Press Releases
Durbin Statement On Court Of International Trade Striking Down President Trump's Tariff Tax
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Court of International Trade (CIT) issued a unanimous opinion striking down President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs. In reaching its conclusion, the court held that President Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in issuing the tariffs on the basis of purported national emergencies relating to fentanyl trafficking and the threat of … Continue Reading
May 27, 2025
Durbin Requests Information from FDA on How the Agency Will Regulate Prescription Drug Advertisements Following Cuts
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary requesting information on FDA’s capacity to carry out its mission to regulate direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements for prescription drugs in light of recent workforce reductions. Durbin has introduced bipartisan bills to address the harms from DTC drug advertising, by requiring price disclosures and cracking down on misleading promotions … Continue Reading
May 23, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Celebrate State Of Illinois Closing On Land Needed To Continue Construction Of Brandon Road Project
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today celebrated the State of Illinois closing on the acquisition of a nearly 50-acre parcel of property in Will County needed for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a federal project designed to prevent invasive carp from accessing the Great Lakes. The property, which includes riverbed access forthe Brandon Road lock, was donated to the state by Midwest Generation LLC. The Brandon Road Project … Continue Reading
May 23, 2025
Durbin Discusses Legislation To Combat Crypto ATM Fraud In Illinois
CHICAGO — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a press conference at SEIU Healthcare alongside consumer advocates to discuss his amendment to legislation currently being considered in the Senate to establish federal rules for stablecoins—a form of cryptocurrency. Durbin’s amendment is based on his Crypto ATM Fraud Prevention Act, which seeks to crack down on cryptocurrency scams by strengthening protections around crypto ATM transactions and increasing transparency from … Continue Reading
May 23, 2025
Durbin, Murkowski Reintroduce Legislation To Bolster Crime Fund
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act. The bill bolsters the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, which supports state victim compensation and assistance programs. The legislation would transfer residual funds collected through the False Claims Act (FCA), which are currently directed to … Continue Reading
May 23, 2025
After Health Secretary Kennedy Claims Ignorance Of Cuts To Medical Research, Durbin Pens Letter To NIH Director Demanding Answers
WASHINGTON - Following repeated claims of ignorance by Trump Administration officials during Committee hearings, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies, sent a letter to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), requesting specific information on cancelled and paused grant funding for ALS, childhood cancers, Alzheimer’s Disease, … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Durbin Statement On Republicans Voting To Overrule The Senate Parliamentarian
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding Senate Republicans voting to overrule a decision by the Senate Parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), therefore eliminating longstanding guardrails and paving the way for a future Senate majority to overrule the Parliamentarian to achieve its partisan goals. Last month, the Senate Parliamentarian, after analyzing the GAO’s opinion, ruled that Senate Republicans … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Durbin Announces Hold On The Nomination Of The U.S. Attorney For The Southern District Of Florida
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced that he is holding the nomination of Jason Reding Quiñones to be a United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, as well as leaving open the possibility of holds on future U.S. Attorney nominees. During last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting, Durbin noted that because of then-Senator J.D. Vance holding U.S. Attorney … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Durbin Questions Executive Branch Nominees During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Joseph Edlow, nominated to be the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); Elliot Gaiser, nominated to be the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC); John Squires, nominated to be the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); and … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during today’s Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting where he extended his thoughts and prayers to the two individuals, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were shot and killed last night outside of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. Durbin reiterated that violence has no place in our society and must be prosecuted to … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Durbin, Hawley Reintroduce Bill Combatting Online Child Sexual Abuse Material
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) reintroduced the STOP CSAM Act. The legislation will crack down on the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online by allowing victims of child sexual exploitation to sue companies that promoted or facilitated the exploitation, or that host or store CSAM or make it available. It will also support victims and increase transparency for … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Durbin Calls Out Republican Colleagues For Their Silence Around President Trump And His Family Profiting Off Of The Presidency
WASHINGTON - Shortly after the U.S. formally accepted a private jet as a gift from the royal family of Qatar as a new Air Force One for President Trump, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was on the Senate floor slamming this decision as just the latest in a long line of shady dealings by President Trump and his family. “Republicans have claimed for years that Joe Biden, during his administration and his time as Vice President, … Continue Reading
May 22, 2025
Durbin Statement On House Republicans Passing Their Billionaire Tax Giveaway Bill, Stripping Services From Americans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement slamming House Republicans for passing their reconciliation bill—legislation that will pay for tax breaks for billionaires at the expense of working families: “Republicans’ reconciliation bill dismantles the American Dream and strips health care, food assistance, and more away from millions of hardworking Americans. Republicans are taking a chainsaw to critical services that American families depend … Continue Reading
May 21, 2025
As Trump Administration Slashes Medical Research Funding, Durbin Underscores The Long-Term Impact It Will Have On Americans' Health
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today participated in a spotlight hearing on the Trump Administration’s drastic cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The forum, which was hosted by U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), detailed the dangerous outcomes of slashing funding for medical research and gutting federal agencies committed to public health. Durbin began by asking the panelists about what happens to researchers … Continue Reading
May 21, 2025
Durbin, Graham, Reps. Ocasio-Cortez & Lee Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Combat Non-Consensual, Sexually-Explicit Deepfake Imagery
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and U.S. Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL-15) today reintroduced the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act(DEFIANCE Act), bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would grant survivors the right to take civil action against individuals who knowingly produce, distribute, … Continue Reading
May 21, 2025
Durbin Warns Republicans Against Their Plan To Overrule The Senate Parliamentarian
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today cautioned his Senate Republican colleagues from overruling a decision by the Senate Parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which would eliminate longstanding guardrails and pave the way for a future Senate majority to overrule the Parliamentarian to achieve its partisan goals. Last month, the Senate Parliamentarian, after analyzing the GAO’s opinion, ruled that Senate … Continue Reading
May 21, 2025
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Nominations Hearing On Four Executive. Branch Nominees
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Joseph Edlow, to be Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); Elliot Gaiser, to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC); John Squires, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United … Continue Reading
May 21, 2025
Senate Passes Durbin's Bipartisan Resolution Honoring The Four American Service Members Who Died In Lithuania
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, today commended the unanimous Senate passage of his bipartisan resolution honoring the four American soldiers—including one Illinoisan—who were stationed in Lithuania and tragically died in March while on a mission to recover a vehicle immobilized during a training exercise. The soldiers include Staff Sergeant Jose Dueñez Jr. from Joliet, Illinois; Staff Sergeant Edvin F. Franco; Staff … Continue Reading
May 20, 2025
Durbin Questions Witnesses In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Defending Against Drones
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Defending Against Drones: Setting Safeguards for Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Authorities.” Today’s hearing highlighted the growing use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, and how Congress can strike the right balance in response. It also examined the existing statutory … Continue Reading
May 20, 2025
In An Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing, Durbin Presses Secretary Rubio On The U.S.'s Response To The Humanitarian Crisis In Gaza
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today participated in a Subcommittee hearing entitled “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of State.” During the hearing, Durbin questioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza and whether the response from the State Department has been adequate. According to UN estimates, 14,000 babies in Gaza … Continue Reading