Durbin, Leahy, Brown, Malinowski Urge President Of Turkmenistan To Release Country's Political Prisoners

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along with U.S. Representative Tom Malinowski (D-NJ-7), today sent a letter to President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow to urge him to release detained political prisoners, including journalist Nurgeldi Halykov, physician Dr. Khursanai Ismatullaeva, and activist Gulgeldy Annaniyazov. "We write with interest as Turkmenistan pursues an ambitious agenda… Continue Reading

Durbin: It Is Time For New Leadership At The Bureau Of Prisons

WASHINGTON - Following release of a report by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) that found that the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has failed to negotiate with the prison guard union for more than 20 months, leading to the delay of more than 30 critical BOP policies to help protect BOP staff and inmates, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today reiterated his call for Attorney General Merrick Garland to replace BOP Directo… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $13.5 Million For Springfield Rail Improvement Project

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the City of Springfield has been awarded $13.5 million in federal funding for the Springfield Rail Improvement Project, which will alleviate rail congestion and improve safety. Today's investment, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) RAISE grant program, will support new underpasses at Madison and Jefferson Streets along the new Transportation Center. The project will significan… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Secretary Mayorkas In Senate Judiciary Committee DHS Oversight Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at the Senate Judiciary Committee DHS oversight hearing. Durbin asked Secretary Mayorkas what the status is of the children who are still separated from their parents due to former President Trump's immoral and inhumane zero-tolerance policy. "President Biden's Interagency Task Force on the Reunification… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing DHS Oversight 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 oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Durbin spoke about the chaos that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas inherited after four years of the Trump Administration, as well as Congress' responsibility to fix our nation's broken immigration system. He continued to push DHS to do more to thwart domest… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On AG Garland To Dismiss BOP Director Carvajal

WASHINGTON - Following an Associated Press investigation that found that the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a "hotbed of abuse, graft and corruption, and has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct," U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland to replace BOP Director Michael Carvajal, who was appointed during the Trump Administration: "Director Carva… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On President Biden Signing Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Into Law

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: "The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will rebuild America's roads and bridges and make investments to improve transit and rail. It will also provide clean drinking water to households in need, help Americans connect to high-speed broadband, and start addressing the challenges of the climate crisi… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On President Biden Signing Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Into Law

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: "The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will rebuild America's roads and bridges and make investments to improve transit and rail. It will also provide clean drinking water to households in need, help Americans connect to high-speed broadband, and start addressing the challenges of the climate crisi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $1.6 Million In Telehealth Funding For Illinois Health Care Providers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that four Illinois health care providers have been awarded $1,609,855 in federal funding to improve and expand telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants are part of Round 2 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was established as part of the CARES Act and continued under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. "This federal funding will … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Nomination Of LaDon Reynolds To Serve As U.S. Marshal For The Northern District Of Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement on President Biden nominating LaDon Reynolds to serve as U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois: "We applaud President Biden for nominating a seasoned law enforcement veteran in LaDon Reynolds to serve in this important role. Since 1994, Chief Reynolds has held several high-ranking positions for the Oak … Continue Reading

Durbin, Senate, And House Dems Object To Johnson & Johnson Bankruptcy Maneuver, Demand Answers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-12) and Chair of the Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), today sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson objecting to the company's efforts to manipulate bankruptcy laws to evade accountability… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cassidy File NDAA Amendment To Ensure Greater Transparency For Third-Party Sellers Of Consumer Products Online

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by ensuring transparency of high-volume third-party sellers in online retail marketplaces. The amendment consists of the text of H.R. 5502, which represents the most recent negotiated version of The Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces fo… Continue Reading

Durbin: COP26 Is An Opportunity For The U.S. To Take Bold Steps Addressing Climate Crisis

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about the global significance of the United States' participation in the U.N.'s 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) climate summit in Glasgow. In his remarks, Durbin praised President Biden for reaffirming the U.S.' position as a global leader in the fight against climate change. "This gathering is an opportunity for the United States and our allies to come together - for the first time in years- around a … Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances Bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration Of Sexual Assault And Sexual Harassment Act of 2021

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed out of committee the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021. The bill ensures that survivors of sexual assault and harassment can choose to bring a case in court instead of being forced into secret arbitration proceedings where the deck is stacked against them. The bill will give these survivors the chance to make their case in public, and will ensure that abusers and those who enabled the… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On 50th Anniversary Of Local Amtrak Service In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement commemorating the 50th anniversary of the daily Illinois Zephyr, the longest operating state-sponsored Amtrak train in the Illinois network. The train connects Quincy, Macomb, Galesburg, Kewanee, Princeton, and Mendota with Chicago and its suburbs: "The Illinois Zephyr means a lot to the communities it serves, especially for college students, tourism, and economic development. For 50 years, this… Continue Reading

Ahead Of Discharge Vote, Durbin Urges Colleagues To Support Nomination Of Jennifer Sung To The Ninth Circuit

WASHINGTON - Ahead of her discharge vote on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke in support of the nomination of Jennifer Sung to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin highlighted Ms. Sung's extensive experience. Ms. Sung received a 10-10 vote to advance out of Committee. Under the provisions of S. Res. 27, Leader Schumer had to file a discharge motion on Ms. Sung's n… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Republican Filibuster Of John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after Senate Republicans filibustered a procedural vote to move to consideration of the bipartisan John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: "Four times this year, Republican Senators have used the filibuster to prevent this Senate from even debating voting rights. What has become of the Party of Lincoln? The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Designate New Philadelphia, Illinois A National Historical Park

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) this week introduced legislation that would designate the original town of New Philadelphia, Illinois, as a National Historical Park. New Philadelphia, now incorporated into Barry, Illinois, in Pike County, was the first town platted and legally registered by an African American, Frank McWorter. Founded in 1836, New Philadelphia's population peaked in 1865 as home to 29 households and 160 people. By 188… Continue Reading

Ahead Of Motion To Proceed On John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Durbin Urges Senate To Preserve Right To Vote

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, took to the Senate floor today, on the one-year anniversary of the 2020 election, to urge his Senate colleagues to support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to protect every American's right to vote and allow the Senate to debate this critical legislation. During his speech, Durbin called out states' rampant attempts to suppress the vote while peddling former President Trump's "Big L… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Judge Sanchez, Nominated To Ninth Circuit, In 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, asked Judge Gabriel Sanchez, nominated to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, to describe his approach to judicial decision-making and how he will continue to be impartial and rule evenhandedly in all cases that come before him. "When cases come before you… what standard will you use?" Durbin asked. J… Continue Reading