Durbin, Moran, Colleagues: Include NIH Research Funding In Next COVID-19 Relief Package

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) led 22 of their colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urging for $15.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to be included in a fourth COVID-19 relief package to avoid significant harm to the research pipeline in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than $10 billi… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Postal Service Delays With National Association Of Letter Carriers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando about the operational changes leading to significant delays in mail delivery. On the call, Durbin and Rolando discussed the measures enacted by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that are prohibiting the United States Postal Service (USPS) from effectively operating and delivering medications, social security benefits, and packages. Last month, Postmaster General D… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Normal Mayor Chris Koos During Hearing For Nomination To Serve On Amtrak Board Of Directors

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced Normal, Illinois, Mayor Chris Koos at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing for his nomination to serve on the Amtrak Board of Directors. Durbin praised Koos for his understanding of the importance of Amtrak's national network to the Midwest and said he would bring a unique and needed experience to Amtrak's board. "[Chris] is an Amtrak passenger…and a small business man in the Normal community. He always wants to keep people mov… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Must Fund The United States Postal Service

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor today to call out United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's decision to eliminate overtime for United States Postal Service (USPS) workers, which has increased delays in mail delivery, and strained the ability of USPS employees to perform an essential service to millions of Americans, especially those living in rural areas. In his speech, Durbin expressed support for USPS workers who continue to perform a c… Continue Reading

Senate Passes Durbin, Rubio, Cardin Bipartisan Resolution Calling For Free, Fair, & Transparent Election In Belarus

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution, introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD), which calls for a free, fair, and transparent presidential election in Belarus taking place on August 9, 2020, including the unimpeded participation of all presidential candidates. Long-term strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenko has ruled Belarus as an undemocratic dictatorship amid a series of flawed elections going back to 1994. In the most recent … Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Senate To Expand Health Care Workforce To Meet Nationwide Challenges Highlighted By COVID-19 In Next Relief Bill

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged the Senate to include in the next COVID-19 relief package a bipartisan bill he introduced with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) that would provide a historic investment in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Nurse Corps, and National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) programs to bolster health emergency surge capacity and restore the pipeline of physicians, nurses, and other health professionals to address existing health workforce shortages… Continue Reading

Senator Rick Scott Blocks Durbin, Lee Compromise To Protect Immigrant Workers & Children In The Green Card Backlog

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today attempted to pass legislation to protect immigrant workers and children who are stuck in the green card backlog. Durbin accepted a compromise proposal from Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), which would make several key reforms that were not in Lee's original Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, including: Early filing to protect immi… Continue Reading

Durbin To Esper: Justify Why Troops Will Be Removed From Germany

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today pressed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to provide a coherent, definitive justification for President Trump's decision to remove nearly 12,000 American service members from Germany. In a letter to Secretary Esper, Durbin said the policy argument to remove troops from Germany - a NATO ally - seems to be counterproductive grudge to punish Germany for the size of its military bud… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Create National Heritage Area In Chicago's Bronzeville Community

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced a bill that would create a National Park Service (NPS) National Heritage Area in the greater Bronzeville community of Chicago. The Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Act would create a National Heritage Area from 18th Street to the North, 71st Street to the South, Lake Michigan to the East, and Canal Street to the West-approximately five miles south of downtown. This area would tell the st… Continue Reading

Durbin: Russian Interference In Our Elections Is A Threat To Our Democracy

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Oversight of the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation: Day 2," which featured former Deputy Attorney General (AG) and Acting AG Sally Yates, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed Michael Flynn's inappropriate behavior and communications with Russia both before and after the 2016 election. Durbin also warned about ongoing attempts to interfere in the upcoming 2020 general election. Last month, American intell… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Call On Trump Administration To Deliver Remaining Economic Impact Payments To Illinoisans

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today, in a letter to Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig, called for the delivery of remaining Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) to Illinois constituents as soon as possible. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, as many as 392,000 adults and children in Illinois will not receive their EIP automatically, amounting to $401 million in unclaimed … Continue Reading

Durbin Slams President Trump & Senate Republican Proposal Conditioning Federal Funds To Schools On Reopening In-Person

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), today during a speech on the Senate floor, slammed President Trump and Senate Republicans for attempting to condition education funds in the next coronavirus relief package on the reopening of elementary and secondary schools for in-person instruction. Durbin instead urged his colleagues to pass the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act, which provides $175 billion to elementary and secondary schools to help meet technology, cleaning, staf… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Joint Resolution To Enshrine Right To Vote In U.S. Constitution

WASHINGTON - Ahead of the 55th anniversary of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Rules Committee, introduced a joint resolution that would finally enshrine an explicit, individual right to vote in the U.S. Constitution, and protect all Americans who seek to exercise this fundamental right. Specifically, Durbin's amendment would: Provide an affirmative right to vote for every American ci… Continue Reading

Durbin: Instead Of Focusing On Real Threat Posed By White Supremacist Violence, Trump Admin Continues To Try To Vilify Protestors

WASHINGTON - Following the one year anniversary of the racist and anti-immigrant attack at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, by a white supremacist, who killed 23 people and wounded another 23, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed Ken Cuccinelli, the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), and Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas and C… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Support School-Based Mentoring Programs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced the Mentoring to Succeed Act, legislation that increases support for school-based mentoring programs in order to help at-risk youth thrive in their schools, careers, and life. The bill would invest in mentoring programs that help students overcome adversity and trauma and develop the workforce skills employers are seeking. Specifically, the Mentoring to Succeed Act would establish a five-year, competitive … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Bill To Rename Will County Post Office In Honor Of Larry Walsh Sr.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation to rename the U.S. Post Office facility located at 303 E. Mississippi Ave. in Elwood, Illinois, after former Will County Executive Lawrence M. "Larry" Walsh Sr. Walsh, who passed away at the age of 72 on June 3, 2020, after a brave fight with prostate cancer, began his career in public service at the age of 21. For the next 50 years, Walsh served on the school board, in the Illinois State Senate, and as Will County execut… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Call For Safe Release And Return Of Mark Frerichs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today, in a letter to President Donald Trump, called for the timely and safe release and return of American citizen Mark Frerichs, who was abducted earlier this year in Afghanistan. Frerichs, originally from Illinois and a Veteran of the U.S. Navy, has spent nearly ten years living in and working as an independent contractor in Afghanistan. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Frerichs was abducted on or… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls For Resignation Of Principal Deputy Under Secretary Of Education Diane Auer Jones

WASHINGTON- Following the release of a report from the House Education and Labor Committee on its investigation into the Department of Education's handling of Dream Center Education Holding's (DCEH) accreditation misrepresentation at its Illinois Institute of Art and Colorado Art Institute campuses, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement calling for the resignation of Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Education Diane Auer Jones: "Under Secretary Jones, a former… Continue Reading

Durbin, Hirono, Colleagues To McConnell: Immigrants Are Essential & Deserve Support In COVID-19 Relief Legislation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), and 24 of his Senate colleagues in a letter urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to support tax-paying immigrant families who have Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) by ensuring they have access to economic relief payments provided in the CARES Act and any future coronavirus relief package. An estimated 20 million immigrants work in essential industries. Many o… Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Urge Senate To Reject Conditioning Federal Funds To Schools On Reopening In-Person

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 29 of his Senate colleagues, today urged Senate leadership to reject the Trump Administration's desire to condition education funds in the next coronavirus relief package on the reopening of elementary and secondary schools for in-person instruction. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Appropriations Vice Chairman … Continue Reading