Press Releases
Durbin Expresses Support For Railway Safety Act Of 2023 In Speech On The Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to sound the alarm on railway safety after news broke this morning of a third rail accident involving Norfolk Southern. The accident, in which a Norfolk Southern train collided with a dump truck in Cleveland and killed a rail employee, is the third incident in one month involving the rail company. In his speech, Durbin urged his colleagues to prioritize railway safety before another community loses a … Continue Reading
March 07, 2023
Durbin, Shaheen Meet With U.S Ambassador To Hungary, David Pressman
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today met with U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman to discuss Sweden and Finland's entry into NATO and Hungary's democratic backsliding under the government of Victor Orban. During the meeting, Durbin and Shaheen expressed their hope that Hungary would soon ratify the new NATO aspirants and their support for Pressman, and noted the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 omnibus appropriations bill that … Continue Reading
March 07, 2023
Durbin Applauds Administration’s Decision To Impose Magnitsky Law Following Unjust Jailing & Killing Of Democratic Opposition Leaders
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor applauding the Biden Administration's decision to impose Magnitsky Law related sanctions on several Putin henchmen involved in the jailing of Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition figure who survived two poisoning attempts by the Kremlin. The news follows a letter from Durbin, Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to U.S. … Continue Reading
March 07, 2023
Durbin Urges Department Of Defense To Bolster Support For Mental Health Treatment In Military
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today participated in a Subcommittee hearing entitled "Briefing: A Review of the Department of Defense Health Program." During the hearing, Durbin questioned the witness, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Lester Martínez-López, on the stigma of seeking mental health support in the military. "Mental health counseling is so important for … Continue Reading
March 06, 2023
ICYMI: Durbin, Senate Democrats Press Depts. Of Labor, HHS For Answers On Child Labor Violations In U.S.
WASHINGTON - In case you missed it, the New York Times outlined the efforts by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and top Senate Democrats to protect children from exploitation. Last week, Durbin led 16 Senate colleagues in a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh requesting information on children's placement with sponsors and investigations into … Continue Reading
March 06, 2023
Durbin Honors Memory Of Fallen Chicago Police Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor honoring the memory of Chicago Police Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso, who was killed while responding to a domestic violence call that ended in a chase and an exchange of gunfire with the suspect. He was a resident of the Southside neighborhood that he served in. "The City of Chicago, which I represent, is a city in mourning today. Last Wednesday, Chicago Police Officer … Continue Reading
March 06, 2023
Durbin Speaks On Senate Floor On Eve Of Bloody Sunday Anniversary, Underscores Continued Efforts To Protect Voting Rights
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, underlined his commitment to protecting voting rights and ensuring important lessons on the history of racial injustice in America are shared - not erased. His speech comes on the eve of the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, marking 58 years since the Selma, Alabama, civil rights protests that ended in violence when marchers - most of whom were Black - were … Continue Reading
March 06, 2023
Durbin Highlights Successful Democratic Effort To Lower Cost Of Insulin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about Eli Lilly's decision to cap the out-of-pocket cost for insulin at $35 a month, which can provide major relief for more than seven million patients, including more than 200,000 Illinoisans who rely upon insulin. While Durbin applauds this news, he slammed Eli Lilly for continuously raising the price of insulin for their own profits. Thanks to the leadership of Congressional Democrats, the … Continue Reading
March 06, 2023
Durbin Leads Colleagues In Calling For Update From Inter-American Commission On Human Rights On Investigation Into Death Of Cuban Political Reformer Oswaldo Payá
WASHINGTON - With this summer marking the eleventh year since Cuban political reformer Oswaldo Payá's suspicious death, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Mark Warner (D-VA), urged the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to provide an update on this case without further delay. In 2013, Durbin sent his first letter to previous … Continue Reading
March 04, 2023
Durbin Statement On Walgreens’ Decision To Not Offer Medication Abortion Pill
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today issued the following statement regarding Walgreens' decision not to offer the medication abortion pill mifepristone-which the Food and Drug Administration approved more than 20 years ago as safe and effective-in 21 states whose attorneys general threatened Walgreens and other pharmacies with legal action if they dispensed the medication in those states: "It is unacceptable that … Continue Reading
March 03, 2023
Durbin Statement On Fallen Chicago Police Department Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement regarding Chicago Police Department Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso who was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday, March 1: "The loss of fallen CPD Officer Vasquez-Lasso is heartbreaking. My prayers are with Officer Vasquez-Lasso's family, friends, and colleagues who are grieving. "Our heroic officers deserve to return home after every shift. Gun violence is tearing our communities apart, and I am … Continue Reading
March 03, 2023
Durbin Leads Colleagues In Letter To HHS, DOL Requesting Information On Protecting Children From Exploitation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led 16 Senate colleagues in a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh requesting information on children's placement with sponsors and investigations into child labor. The letter follows a New York Times article that raised serious concerns about the vetting of sponsors of unaccompanied non-citizen … Continue Reading
March 02, 2023
Durbin Calls On His Colleagues To Support The Equal Rights Amendment
WASHINGTON - On the first day of Women's History Month, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a speech on the Senate floor discussed this week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would enshrine gender equality into the Constitution. "The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in 1923-one hundred years ago-and proposed by a leader named Dr. Alice Paul. At the time, she had just won an … Continue Reading
March 02, 2023
Durbin Continues To Call For Closure Of Guantanamo Bay
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke about the importance of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin called on the Biden Administration to do more to accelerate the closure of the facility once and for all. Durbin began his speech by highlighting Leila Murphy, a young law student who lost her father on September 11th, 2001, when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World … Continue Reading
March 02, 2023
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Senate Confirmation Of Colleen Lawless To Serve As District Court Judge For The Central 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 U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Colleen Lawless to serve as a District Court Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois: "We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed the nomination of Judge Colleen Lawless to fill a judicial vacancy in the Central District of Illinois. Her … Continue Reading
March 02, 2023
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Additional $51.8 Million In Federal Funding To Help Illinois Families Save On Home Energy Bills
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced an additional $51,817,305 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help Illinoisans pay the rising cost of home heating bills this winter. This additional funding brings the total amount of LIHEAP funds released to Illinois in Fiscal Year 2023 to $259,987,786. For more than 40 years, … Continue Reading
March 02, 2023
Durbin Joins Colleagues To Introduce Legislation To Close Divide On Digital Equity, Inclusion, And Literacy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to introduce the Digital Equity Foundation Act, legislation to establish a nonprofit foundation that would channel public and private investments into making progress in closing the divide on digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital literacy. … Continue Reading
March 01, 2023
Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Bloomington-Normal One Voice Coalition
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with members of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, accompanied by the One Voice coalition comprised of members of local government, labor, education, health, and business sectors. During their meeting, the Senators and the group discussed how the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act can support infrastructure projects in Central Illinois. The … Continue Reading
March 01, 2023
Durbin Questions Attorney General Garland During Hearing On Oversight Of The Department Of Justice
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "Oversight of the Department of Justice." Durbin asked AG Garland about the Department's efforts to address gun violence, particularly after the July 4th Highland Park, Illinois, shooting. Specifically, Durbin asked how DOJ is using the authorities and resources provided by the Bipartisan … Continue Reading
March 01, 2023
Durbin Talks Clean Energy With Illinois Municipal Electric And Utilities Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Illinois Municipal Electric/Utilities Association (IMEA/IMUA) to discuss clean energy tax incentives and grid security. During their conversation, Durbin discussed the impact of theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on the energy sector, highlighting how Illinois is primed to become a leader in clean energy and a trailblazer in electric vehicle production. Durbin and IMEA/IMUA also spoke about … Continue Reading