Press Releases
Durbin Questions Witnesses During Spotlight Forum On President Trump’s Nominee To Be Attorney General, Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a spotlight forum hosted by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) examining President Trump’s pick to be the Attorney General, Todd Blanche. Durbin first questioned Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania, Claire Finkelstein, founder and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL), about the conflict of interest involving … Continue Reading
July 22, 2026
Following Alarming Reports Social Security Will Face Insolvency By 2032, Durbin Calls On Congress To Strengthen Social Security Before End Of The Year
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) raised alarms that the Social Security Trust Fund will face insolvency in 2032 unless Congress acts and called on his colleagues to pass his new bipartisan legislation, the Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone (PROMISE) Act, to initiate Congressional action on extending Social Security’s solvency. “In 1983, we [Congress] faced a possibility where we … Continue Reading
July 22, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth, Wyden, Sanders, Scanlon, Dingell, Simon Lead 100 Members Of Congress In Calling On DOJ To Rescind Opinion Undermining Olmstead
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee; U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and U.S. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-07), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), and Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) today led 100 Members of Congress in a letter … Continue Reading
July 21, 2026
Durbin Presses Secretary Hegseth On Cost Of Iran War As DOD Is Sitting On Billions Of Unobligated Funds
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today participated in an Appropriations Committee hearing to review President Trump’s June 24, 2026, Supplemental funding request of $87.6 billion—including $67 billion for Department of Defense (DoD) funding. In addition to an unprecedented defense spending request while cutting non-defense spending, DoD has $75 billion in unobligated funding from Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill … Continue Reading
July 21, 2026
Ahead Of Confirmation Vote, Durbin Speaks Out Against Kara Westercamp’s Nomination To Lifetime Position On The Court Of International Trade Over Inflammatory Social Media Posts
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, denounced the nomination of Kara Westercamp to a lifetime appointment on the Court of International Trade (CIT). Ms. Westercamp’s now-deleted social media posts questioned the outcome of the 2020 election; whitewashed the January 6 attack on the Capitol; attacked Chief Justice Roberts for not being sufficiently conservative; and crudely attacked … Continue Reading
July 21, 2026
Durbin Urges His Colleagues To Oppose Trump’s Nominee To Be Attorney General, Todd Blanche
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 on his colleagues to vote against the nomination of Todd Blanche to be U.S. Attorney General. During his remarks, Durbin recalled the second day of Mr. Blanche’s nomination hearing, when the Committee convened an outside panel of witnesses to discuss his fitness to serve in this position. One of the witnesses Durbin invited was Dani Bensky—a … Continue Reading
July 20, 2026
Durbin Denounces Recent Surge In Trump Administration’s Cruel Campaign Against Immigrants
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, denounced the recent surge in the Trump Administration’s cruel campaign against immigrants following the fatal shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Durbin also called out the Trump Administration’s false narrative that federal … Continue Reading
July 20, 2026
On The Senate Floor, Durbin Continues To Call Out Trump For His Election Denialism
WASHINGTON - Following President Trump’s speech on Thursday where he peddled lies about the 2020 election and attempted to sow doubt in the 2026 and 2028 elections, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor to debunk the President’s lies about election security. Durbin also called out Republicans’ SAVE America Act, legislation which would make it more difficult for millions of Americans to vote. “In a 25-minute … Continue Reading
July 17, 2026
Durbin, Padilla Urge DHS, DOJ To End Blanket $1.8 Million Fines Being Improperly Assessed On Law-Abiding Immigrants
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, today sent a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging them to end the improper application of certain civil penalties in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to law-abiding … Continue Reading
July 17, 2026
Durbin Joins Blumenthal, Darline Graham, Senators In Announcing Agreement On Legislation To Further Sanction Russia And Hold Purchasers Of Its Oil Accountable
CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, joined U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Darline Graham (R-SC), and 58 other members of the Senate in announcing the text of an agreement negotiated between the late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and the White House that would add sanctions on key Russian individuals and industries as well as hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Russia’s war in … Continue Reading
July 16, 2026
Durbin Statement On Trump Election Denialism Speech
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after President Trump’s speech tonight peddling lies about the 2020 election and attempting to sow doubt in the 2026 and 2028 elections: “President Trump and his Republican Party are flailing. They know their MAGA agenda is making life more expensive, communities less safe, and government more corrupt. “Tonight’s ‘speech’ from the President is a … Continue Reading
July 16, 2026
Durbin, Schatz, Gillibrand Introduce Child Marriage Prevention Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Child Marriage Prevention Act, which would take steps to reduce child marriage across the United States. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) According to leading advocacy groups on this issue, data shows that between 2000 and 2021, more than … Continue Reading
July 16, 2026
Durbin Questions Outside Witness Panel For President Trump’s Nominee To Be Attorney General, Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned the outside witness panel for the nomination of Todd Blanche, President Trump’s pick to be Attorney General of the United States. Durbin began by offering his condolences to witness Jennifer Bos, a mother from Illinois whose daughter, Megan, went missing and was found dead on the property of an undocumented … Continue Reading
July 16, 2026
Durbin Receives National Retail Federation’s 2026 Champion Of Main Street Award
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), author of the Durbin Amendment and the Credit Card Competition Act, received the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2026 Champion of Main Street Award in honor of his leadership to address the high cost of debit and credit card interchange fees and his efforts to curb organized retail crime. “As Americans are struggling with the rising cost of everyday essentials, I’ve made it a priority in Congress to put money back in their … Continue Reading
July 16, 2026
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement Ahead Of Outside Witness Panel For President Trump’s Nominee To Be Attorney General, Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement ahead of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s outside witness panel for the nomination of Todd Blanche, President Trump’s pick to be Attorney General of the United States. Durbin also introduced the Democratic witnesses: Liz Oyer and Dani Bensky. Ms. Oyer served as the Justice Department Pardon Attorney, a nonpolitical position, until she was fired in … Continue Reading
July 15, 2026
In Front Of Epstein Survivors, Durbin Presses Attorney General Nominee, Todd Blanche, To Meet With Survivors Within The Next 30 Days
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned President Trump’s pick to be Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche, during his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing. Durbin pressed Mr. Blanche on whether he would personally meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse within the next 30 days. Following Durbin’s repeated questions, Mr. Blanche would not commit to doing so. “[There are] 10 … Continue Reading
July 15, 2026
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On President Trump’s Nominee To Be Attorney General, Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing for Todd Blanche, President Trump’s pick to be Attorney General of the United States. Before turning to his opening statement, Durbin addressed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) comments about special prosecutor Jack Smith. Durbin again called for Committee … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Durbin Announces Bipartisan Proposal To Initiate Congressional Action To Strengthen Social Security On The Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced new bipartisan legislation to initiate Congressional action on extending Social Security’s solvency. The Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone (PROMISE) Act follows the release of the Social Security Board of Trustees’ annual report, which found that the Social Security Trust Fund will only be able to cover 78 percent of benefits in … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Durbin Presses Justices Kagan, Barrett On Judicial Security In Rare Congressional Appearance
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett on judicial security in a rare Congressional appearance. This is the first time Supreme Court justices have appeared before Congress since 2019 and before the Senate since 2011. “Tomorrow we're considering Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination, who … Continue Reading
July 14, 2026
Durbin Statement On Courtesy Meeting With Trump’s Attorney General Pick Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after his meeting with Todd Blanche, President Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Attorney General: “Mr. Blanche is at the helm of a weaponized Justice Department, putting President Trump ahead of the Constitution, the rule of law, and you. “It’s clear that Mr. Blanche has never stopped being President Trump’s personal attorney, and I pushed him on his role … Continue Reading