Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $2.4 Million For Education Programs For Illinois Medical Professionals

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $2,438,724 for education programs for Illinois medical professionals. The funding will go toward Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago's Graduate Medical Education Program and Loyola University of Chicago's Nurse Faculty Loan Program. "The medical field is constantly evolving. To keep up with the latest lifesaving treatments and medical advancements, we must invest in continuing edu… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision Gutting EPA Authority

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision in West Virginia v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): "EPA has the critical task of addressing our climate crisis and ensuring that Americans have clean air to breathe. Congress gave that authority to EPA with the Clean Air Act, which the Supreme Court has affirmed again and again. Today's decision by this Sup… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers To Include Cahokia Heights Residents In Water Infrastructure Project Planning

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, today sent a letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) St. Louis District Engineer & Commander Colonel Kevin R. Golinghorst urging him to use the funding Durbin secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Act to remedy the persistent water infrastructure issues in Cahokia Heights, Illinois. In his letter, Durbin emphasizes the … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $5.5 Million For Health Care Research In Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $5,505,820 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) biomedical research grants for Illinois institutions. The funding will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from neurological diseases to biological chemistry research. "Federal investments in biomedical research lead to new jobs, new treatments, an… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Shaheen, Tillis, Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Statement As Path Clears For Finland & Sweden's Accession Into NATO

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) in a joint statement on the announcement that an agreement was reached and Turkey will drop its hold on Finland and Sweden's application to join the transatlantic Alliance. Durbin and the Senators are currently at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid to discuss congressio… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $9.8 Million For Head Start Programs In Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $9,818,557 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to support Head Start services for children under the age of five in receiving wrap-around support in early learning and development. The funding will go to Wabash Area Development, Inc. and Parent & Child Together for West Central Illinois, allocating $5,218,606 and $4,599,951 to the organization… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley, Blumenthal, Lee Seek Information About Antitrust And Minor League Baseball

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Subcommittee on The Constitution; and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, today sent a bipartisan request for information regarding the impact of Major League Baseball's (MLB) a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Seek Additional Clarity From DHS IG On Alleged Suppression And Delay Of Widespread Sexual Harassment And Misconduct Findings

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, are once again pressing the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) to address reports that it has delayed and downplayed reports of sexual harassment and misconduct at DHS. In an April 26 letter to DHS Inspector General (IG) Joseph Cuffari, the Senators cited documents released… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With U.S. Ambassador To Japan, Rahm Emanuel

WASHINGTON - Last week, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with U.S. Ambassador to Japan and former Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel. During the meeting, they discussed the continued strong relationship between U.S. and Japan as well as President Biden's visit to Japan, where he launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity economic initiative. "Japan is an important strategic partner in Asia, particularly in light of continued challenges with North Korea and China," said… Continue Reading

Durbin In Lithuania, Sweden, Spain To Discuss Support For NATO & Baltic States, Opposition To Russian Agression

VILNIUS-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Baltic Freedom Caucus and the Senate Ukraine Caucus, is in Vilnius, Lithuania, today as part of travel to three European nations to discuss congressional support for the transatlantic relationship and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as continued Russian aggression and interference in western democracies. In Vilnius, Durbin received the Aleksandras Stulginskis Star Award-only the second individual and … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision To Overturn Roe v. Wade

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Durbin also announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on July 12 that will examine a post-Roe America. "Today's decision eliminates a federally protected constitutional right that has been the law for nearly half a century. As a result, millions of Americ… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation to help keep America's children and communities safe from the gun violence epidemic: "This Senate just accomplished what hasn't been possible in decades-passing bipartisan legislation that makes our nation safer from gun violence. To be clear: this bill doesn't have everything I … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Department Of Education Settlement In Sweet v. Cardona

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Education reaching a settlement in Sweet v. Cardona, formerly Sweet v. DeVos, that will approve the borrower defense applications of roughly 200,000 students whose claims have been stalled, totaling $6 billion in relief: "Under the Trump Administration, former Secretary DeVos cruelly ignored the pleas of students defrauded by schools like Westwood College and left them to … Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds FDA Decision To Remove All JUUL Products From The Market

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today praised the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to remove all JUUL Lab Inc.'s products from the market, after finding these e-cigarettes fail to meet the agency's public health standard for authorization. "I'm happy to report that the Food and Drug Administration has announced this morning a dramatic, historic step forward to protect the children across America from e-cigarette and v… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision To Strike Down Longstanding Gun Law As Nation Grapples With Record-High Gun Violence

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen: "Every day, parents across America are burying children they have lost to gun violence. And yet, as our nation still mourns the horrific massacres in Uvalde and Buffalo, and as we work to combat the daily toll of the gun violence epidemic in cities like Chicago, this de… Continue Reading

Durbin: Coming Together To Pass Common Sense Gun Legislation Will Make Our Nation Safer

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today highlighted his support for the legislation introduced yesterday by a bipartisan group of Senators that will help protect our children and communities from gun violence. "Let's be clear: this bill is a compromise," Durbin said. "In a 50-50 Senate, you expect nothing less… But the reforms and investments made in this bill represent an important step t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Portman Meet With U.S. Ambassador To Ukraine

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 U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink to discuss the latest events regarding Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. They also discussed how the Senate can continue to better support our ally through military, economic, and humanitarian assistance. "As Putin's military continues to attack, innocent Ukrainians are forced to flee and f… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Judicial Nominees In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Rachel Bloomekatz, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, and Florence Y. Pan, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. Durbin centered his questions on Bloomekatz's and Pan's support from conservative organizations and leaders as a nominee chosen by the Biden … Continue Reading

Durbin Investigation Finds More Than 750,000 Kids Have Picked Up Vaping Since FDA's Missed Deadline To Regulate E-Cigarettes

WASHINGTON - Following an investigation by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) of multiple health surveys and retail sales data, Durbin announced findings that more than 750,000 children have started to use e-cigarettes over the last nine months, in the period of time during which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has defied a court order to regulate all e-cigarettes on the market. This examination was based upon data from the National Institute of Health's Monitoring the Future su… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Latest Nominations Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Rachel Bloomekatz, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Florence Y. Pan, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit; Elizabeth Wilson Hanes, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia; Ana C. Reyes, to be United States Dis… Continue Reading