Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Rural and Agriculture
Senate Passes Durbin, Roberts Legislation To Support Rural EMS Agencies As Part Of Final Farm Bill
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) applauded Senate passage of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, which includes their bill to reauthorize a federal grant program that directly supports rural emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting courses to satisfy certification requirements, and purchasing equipment-for everything from naloxone and first aid kits, to power stretchers … Continue Reading
September 26, 2018
Durbin Brings Nauvoo Paramedic To Rural Summit, Discusses Support For Rural EMS Agencies
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Mark Kennedy, a Critical Care Transport Service Paramedic for the Fire Protection District in Nauvoo, Illinois, to discuss how to address rural health challenges. Mr. Kennedy worked closely with Durbin to craft the Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, a bipartisan bill that reauthorizes a federal grant program at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to directly support public and non-profit rural … Continue Reading
August 08, 2018
In Central Illinois, Durbin Touts Legislation that will Support Rural EMS Agencies
FLANAGAN - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined officials at the Flanagan-Graymont Fire Protection District to discuss his bipartisan legislation, Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, which would reauthorize a federal grant program that directly supports rural emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting courses to satisfy certification requirements, and purchasing equipment, for everything from naloxone and first aid kits, to … Continue Reading
July 24, 2018
Durbin Statement On President Trump's Tariff Aid For Farmers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on President Donald Trump's reported plan to provide emergency aid to farmers who are hurting from the Administration's escalating trade war: Bailouts, tweets, and bragging won't save the lost crop value for our farmers and won't protect their reputations around the world as reliable sellers. The president's scorched earth trade war has put a lot at stake for Illinois and our rural economy. … Continue Reading
June 29, 2018
Senate passes Durbin, Roberts Farm Bill Amendment To Support Rural EMS Agencies
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate passed the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, which included an amendment by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Pat Roberts (R-KS), and cosponsored by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), to reauthorize a federal grant program that directly supports rural emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting courses to satisfy certification requirements, and purchasing … Continue Reading
April 13, 2018
Durbin, Bustos Discuss Impact of Proposed Tariffs with Local Agricultural Leaders
PEORIA - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today met with local agricultural leaders to discuss how President Trump's threats of a trade war would impact Illinois farmers and rural communities. In response to President Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs announced last month, China has announced plans for tariffs on many U.S. commodities, including products that are critical to the Illinois economy, such as soybeans and pork. Illinois is consistently … Continue Reading
April 04, 2018
Durbin Statement On China's Response To President Trump's Tariffs
WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on China's decision to place duties on U.S. imports, including soybeans and pork, in retaliation to President Trump's plan to place tariffs on Chinese goods: "Illinois' farmers now join DACA recipients as the latest victims of President Trump's temper. Illinois is our nation's largest producer of soybeans, and a top producer of pork, and will feel China's retaliation to threats of a trade war … Continue Reading
March 19, 2018
For Second Year In A Row, Durbin Duckworth, LaHood & Bustos Call On President Trump To Support Peoria Ag Lab And Scrap Plans To Shut Its Doors
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL-18) and Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today to call on President Donald Trump to once again scrap plans to close the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Illinois - also known as the Peoria Ag Lab. The Trump Administration's fiscal year 2019 budget proposed closing 12 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service (ARS) … Continue Reading
August 10, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $1 Million In Federal Funding To Help SNAP Participants In Chicago And Aurora Purchase Healthy, Local Foods
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded a total of $1,075,287 in grant funding to Illinois agencies in Chicago and Aurora to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The funding comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program, authorized by the 2014 … Continue Reading
July 24, 2017
Durbin Secures Funding For Peoria Ag Lab In Senate Appropriations Bill
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that funding for the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Illinois was included in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies fiscal year 2018 funding bill. The Trump Administration's budget proposed closing 17 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service … Continue Reading
June 19, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth, LaHood & Bustos Urge President Trump to Scrap Plans to Close Peoria Ag Lab
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL-18) and Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today pressed President Trump to scrap plans to close the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Illinois. The Trump Administration's fiscal year 2018 budget proposed closing 17 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service (ARS) laboratories, including the NCAUR in Peoria. "For nearly … Continue Reading
June 06, 2017
Durbin: Trumpcare Threatens Rural Hospitals and The People Who Depend on Them
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today blasted Congressional Republicans for continuing to push their health care repeal bill even though it would jeopardize rural communities across the country. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Medicaid expansion, the rate of uninsured adults in rural Illinois communities dropped from 17 percent to 8 percent. Today, 97 percent of all kids in Illinois have health insurance. And in rural Illinois … Continue Reading
March 15, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $6 Million For Head Start Programs In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families has awarded a total of $6,273,956 to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs across Illinois. "The Head Start program is the source of countless success stories in Illinois and around the country-it's a stepping stone children need to succeed from elementary school to college and beyond," said Durbin. … Continue Reading
March 15, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $82,000 In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development Throughout Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $82,000 in federal funding for projects in Williamson, Carroll, Brown, and Massac Counties to support rural community development projects. Today's funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), will provide assistance to purchase new police vehicles in Hurst, Illinois, complete handicap accessibility improvements in Lanark, Illinois' city park, purchase a fully-equipped, four-wheel … Continue Reading
March 08, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $4 Million Loan To Expand Broadband Service In Moultrie County
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a $4,000,000 federal loan for the Moultrie Independent Telephone Company (MITCO) to expand broadband service in the Moultrie County area. MITCO will use the funds to make upgrades to fiber service in a portion of its service territory. Today's funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Telecommunications Programs of the Rural Utilities Service. "Without reliable access to … Continue Reading
February 21, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $284,200 In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development In Fulton And Knox Counties
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $284,200 in federal funding for projects in Fulton and Knox Counties to support rural community development projects. Today's funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Community Development Initiative Grant, will provide assistance to construct a new township building and install a new storm siren. "This federal funding will help boost communities in Fulton and Knox Counties, … Continue Reading
February 13, 2017
Durbin Demands Trump Administration Restore Animal Cruelty, Puppy Mill Records On USDA Website
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined a group of 18 Democratic Senators in calling on the Trump Administration to immediately restore animal cruelty information recently purged from the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website. APHIS makes inspection reports for all regulated entities and annual reports submitted by research laboratories available to the public in order to create greater transparency, … Continue Reading
February 06, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $4 Million In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development In Southern Illinois
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $4,198,600 in federal funding for projects in Clay, Crawford, Edgar, Marion, Moultrie, Richland, and Pulaski Counties to support rural community development projects. Today's funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Community Development Initiative Grant, will provide assistance to benefit public safety, water infrastructure, local VFWs, mental health facilities, and more. "This … Continue Reading
January 27, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $820,000 In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development In Southern Illinois
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $820,000 in federal funding for projects in Coles and Menard Counties to support rural community development projects. Today's funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Community Development Initiative Grant, will provide assistance to benefit the Embarras Area Water District and the Greenview Community Fire Protection District. "This federal funding will help boost communities in … Continue Reading
January 24, 2017
Durbin: Repealing Health Care Would Be Detrimental To Hospitals And Rural Communities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called out congressional Republicans for their efforts to repeal health care without any replacement plan to protect all Americans' access to quality health insurance, especially seniors and individuals with pre-existing conditions. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin described his meeting this week with administrators from hospitals across Central Illinois and how devastating repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would be to rural … Continue Reading