Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Pandemic, For-Profit Colleges with Dr. Miguel Cardona, Biden Nominee for Secretary of Education

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Miguel Cardona, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Education. During their Zoom call, Durbin and Cardona discussed how teacher shortages in Illinois and around the country have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and how Durbin's RETAIN Act would incentivize teacher retention by providing a fully refundable tax credit for teachers, paraprofessionals, mental health providers, and school leaders in Title I scho… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Economic Recovery with Janet Yellen, Biden Nominee for Secretary of the Treasury

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Janet Yellen, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of the Treasury. During their Zoom call, Durbin and Yellen discussed the need to address the COVID-19 pandemic's economic devastation and how to ensure Americans who are unemployed, families that are struggling, and small businesses that worried about their future are supported by the federal government during this crisis. The recent COVID-19 relief bill passed in December… Continue Reading

Durbin, Pressley, Colleagues Announce Plans to Introduce Bill to End Federal Death Penalty

Bill Text (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF) WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07) announced that they will lead more than 70 of their colleagues to soon reintroduce the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act of 2021, bicameral legislation to prohibit the use of the death penalty at the federal level, and require re-sentencing of those currently on death row. The announcement comes with three more people scheduled to be executed in the… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Veterans Issues With Denis McDonough, Biden Nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Denis McDonough, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA). During their Zoom call, Durbin and McDonough discussed the need to address the COVID-19 pandemic and how to ensure veterans and VA staff get vaccinated. Durbin and McDonough also discussed support for State Veterans Homes in Illinois, the expansion of the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, VA medical research, and th… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $843 Million to Support Expanded Testing and Vaccine Distribution in Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $843,870,238 in federal funding to support COVID-19 testing and vaccination distribution in Illinois. The funding is being awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as directed by the recently enacted Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. "This federal funding for COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution will provide essential support for our publ… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses American Global Leadership with Tony Blinken, Biden Nominee for Secretary of State

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Tony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of State. During their Zoom call, Durbin and Blinken discussed the need to reestablish America's leading role in the world, including to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the global refugee crisis, access to clean water, and supporting Venezuelan Interim-President Juan Guaido and democracy in Venezuela. Durbin and Blinken also spoke about the threats posed from nations like R… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on President-Elect Biden's Attorney General Nominee, Merrick Garland

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement on President-elect Joe Biden's announcement that he would nominate Merrick Garland to be U.S. Attorney General: "I applaud President-elect Biden's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to be the next Attorney General of the United States. An Illinois native, Judge Garland has dedicated his career to public service and to upholding the rule of law. He is clearly well-qualified to serve as our nation… Continue Reading

Durbin Speaks on Senate Floor About Violence at the U.S. Capitol & 2020 Election Certification

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor ahead of Congress certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election and after a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol building. "The vote we're going to have here is a clear choice of whether we are going to feed the beast of ignorance or are we going to tell the truth to the American people? We saw that beast today roaming the halls. Let's not invite it back," Durbin said. Video of Durbin's re… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Eviction Crisis and Affordable Housing Initiatives with Rep. Marcia Fudge, Biden Nominee for HUD Secretary

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11), President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). During their Zoom call, Durbin and Fudge spoke about the need to address the affordable housing crisis by investing in affordable housing and repairing the public housing stock. Durbin discussed how to bring economic opportunity to historically marginalized individuals and communities, including in East… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Illinois Rural EMS Agencies to Apply for New SIREN Grant Program Funds

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced the start of the grant application process for a federal grant program that supports rural fire and emergency medical services (EMS). The funding, created through Durbin's Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, supports EMS agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting certification courses, and purchasing equipment-for everything from naloxone and first aid kits, to power stretchers or new ambulances. Durbin's b… Continue Reading

Durbin Honored to Represent Illinois in Fifth Term as U.S. Senator

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after being sworn in to his fifth term as a U.S. Senator representing Illinois. Durbin was escorted to his swearing in on the Senate floor by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). "I am honored that the people of Illinois have given me the opportunity to represent them in Washington. During my time in the Senate, I have worked to create good-paying jobs, promote Illinois businesses, fight for margi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bipartisan Colleagues: Voters Have Spoken, Congress Must Fulfill Its Responsibility

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Angus King (I-ME), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in issuing the following statement on the upcoming Congressional certification of the 2020 Presidential election results: "The 2020 election is over. All challenges through recounts and appeals have been exhausted. At th… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on McConnell to Help Struggling Families By Passing $2,000 Direct Payment Measure

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Republicans to support the House-passed CASH Act, a measure that would increase direct payments from $600 to $2,000 for individuals earning less than $75,000 per year. The measure passed the House by a vote of 275-134, with 44 House Republicans supporting the bill. "All we're saying to Senator McConnell is give us a chance to vote. You can vote no if you wish. Give us a chance t… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on McConnell to Bring $2,000 Direct Payment Measure to the Floor for a Vote

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Republicans to support the House-passed CASH Act, a measure that would increase direct payments from $600 to $2,000 for individuals earning less than $75,000 per year. The measure passed the House yesterday by a vote of 275-134, with 44 House Republicans supporting the bill. Durbin also spoke about his frustration with President Donald Trump's delay in signing the final COVID-19 … Continue Reading

Durbin: I Will Vote to Override President Trump's Unforgivable Veto of NDAA

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today announced he would vote to override President Trump's reckless veto of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Last week, President Trump vetoed the NDAA over a provision to rename military bases named for Confederate generals and for not including a repeal of Section 230 liability protection for tech com… Continue Reading

Durbin, Warren, Booker, Colleagues Request Investigation of Trump Administration's Unprecedented Spree of Federal Executions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in a letter to Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), seeking an investigation of the frenzied and unprecedented "spree of federal executions during [President Trump's] lame-duck period." In J… Continue Reading

Durbin Thanks Health Care Heroes for Their Works and Sacrifices in 2020

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today in a Facebook video message thanked health care heroes, medical researchers, and essential workers for their sacrifices and hard work keeping America safe this year. "This has been an unrelenting, draining, and scary time for many, many months. But your resilience and commitment to others has been a beacon of light during this crisis,"Durbin said. "A hundred years from now, when people tell the story of this pandemic, you will be the heroes o… Continue Reading

Durbin, King, Smith, Sinema Secure $7 Million for Competitive Grants Supporting Open Textbooks in Year-End Funding Bill

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Angus King (I-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) today applauded the inclusion of $7 million in additional funding for the continued implementation of the Open Textbooks Pilot in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 appropriations bill. The Open Textbooks Pilot, based on the Senators' Affordable College Textbook Act, is a competitive grant program to support the creation and expand the use of open college textbooks-textbooks that are available u… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Senate Passage of Bill to Study Possible National Park for Julius Rosenwald

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded unanimous Senate passage of a bill that honors Julius Rosenwald-the former part-owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company-for his work in establishing Rosenwald Schools to promote African American education in the rural South. The Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools Study Act would require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study of the sites associated with the life and legacy of Julius Rosenwald to determine … Continue Reading

Congress Passes Bipartisan Spending Bill with Illinois Priorities Secured by Durbin

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 appropriations bill. "This bill makes critical investments in Illinois' public health, housing, transportation infrastructure, defense installations, environment, education, and security. America desperately needed a budget heading into 2021 as we continue to grapple with this pandemic and the crises it has caus… Continue Reading