Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $116 Million for Public Health Infrastructure in Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $116,754,640 to public health departments in Illinois through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Public Health Infrastructure Grant Program. This funding was made available from President Biden's American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed in 2021 without a single Republican vote. This first-… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges USDA to Update Standards for Commercial Dog Breeding Facilities

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) led 23 of his Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack urging him to update standards for commercial breeding facilities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). In the letter, Durbin calls on Secretary Vilsack to implement the strong standards for veterinary care, housing, and breeding of dogs suggested in Durbin's Puppy Protection Act. "We write to request that the United Sta… Continue Reading

Durbin, Blumenthal, Scanlon Introduce Corporate Crime Database Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05) today introduced the Corporate Crime Database Act, bicameral legislation that requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect, aggregate, analyze, and publish comprehensive data on federal corporate criminal enforcement actions. Currently, there is no comprehensive national data collection on corporate crime and no centralized database of fede… Continue Reading

Durbin: Congress Must Act in the Lame Duck Session to Protect Dreamers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of the Dream Act, spoke on the Senate floor about the urgency of passing the Dream Act before the end of the year to protect Dreamers from deportation. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has allowed hundreds of thousands of Dreamers to thrive in the United States. They are protected from deportation for now, but due to lawsuits by extreme MAGA Republicans, their … Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Amtrak to Restore Passenger Service Between Quincy and Chicago

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to Amtrak leadership vocalizing his concern over Amtrak's recent decision to suspend morning train service between Quincy and Chicago until January 16 and replace it with bus service. In his letter, Durbin emphasized that the suspension of service has serious economic consequences for Illinois constituents, many of whom are now left without transportation to and from their jobs. "I am concerned by Amtrak's recent decis… Continue Reading

Durbin Leads Colleagues in Urging OMB to Follow Through on CHIPS Act Authorizations For Department of Energy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) led 17 of his Senate Democratic colleagues in urging the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure that the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science is given the full amount of authorized funding allocated by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget request. In their letter, the Senators emphasize that properly funding DOE will demonstrate the U.S.' commitment to remaining a leader in global research. "As… Continue Reading

After FTX Collapse, Durbin, Warren, Smith Continue to Press Fidelity On Bitcoin Exposure to Retirement Funds

CHICAGO - In light of the recent implosion of FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tina Smith (D-MN) again urged Fidelity Investments to reconsider their decision to allow 401(k) plan sponsors to offer plan participants exposure to Bitcoin, a highly volatile and risky digital asset. Fidelity is one of the largest 401(k) providers with more than 32 million Americans and 22,000 employers who trust Fidelity Inve… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on New York Times Report Alleging Leak of Hobby Lobby Decision

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding a report by the New York Times that alleges that the outcome of the Supreme Court's decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores was leaked to Rob Schenk, then a prominent anti-abortion leader, "weeks before it was announced," which allowed him "to prepare a public relations push" and tip off the President of Hobby Lobby: "The Senate Judiciary Committee … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on the Justice Department's Appointment of a Special Counsel to Oversee Trump Investigations

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith to oversee two ongoing criminal investigations involving former President Donald Trump, including his role in the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and his improper retention and mishandling of sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida home: "By appointing well-respect… Continue Reading

In Speech On Senate Floor, Durbin Urges Republicans to Join Democrats in Addressing Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor today about our broken immigration system and what Congress must do to fix it after more than 30 years of inaction. Durbin also called on his Republican colleagues to sit down with him on a timely, bipartisan basis to find a compromise on border security and protections for Dreamers. "We need an orderly process for immigration in America, both at the border and off th… Continue Reading

Durbin Receives Updates on Illinois Water Infrastructure Projects From Rock Island Army Corps District Commander

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District Commander Colonel Jesse Curry to receive an update on several Illinois water infrastructure projects, including the restoration of Quincy Bay, the Brandon Road project to protect the Great Lakes from the spread of invasive Asian Carp, and the modernization of Illinois locks and dams through the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP). "Illinois' water infra… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Meet Leaders of Illinois' Predominantly Black Institutions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with the presidents of four Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) in Illinois to discuss federal support for PBI colleges and students. During their meeting, the Senators spoke with the college presidents about ensuring that PBIs receive adequate federal funding, which would help PBIs address capacity building, enrollment declines, and student success outcomes. "Illinois is home to many… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Release of DOJ Guidance on Discharging Student Loans in Bankruptcy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued new guidance to Assistant U.S. Attorneys on the handling of undue hardship claims by student borrowers in bankruptcy proceedings: "For too long, Americans struggling with student loan debt have been effectively unable to use the bankruptcy system to seek a path to financial recovery. That needs to change. Today'… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Speaker Pelosi

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her decision to not seek another term as the House Democratic Leader: "Our nation owes a debt of gratitude for all Speaker Pelosi has accomplished during her remarkable tenure as the first woman Speaker. She kept a diverse caucus united, and served as a fearless check-and-balance during the four years of the Trump presidency. She was instrumental in pushi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Blessing Hospital System Leadership to Discuss Rural Health Challenges

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with Maureen Kahn, CEO of Blessing Health System located in Quincy, Illinois. In their meeting, Durbin, Duckworth, and Kahn spoke about the challenges rural hospitals face, including workforce shortages, the burnout health professionals are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing public health threats. "Day in and day out, we rely on our health care workers, who face in… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances Three U.S. Attorneys, One U.S. Marshal

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Peter D. Leary, to be United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia; McLain J. Schneider, to be United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota; and Leigha Simonton, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, by voice vote. The Committee also advanced David Davis, nominated to be United States Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois, by voice vote. Ahead of the votes, U… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Judiciary Committee Advancing Nomination of David Davis to Serve as U.S. Marshal for the Southern 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 released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of David C. Davis to serve as United States Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois. Based on recommendations made by the screening committee the Senators established in the Southern District, Durbin and Duckworth forwarded the names of individuals to P… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Strains on Families, Hospitals From Current RSV Surge

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor highlighting the dramatic new surge in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)-a respiratory virus that can be especially serious for young children and older adults. During his speech, Durbin called on Congress to provide the resources to get us safely through this current surge, including to address the workforce shortages faced by children's hospitals. He also highlighted an Illinois pediatrician, who had to trave… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Legislation to Incentivize Energy Reductions for Additional Consumer Savings

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Electrification Caucus, introduced the Responsive Energy Demand Unlocks Clean Energy (REDUCE) Act to eliminate states' ability to "opt out" of aggregated demand response. The legislation would allow consumers nationwide to sell their energy reductions into the wholesale market. "Allowing consumers to sell their energy reductions into the wholesale market is an important step toward decarbonizing our energy sector.… Continue Reading

Durbin Praises Senate Advancement of the Respect for Marriage Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today told the story of Amanda, an Illinois social worker who will soon be celebrating her fifth anniversary as a married couple with her wife, Cally. "The two of them have actually been together for eight years, but after the Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell, they decided it was time to tie the knot," Durbin said. "That ruling affirmed their love-and, … Continue Reading