Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing On The Department Of Justice

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 entitled, "Oversight of the Department of Justice." In his opening statement, Durbin argued that the Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland has returned to its traditional and proper role-it is no longer the personal law firm of a sitting President, but rather the country's leading defender of the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Secure $66.5 Million For Chicago O’Hare, Peoria, And St. Louis Airport Renovations

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth today announced a combined $66.5 million in federal funding for Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Peoria International Airport, and St. Louis Downtown Airport from theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Airport Terminal Program (ATP). Chicago O'Hare International Airport, awarded $50,000,000, will use these funds to rehabilitate and expand the 60-year-old Terminal 3. This is the largest grant amo… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Train Derailments And Union Agreements With CSC CEO

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Joe Hinrichs, CEO of CSX Transportation, to discuss the recent derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, and preventing future hazardous derailments. Durbin heard from Hinrichs about what additional safety measures could be implemented to alert conductors of potential malfunctions. The meeting concluded with Durbin and Hinrichs discussing the need to support improved working conditions for rail emplo… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With CDC Director Walensky

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky to discuss the work being done at CDC to address the youth vaping epidemic, as well as efforts to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma at the root of community violence. Durbin and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act, a bipartisan bill to incr… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois Chapters Of Boys And Girls Club Of America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with leaders of Illinois chapters of the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) to discuss academic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, youth mentoring, and student mental and physical well-being. During their meeting, Durbin learned more about BGCA's after-school programing that focuses on addressing students' academic needs as well as health and wellness. "The Boys and Girls Club of America serve nearly four million youth… Continue Reading

Durbin, Thune Urge Biden To Prioritize E15 Fuel, Utilize American Agriculture

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in urging President Biden to permit the year-round sale of E15 fuel in 2023 in order to reduce the United States' reliance on foreign sources of energy and utilize American agriculture as an energy solution. The Senators note that American biofuels are a clean and reliable energ… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses During Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Equal Rights Amendment

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "The Equal Rights Amendment: How Congress Can Recognize Ratification and Enshrine Equality in Our Constitution." At today's hearing, the witnesses testified to the necessity of enshrining gender equality into law and Congress' role in ERA ratification. Durbin first asked Kathleen Sullivan, Senior Counsel at Quinn Eman… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Equal Rights Amendment

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 entitled, "The Equal Rights Amendment: How Congress Can Recognize Ratification and Enshrine Equality in Our Constitution." The witnesses will testify to the necessity of enshrining gender equality into law and Congress' role in ERA ratification. Key quotes: "It was a long time ago, many years, I was a young lawyer on… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Recent CODEL To The Munich Security Conference, Georgia, And Romania

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor highlighting his recent trip to the Munich Security Conference, as well as the countries of Georgia and Romania. Durbin began his speech by reflecting on the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and President Biden's recent trip to Kyiv. "Last week the world saw a stark contrast in global leadership. First, Presidents Bi… Continue Reading

Durbin Visits Erie Family Health Centers To Highlight Efforts To Lower Prescription Drug Costs And Address Health Care Workforce Shortages

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Erie Family Health Centers to discuss efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs and address workforce shortages in the health care industry. "The hardships on patients and health care providers from the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate the importance of places like Erie Family Health," Durbin said. "From helping their patients access discounted medications to providing quality care, Erie continues to be a beacon of hope for… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of Russia's War on Ukraine

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022: "One year ago today, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, an ill-fated throwback to the era when aggressor nations tried to seize their neighbor's territory by force-all in blind pursuit of some warped Soviet nostalgia trip. Pu… Continue Reading

Durbin, DeLauro Continue To Urge FDA Commissioner Califf To Implement Reforms At The Agency’s Human Foods Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) sent a follow-up letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf urging him to make critical reforms within FDA's Human Foods Program. Following the recent external evaluation and report by the Reagan-Udall Foundation, which outlined various flaws at FDA including their slow response to foodborne illness outbreaks, particularly with infant formula, and failure to… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $2 Million For Illinois Institute Of Technology University Transportation Systems

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced the Illinois Institute of Technology's Center for Assured and Resilient Navigation in Advanced Transportation Systems will receive $2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Today's announcement comes through DOT's University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program, which supports colleges and universities' research efforts to advance safe, efficient, and climate-friendly… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Screening Committee, Application Process for Federal District Court in the Central 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 announced that they will begin accepting applications from those interested in serving as a Federal District Court Judge in the Central District of Illinois.  The Senators will be assisted by a screening committee whose task is to review and vet District Court candidates and advise the Senators regarding the candidates’ qualifications and fitness for t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $375,000 For City Of Rockford Through Department Of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program

ROCKFORD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the city of Rockford, Illinois, has been awarded $375,031 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. This is the first round of funding from this program, making Rockford one of the first awardees in the nation. The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program is the first federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues To Urge Biden Administration To Limit Availability Of Junk Health Care Plans

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take immediate action and address short-term limited duration insurance (STLDI) plans, or junk plans, which fail to provide adequate, comprehensive health insurance coverage. In 2018, in an effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Trump … Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker, Armstrong, Jeffries Announce Reintroduction Of Bipartisan Legislation To Eliminate Federal Crack And Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, and U.S. Representatives Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the House Democratic Leader, in announcing the reintroduction of the bipartisan Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act, legislation to eliminate the federal crack and po… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $18 Million From USDA Reconnect Program To Bring High-Speed Internet Access To Communities Across Rural Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $18,066,450 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) ReConnect Grant program to bring high-speed internet access to residents living and working across Warren, Henderson, Hancock, and McDonough counties. "The pandemic exacerbated the digital divide in rural communities across Illinois and the entire nation," said Durbin. "Investing in high-speed interne… Continue Reading

Durbin, Shaheen Announce Congressional Delegation Visit To Georgia & Romania To Underscore Importance Of Black Sea Region

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation and a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statements announcing their travel to Georgia and Romania following their participation in the 2023 Munich Security Forum. During their visit, Durbin and Shaheen will meet with heads … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Krishnamoorthi, Ramirez Urge Surface Transportation Board To Defer Decision On Canadian Pacific And Kansas City Southern Rail Merger Until Further Study Of Impacts On Chicago Region

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) and Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03) today sent a letter to Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Martin Oberman urging the STB to defer any decision on the proposed merger between Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroads until the STB completes a more accurate assessment of the impacts of the merger on the Chicago region. Th… Continue Reading