Durbin Questions Illinois 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 John Z. Lee, nominated to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, and Salvador Mendoza Jr., nominated to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. During the hearing, Durbin highlighted their extensive qualifications and asked them about their unique life experiences. Judge Lee came to this coun… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Latest Nominations Hearing Featuring Two Illinois Judicial Nominees

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 John Z. Lee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, Salvador Mendoza Jr. to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, Stephen Henley Locher to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa, Nancy L. Maldonado to be United States District Judge for … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Support For Community Policing Funding, Law Enforcement Officer Mental Health Resources With President Of Major Cities Chiefs Association

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met virtually with Chief Jeri Williams, President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA). During their meeting, Durbin and Williams discussed the challenges of officer recruitment and retention, particularly with regards to mental health assistance. Durbin and Williams also discussed the importance of confirming federal law enforcement positions to aid state and local officers. "The trau… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Fermilab Director

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Fermilab Director Lia Merminga to discuss basic science research and projects at Fermilab like the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE). Durbin secured $189 million for LBNF/DUNE in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus appropriations bill Congress passed in March. "National labs, like Illinois' own Fermilab, have pushed the boundaries of scientific discovery with unmatched dedica… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Meet With United Counties Council Of Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with members of the United Counties Council of Illinois to discuss how the American Rescue Plan is impacting communities in Illinois. During their conversation, the Senators received an update on the $14 billion allocated to Illinois through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery (SLRF) Program to aid counties and municipalities in covering pandemic costs, replacing lost revenue, and investi… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With 'I Am ALS' Founders

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with 'I Am ALS' founders and Illinois constituents Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya to discuss increased federal funding for ALS research and the latest developments regarding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) implementation of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act (ACT for ALS). ACT for ALS directs the NIH and FDA to make grants to clinical trial… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Colleagues To Support The Women's Health Protection Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor on the future of Roe v. Wade following the leak of the Supreme Court's draft majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. "Last week, Americans woke up to the news that was perhaps not unexpected but still stunning. It appears that in a matter of weeks, we may soon live in a country where women have fewer constitutional rights than their pare… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Secretary Of The Army And Chief Of Staff Of The Army At Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today questioned Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Chief of Staff of the Army General James McConville at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing about the Army's Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget request. Durbin began his questioning asking about the importance of keeping our military nonpartisan. "There's always been an effort to keep a bright line between our mi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $4.8 Million For Runway Improvements At Quincy Regional Airport

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $4.85 million in federal funding awarded to Quincy Regional Airport from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) to support the airport's runway reconstruction project. "Today's funding will help improve service, safety, and efficiency at Quincy Regional Airport, which is a critical economic engine and transportation link for Western Illinois," Durbin said. "Senator Du… Continue Reading

In Speech On The Senate Floor, Durbin Highlights Impact Of American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law In Creating American Jobs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor praising the Biden Administration for the uptick in American jobs shown in the April 2022 jobs report and the unemployment rate of 3.6 percent, which reflects pre-pandemic levels. During his remarks, Durbin highlighted the efforts of Congressional Democrats and President Biden in passing the American Rescue Plan to provide relief to families and small businesses and Democrats' leadership succes… Continue Reading

Durbin: There Will Be A Victory Day Parade In Ukraine To Honor The Valiant Ukrainians

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor to condemn Vladimir Putin's cynical Victory Day speech, in which Putin tried to justify the heinous war crimes he has committed against Ukraine. Durbin also praised First Lady Dr. Jill Biden's visit with Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska in Ukraine on Mother's Day. The visit further strengthened relations between the U.S. and Ukraine. Durbin said, "Putin disgraced hims… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley, Cardin Press DOJ On Egregious Conditions At Prison Facility In Nation's Capitol

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; and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) are pressing the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the egregiously bad conditions at the District of Columbia Central Detention Facility (CDF), which is operated by the D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC). A surprise October 2021 inspection of CDF by the U.S. Marshals Service (USM… Continue Reading

Durbin, Schakowsky Call For Passage Of Bipartisan INFORM Consumers Act

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) today joined consumer protection advocates and local business leaders to call for the passage of their bipartisan Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act. This legislation would combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by ensuring transparency and verification of high-volume third-party sellers in online r… Continue Reading

Durbin, Brown Introduce Legislation To Clarify Critical Tool For Holding Human Rights Violators Accountable

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today introduced the Alien Tort Statute Clarification Act, legislation which will expressly state that the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) applies extraterritorially. This clarification will ensure that foreign national victims can hold perpetrators within the jurisdiction of the United States accountable for human rights violations that occur abroad. "It is impe… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Boeing Decision To Move Headquarters From Chicago

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding Boeing's plans to move its headquarters from Chicago to Washington, D.C.: "Boeing's decision to leave Illinois is incredibly disappointing-every level of government in our state has worked to make Chicago and Illinois the perfect home for Boeing's headquarters for the past 20 years. We are working together to ensure Boeing leadership both understand… Continue Reading

On Senate Floor, Durbin Proposes Solutions To Cut Costs For Working Americans

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted solutions Congress can implement to help American families save money. Due to inflation caused by Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine and rising COVID cases in China, every day Americans are feeling the brunt of rising prices for gas, groceries, and housing. During his speech, Durbin highlighted ways to cut gas prices, including implementing President Biden's emergency fuel waiver allowing… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances U.S. Attorney, Bipartisan Competition Legislation

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nomination of S. Lane Tucker, to be United States Attorney for the District of Alaska, by voice vote. The Committee also advanced S. 977, No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2021, by a vote of 17-4. Ahead of votes, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke to the recently leaked draft opinion which, if adopted as is by the Supreme Court's conservative majority, would over… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce New Federal Funding To Expand Services At School-Based Health Centers In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that four Illinois community health centers have been awarded a total of $800,000 in federal funding to support school-based services in the Chicagoland area, Rockford, and in Southern Illinois. The funding, awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA), will support local partnerships between schools and health centers to provide students and families with comprehensive physical and m… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Chinese Ambassador To The U.S.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today met with Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang to discuss Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine. Although China claims to oppose the war and support international law and territorial sovereignty, China has refused to condemn Russia's invasion. Durbin also reiterated his support for Lithuania as the nation faces economic pressure from the Chinese government for improving diplomatic ties… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Stabenow Secure Increase In Federal Cost Share For Brandon Road Project In The 2022 Water Resources Development Act

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announced that they secured another increase to the federal cost share for the Brandon Road Project in the 2022 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) that was passed out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works today. Under the provision, the federal government will fund 90 percent of the construction of the project designed to prevent As… Continue Reading