Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Jobs and the Economy
Durbin to DeVos: Where are gainful employment debt-to-earnings rates?
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and Secretary Betsy DeVos on its development and future public release of the second round of debt-to-earnings rates under the Gainful Employment (GE) Rule. The Gainful Employment Rule, which has been in effect since July 1, 2015, uses debt-to-earnings rates to determine which career education programs meet the statutory requirement that they prepare their students for "gainful … Continue Reading
December 13, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth to Roskam, Shimkus: Put Middle-Income Illinoisans Ahead of Large Corporations as Tax Bill Conferees
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today urged U.S. Representatives Peter Roskam (R-IL-06) and John Shimkus (R-IL-15) - the two members representing Illinois selected to serve on the conference committee tasked with resolving differences between the House and Senate versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act - to reconsider their support for the harmful policies contained in the House version of the Republican Tax Plan and to use their roles as conferee to … Continue Reading
December 05, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Call On President Trump To Swiftly Nominate Head Of Consumer Watchdog Who Will Put Main Street Ahead Of Wall Street
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) ) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to follow the law and swiftly nominate a permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) who will put working families ahead of Wall Street. In their letter, the Senators cited the CFPB's "aggressive enforcement and supervision," which has resulted in $12 billion in relief to 29 million American consumers who were cheated by financial … Continue Reading
November 30, 2017
Durbin: Republican Tax Plan Looks Out For Special Interests & Corporations, Not Working Families
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today blasted Senate Republicans for ramming through a partisan tax plan this week, which will raise taxes on millions of middle-income families in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and corporations. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin explained how the Republican Tax Plan would also cause 13 million Americans to lose their health insurance - and increase individual market premiums by at least ten percent … Continue Reading
November 28, 2017
Durbin: Republican Tax Plan Helps Corporations & Wealthiest Individuals On The Backs Of Working Families
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today blasted Senate Republicans for ramming through a partisan tax plan this week, which will raise taxes on millions of middle-income families in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals and corporations. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin explained how the Republican Tax Plan would also cause 13 million Americans to lose their health insurance - and increase individual market premiums by at least ten percent … Continue Reading
November 21, 2017
Durbin, Leahy Statement On FY18 Defense Appropriations Chairman's Mark
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the release of the Fiscal Year 2018 Defense Appropriations Act. The bill exceeds President Trump's request by $15.3 billion, and exceeds the sequestration caps by $70 billion. This is a step forward, though we remain deeply concerned about the process. So … Continue Reading
November 21, 2017
In New Letters, Durbin, Duckworth Urge Illinois Congressional Republicans To Reconsider Support For GOP Tax Bill
CHICAGO-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed the Republican members of the Illinois congressional delegation to reconsider their support for the House Republican tax plan and the harmful policies within the bill should the House of Representatives be given an opportunity to weigh-in on tax legislation in the future. The House Republican tax plan funds massive tax cuts for the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans by raising taxes on millions of … Continue Reading
November 16, 2017
Durbin Statement On House Passage Of GOP Tax Plan
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Republican tax bill that will finance massive tax cuts for the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans by raising taxes on millions of middle-income families and eliminating vital tax breaks for people in Illinois. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the bill will, on average, increase taxes on every individual making less than $75,000. This … Continue Reading
November 16, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Press Rauner To Weigh In On GOP Tax Plans
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today urged Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to publically weigh-in on the Republican tax plans in the House and Senate and how these plans would impact Illinois families. Both the House and Senate bills would finance massive tax cuts for the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans by raising taxes on millions of middle-income families and eliminating vital tax breaks for people in Illinois. "Given how quickly … Continue Reading
November 15, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Call For Impartial Investigation Into Potential Quid Pro Quo Between Chairman Ajit Pai, Trump Administration, And Sinclair Broadcasting
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined 12 of their Senate colleagues to request the inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) open and investigation into the objectivity and impartiality of the FCC's review of the proposed merger of Sinclair Broadcasting and Tribune Media. "We have strong concerns that the FCC's ongoing review of the proposed merger of Sinclair Broadcasting and Tribune Media may be gained by a series of … Continue Reading
November 15, 2017
Durbin Urges Trump's Task Force On Apprenticeship Expansion To Prioritize Opportunities For At-Risk Youth
WASHINGTON - During National Apprenticeship Week, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed President Trump's Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion to identify programs and policies that will help ensure our nation's most at-risk youth have access to pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship opportunities. In a letter to Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, Chair of the President's Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion, Durbin urged him to prioritize identifying strategies to … Continue Reading
November 14, 2017
Durbin: GOP Tax Plan Will Increase Taxes For Middle-Income Americans & Create $1.5 Trillion Deficit Hole
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today blasted Senate Republicans for ramming through their partisan tax plan, which would hurt working families in Illinois and across the country. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin explained that at the heart of the Republican playbook for how to bankroll massive tax cuts for the wealthy few and the largest corporations is the elimination of three vital tax breaks for working families in this country. The House Republican … Continue Reading
November 13, 2017
Durbin: GOP Tax Plans Benefit the Wealthy on Backs of Middle-Income Families
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted how the tax proposals introduced by Republicans in the House and Senate would eliminate numerous deductions and tax benefits used by middle-income families to reduce their tax bills. Along with eliminating the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, which is used by roughly 1/3 of Illinoisans, Republicans in Congress are also proposing to eliminate deductions for medical expenses and student loan interest - all to give massive cuts to … Continue Reading
November 06, 2017
Durbin: GOP Tax Plan Leaves Illinois Middle Income Families Behind
CRYSTAL LAKE - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined local stakeholders to discuss how the House Republicans' new tax plan would hit Illinois families especially hard, while mostly benefitting corporations and the wealthy. The House Republican proposal reduces the top corporate tax rate while gutting the state and local tax (SALT) deduction - a move that could increase taxes on nearly one-third of all taxpayers in Illinois. The SALT deduction is used by 44 million people nationwide, … Continue Reading
November 02, 2017
Durbin Statement On Republican Tax Plan
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the tax plan released this morning by House Republicans: This plan gives massive tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest individuals while middle class families are left behind. It is based on the mistaken belief that cutting taxes for the wealthiest will benefit everybody else-an assumption that has been proven false each and every time it's been tested. Eliminating state and local tax … Continue Reading
October 30, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth To Rauner: GOP Tax Plan Will Raise Taxes On Hardworking Illinois Families
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to publicly oppose congressional Republican's proposed elimination of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction as part of their tax plan-a move that would increase taxes on nearly one-third of all taxpayers in Illinois. The state and local tax deduction is used by 44 million people nationwide, including by nearly two million Illinoisans, to avoid being taxed twice on their … Continue Reading
October 30, 2017
Durbin: Sinclair-Tribune Mega-Merger Is Not In The Interest Of The American People
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today warned that if the proposed acquisition of the Tribune Media Company (Tribune) by the Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair) is approved, it would threaten diversity and localism in broadcasting, ignore the unique concerns and interests of local audiences, and harm competition. If approved, the merged Sinclair-Tribune company would own or operate 233 stations nationwide and reach 72 percent of U.S. TV households-making it the nation's largest … Continue Reading
October 25, 2017
Durbin: Republicans, Wells Fargo, Equifax, And Big Banks Teamed Up To Rig The System Against American Consumers
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) called out Senate Republicans for voting to repeal a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule that holds big banks and financial institutions accountable for fraud and other misdeeds. The CFPB mandatory arbitration rule, which was set to take full effect next March, would stop financial services companies from using forced arbitration clauses to block consumer class action suits. It also … Continue Reading
October 17, 2017
Durbin: GOP Tax Plan Needs To Look Beyond Board Room And Make Real Investments In The Middle Class
WASHINGTON-In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged his Republican colleagues to put partisanship aside and work with Democrats to craft a fiscally responsible tax reform plan that helps working class families, instead of hurting them. The Republican plan proposes several changes to individual taxes, including eliminating the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, a deduction that is used by one-third of all taxpayers to reduce their tax bill. … Continue Reading
October 16, 2017
Durbin: Republican Tax Plan Will Hurt Illinois Families
CHICAGO - President Trump and Congressional Republicans' new tax plan would benefit the wealthiest of Americans and corporations while hurting Illinois working families, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. The plan proposes several changes to individual taxes, including eliminating the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, a deduction that is used by one-third of all taxpayers to reduce their tax bill. In 2018 under the Republican plan, half of all tax breaks will go to the top 1% … Continue Reading