Press Releases
Durbin, Duckworth Meet With President Of Loyola University Chicago
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Dr. Mark Reed, President of Loyola University Chicago, to discuss funding for educational institutions in Illinois. The Senators and Dr. Reed also spoke about Loyola University Chicago's efforts to serve low-income students and student of color and boosting federal funds for Pell Grants to mitigate financial barriers for those seeking an education. Durbin expressed his support for… Continue Reading
02.01.23
Durbin Deems New Department Of Justice Solitary Confinement Report “Deeply Disturbing,” Announces Legislative Actions
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on today's troubling Department of Justice report on the use of solitary confinement in federal facilities: "Rehabilitation - and preparing adults in custody for successful reentry into society - is the ultimate goal of our criminal justice system. Today's deeply disturbing report by the Department of Justice highlights the Bureau of Prison's failure to accomplish … Continue Reading
02.01.23
Durbin Joins Prosecutor General Of Ukraine At Georgetown Law To Demand Justice For Ukraine
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered remarks at Georgetown Law Center's event titled, "Justice for Ukraine: A Conversation with the Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin." In addition to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Kostin, Durbin was joined by Ambassador Beth Van Schaack, U.S. Department of State Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice. Durbin, Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and a graduate of G… Continue Reading
02.01.23
Durbin Leads Bipartisan Group Of Senators Urging HHS To Address Repeated Failures At FDA To Regulate E-Cigarettes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led a bipartisan letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra condemning the delays by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate e-cigarettes, failure to enforce the law and take action against companies marketing illegal vaping products, and the harm to children's health from the agency's inaction. FDA is currently 16 months past a court-ordered deadline to finish reviewing e-cigare… Continue Reading
02.01.23
Durbin, Grassley, Padilla Meet With BOP Director Peters
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), met with Colette Peters, Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to discuss sexual misconduct by BOP personnel and the Department of Justice's (DOJ) efforts to root out staff misconduct at BOP. The meeting followed letters that Durbin, Grassley, Padilla, and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) sent to DOJ seeking information … Continue Reading
01.31.23
Durbin, Shaheen, Boozman, Coons, Cassidy Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Increase U.S. Exports To Africa
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Boozman (R-AR), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) today introduced bipartisan legislation to improve America's competiveness throughout the African continent and in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Increasing American Jobs through Greater Exports to Africa Act will force better coordination between U.S. government agencies and departments, establish comprehensive strategic goals… Continue Reading
01.31.23
Durbin Joins Colleagues To Unveil Resolution Affirming Ratification Of The Equal Rights Amendment
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AR) and U.S. Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), Cori Bush (D-MO-01), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) to announce the introduction of a bicameral, joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment… Continue Reading
01.31.23
Durbin Slams Speaker Mccarthy, House Republicans For Inadequate Solutions To Address The Debt Ceiling
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to slam Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and House Republicans for using the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip at the expense of federal programs that Americans rely on. In his remarks, Durbin explained that Republicans' lackluster solutions to the budget deficit will only harm constituents by cutting social security or slashing medical research funding. "To…finally become Speaker, Kevin McCarthy made… Continue Reading
01.31.23
Durbin Presses The Justice Department To Investigate And Curb Child Sexual Exploitation On Twitter
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Department of Justice to take all appropriate actions to investigate, deter, and stop reported child sexual exploitation on Twitter's platform. Durbin's letter builds on his efforts to hold Twitter accountable for the platform's deteriorating protections to ensure child safety, which he asked Mr. Musk about in December - a letter … Continue Reading
01.31.23
Durbin, Duckworth, Davis Announce $7.2 Million for Illinois State Board of Education And Chicago Public Schools For Student Mental Health Services
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL-07) today announced the awarding of two federal grants totaling $7.2 million to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Chicago Public Schools for increasing student mental health and trauma-informed care services in schools across the state. These grants were awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through th… Continue Reading
01.30.23
Durbin Applauds Appellate Court Ruling In Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder Case
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the Third Circuit Court of Appeals' rejection of the bankruptcy filing by a shell company created by Johnson & Johnson to dodge nearly 40,000 legal claims related to harm caused by its talc products: "Today's ruling is a step towards justice for the tens of thousands of ovarian cancer and mesothelioma victims who have been denied their day i… Continue Reading
01.30.23
Durbin, DeLauro 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 letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf urging him to make critical reforms within FDA's Human Foods Program. This follows the Reagan-Udall Foundation's recent external evaluation and report, which outlined various flaws at FDA including their slow response to foodborne illness outbreaks, particularly with infant formula, and lack of implementing t… Continue Reading
01.30.23
Durbin Statement on Reported Abuses by Special Counsel Durham
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding a bombshell New York Times report about alleged misconduct by Special Counsel John Durham: "These reports about abuses in Special Counsel Durham's investigation-so outrageous that even his longtime colleagues quit in protest-are but one of many instances where former President Trump and his allies weaponized the Justice Department. "The Justice… Continue Reading
01.27.23
Durbin Statement on Tyre Nichols
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the killing of Tyre Nichols by five former Memphis police officers and the subsequent investigation: "First and foremost: my thoughts are with the family of Tyre Nichols and the Memphis community. As those who were blessed to call Mr. Nichols a family member, friend, or neighbor mourn, we must commit to pursuing justice for his death, which feels… Continue Reading
01.26.23
Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues In Calling On FTC To Investigate Continued Marketing To Kids Of The JR-15 Rifle By Wee 1 Tactical
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 joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Alex Padilla (D-CA), to call on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the continued marketing to children of the "JR-15" rifle by Illinois-based company Wee 1 Tactical. While children under age 18 ca… Continue Reading
01.26.23
Durbin Announces Judiciary Committee Democratic Members For 118th Congress
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced that the following Senators will serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee for the 118th Congress: Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Peter Welch (D-VT). Durbin will once again serve as Chair of the Senate… Continue Reading
01.26.23
Durbin Introduces Legislation To Deny U.S. Visas To Those Who Undermine Free And Fair Elections
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, highlighted new legislation that he's introducing today to deny U.S. visas to foreign government officials who undermine free and fair elections or democratic transfers of power. The bill comes after former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro traveled to Florida to skip his successor's inauguration and the subsequent attack on Brazil's governing institutions … Continue Reading
01.26.23
Durbin, Tillis, Coons, Grassley Introduce Legislation To Improve Coordination Between USPTO And FDA
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish a task force between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve communication and coordination in implementing each agency's activities related to patents. Currently, there is limited collaborat… Continue Reading
01.26.23
Durbin To FDA: Follow The Law, Pull Unauthorized E-Cigarettes From The Market Immediately To Protect America’s Children
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) rebuked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its unacceptable failure to protect children from the dangers of vaping. The agency, which has failed for 16 months to meet a court-ordered deadline of September 9, 2021, to review e-cigarettes, submitted a filing this week disclosing that there will be another six-month delay before FDA completes the premarket review process for the most popular va… Continue Reading
01.26.23
Durbin: We Must Commit To Strong And Sustained Funding Increases For Our Nation’s Medical And Scientific Researchers
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke about the significance of medical research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that has led to major breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, COVID-19, and more. While Durbin emphasized the progress made in the medical field, he called on Congress to continue investing in medical research to ensure that the U.S. … Continue Reading