15, 2026
Durbin, Schakowsky, Mullin Introduce Bicameral Bill To Crack Down On Illegal Robocalls
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), and U.S. Representative Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15) today reintroduced the Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act, a bill that would help end the plague of illegal robocalls in America. The legislation would give the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Do-Not-Call Registry teeth by providing all telephone subscribers, including small businesses, the ability to seek … Continue Reading