Press Releases
In Virtual Meeting, Durbin Thanks Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence For Its Advocacy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met virtually with the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ILCADV) to personally thank the group for its continued advocacy for survivors of domestic violence. On the call, Durbin and ILCADV also discussed securing adequate funding for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs in Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations. "Since its initial enactment, VAWA has saved countless lives. VAWA p… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Durbin, Grassley, Whitehouse, Cornyn Bill To Help Small Businesses & Families In Bankruptcy Heads To President Biden's Desk
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and John Cornyn (R-TX), applauded passage of their bipartisan legislation to help small businesses and individuals stay afloat during bankruptcy in the House of Representatives last night. The bill, which cleared the House on a vote of 392-21, was already passed unani… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Durbin Meets With March For Our Lives To Discuss Common Sense Gun Legislation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with representatives from March For Our Lives. During their meeting, Durbin discussed the ongoing negotiations in the Senate to address the scourge of gun violence that kills more than 100 Americans each day. Durbin expressed his own support for common sense gun violence prevention solutions like closing gaps in the gun background check system. "This week, we've heard the families of th… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Durbin Questions U.S. Sentencing Commission Nominees At Judiciary Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned nominees to the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission at the latest Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. Congress created the bipartisan Sentencing Commission in 1984 and charged the Commission with the critical task of promoting transparency and consistency in federal criminal sentencing. "An amazing array of talent, strong resumes… thank you for being here to… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Judiciary Committee Hearing On U.S. Sentencing Commission Nominees
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Carlton W. Reeves to be a Member and Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission; Laura E. Mate, Claire McCusker Murray, and Luis Felipe Restrepo to be Members and Vice Chairs of the United States Sentencing Commission; and Claria Horn Boom, John Gleeson, and Candice C. Wong to be Members of t… Continue Reading
06.08.22
In Speech On Senate Floor, Durbin Applauds Department Of Education For Group Discharge Of Student Loans For Borrowers Who Attended Now-Shuttered Corinthian Colleges
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senator floor applauding the Department of Education's recent decision to discharge all remaining federal student loans for those who attended any campus owned or run by the predatory Corinthian Colleges. In April 2015, after Corinthian abruptly closed all of its schools, Durbin first urged the Department to issue widespread relief as he stood in front of a Corinthian-operated school in Chicago with then-Illinois… Continue Reading
06.08.22
President Biden Signs Durbin, D. Davis, Underwood Bill Restoring Education Benefits To Veterans Into Law
WASHINGTON - Yesterday, President Joe Biden signed the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL-7), and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), into law. The legislation will help more than 300 Illinois veterans who were scammed out of their benefits by the unaccredited, for-profit Future Tech Career Institute (FTCI) in Chicago. "During the pand… Continue Reading
06.07.22
Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Domestic Terrorism
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Professor Robert Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on domestic terrorism following the mass shooting in Buffalo that killed ten Black Americans in a racist act of violence. Durbin asked Professor Pape about the threat of the "Great Replacement" con… Continue Reading
06.07.22
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Domestic Terrorism Following Buffalo Massacre
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Examining the 'Metastasizing' Domestic Terrorism Threat After the Buffalo Attack." This hearing-the Committee's third on domestic terrorism this Congress-will explore the continued threat posed by violent white supremacists and other extremists, including those who have embraced the so-called "Great Repla… Continue Reading
06.07.22
Judiciary Committee Releases Garnell Whitefield, Jr.'s Testimony At Hearing On Domestic Terrorism
WASHINGTON - Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee released Garnell Whitfield, Jr.'s prepared testimony at today's hearing entitled "Examining the 'Metastasizing' Domestic Terrorism Threat After the Buffalo Attack." Mr. Whitfield's mother, Ruth, was one of the ten victims of the May 14, 2022, massacre in Buffalo, New York. Key quotes as prepared: "Our lives are forever changed… forever damaged by an act of profound hate and evil. Nothing will ever take away the hurt, the pain or the ho… Continue Reading
06.06.22
Durbin: This Senate Cannot Escape Our Responsibility To Act On Gun Violence
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor urging Senate Republicans to join Democrats and pass legislation to reduce gun violence following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death among American children and teens. In 2020, 45,222 Americans died by gun violence. Next week, the Senate Jud… Continue Reading
06.06.22
Durbin Honors Former Congressman John Porter On Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor honoring the legacy of former Congressman John E. Porter, who represented northern Illinois in Congress for 21 years. In his remarks, Durbin spoke about Porter's reputation as a principled, bipartisan leader within the Illinois congressional delegation. "John Porter was raised in a home where public service was a way of life…[He] believed that public service was a noble profession, that… Continue Reading
06.03.22
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $245,000 In EPA Funding To Support Water Quality Monitoring
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $245,000, through the BEACH Act grant program, to Illinois. The grant funding will support the state in developing and implementing a beach monitoring and notification program that will protect the public by monitoring beaches for bacteria, identifying local pollution sources, and reporting these results to EPA. "The Gr… Continue Reading
06.03.22
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $6 Million For Runway Improvements At Springfield Airport
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $6,020,767 in federal funding awarded to Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport in Springfield from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the airport's reconstruction of taxiway lighting and runway updates. "Today's funding is a significant federal investment in the service and safety of those who fly in and out of Springfield's airport, which is a critical element of Illinois e… Continue Reading
06.03.22
Durbin Discusses Devastating Impact of Gun Violence During National Gun Violence Awareness Day
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today held a news conference with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and medical officials from Cook County Health to discuss the devastating impacts that gun violence has on victims and communities. Durbin thanked the medical staff at Cook County's John H. Stroger Hospital for their heroic efforts to save victims of gun violence, while highlighting the need for Congress to enact common sense gun safety… Continue Reading
06.03.22
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $15.2 Million In Upward Bound Grants For Educational Institutions
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded 46 grants, totaling $15,217,775, to Illinois educational institutions through the Upward Bound program. As one of the eight TRIO programs, Upward Bound aims to provide opportunities for high school students from low-income families and families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree to succeed academically and ultimately graduate from institutions… Continue Reading
06.03.22
Durbin, Duckworth, Rep. Kelly Introduce Wear Orange Resolution For Gun Violence Awareness
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-2) have introduced a Congressional resolution establishing June 3, 2022, as "National Gun Violence Awareness Day" and designating June as "National Gun Violence Awareness Month." Today, communities across the country will participate in a Gun Violence Prevention Day of Action. Every day, 321 people are shot in the United … Continue Reading
06.02.22
Durbin Releases Statement On Department Of Education's Group Discharge Of Student Borrowers Who Attended Now-Shuttered Corinthian Colleges
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Department of Education announced the widespread discharge of all remaining federal student loans for those who attended any campus owned or run by the predatory Corinthian Colleges: "The day after Corinthian collapsed in April 2015, I stood in front of a Corinthian school in Chicago with then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to call on the Department of Education to issue widesprea… Continue Reading
06.02.22
Durbin, Duckworth, Chicago Delegation Announce $12 Million In Funding For MWRD
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and members of the Chicago delegation today announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Fiscal Year 22 Work Plan included $12 million in funding for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). While the funding was awarded to reimburse MWRD for its work on the design and construction of Thornton Composite Reservoir, MWRD plans to use the reimbursed funds toward a ne… Continue Reading
06.02.22
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Call For Immediate Federal Investigation Into Inmate Deaths, Allegations Of Staff Abuses At USP Thomson
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead cosponsor of the First Step Act; U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) are calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General to immediately open an investigation into allegations concerning a Bureau of Prison (BOP) facility in Thomson, Illinois. In a letter to Inspector General Michael Horowitz, the lawmakers cite a disturbing new r… Continue Reading