Durbin, Grassley to DHS: Implement H-1B Visa Program Reforms

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging the agency to retain and expeditiously implement the H-1B selection rule published on January 8, 2021, titled, "Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions." The rule will protect A… Continue Reading

Durbin and Welch to Visa and Mastercard: Call off Swipe Fee Increase While Small Businesses and Consumers are Hurting During Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) today sent a letter to the CEOs of Visa and Mastercard urging the companies not to raise interchange fee rates during the pandemic. Recently, theWall Street Journal reported that Visa and Mastercard are planning for swipe fee rates increases to proceed in April 2021, after delaying them for a year as previously requested by Durbin and Welch. These fee in… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Illinois Water Infrastructure Projects with Rock Island Army Corps District Commander

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) received an update today from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District Commander Colonel Steven Sattinger about several Illinois water infrastructure projects including the Quincy Bay Restoration Project, the Brandon Road Project, and the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP). "Years of wear and tear have left Illinois' water infrastructure in desperate need of restoration. Federal investments are critical to c… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with IL Soybean Growers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, today met virtually with the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois, including biodiesel markets, lock and dam upgrades, the role of agriculture in climate policy, and expanding international markets for soybeans. "Illinois leads the nation in soybean production, and we must strengthen that leadership by restoring and opening new t… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions FBI Director Wray on Domestic Terrorism

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked questions during the domestic terrorism oversight hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. Durbin asked Wray why the FBI did not issue a threat assessment ahead of January 6th, despite intelligence that suggested a violent and planned attack might be possible. "I was surprised to learn the FBI did not issue a threat assessment before January 6th. … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Senators Reintroduce Background Check Expansion Act to Reduce Gun Violence

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and 40 other Democratic Senators today in reintroducing the Background Check Expansion Act to expand federal background checks to all gun sales. Under current federal law, unlicensed or private sellers are not required to conduct a background check prior to transferring a firearm. Ninety-seven percent of Americans support c… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Remarks During Domestic Terrorism Oversight Hearing with FBI Director Wray

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during the domestic terrorism oversight hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. Durbin argued that the January 6th attack on the Capitol demonstrated that the federal government has failed to address the growing threat of white supremacist violence and domestic terrorism. He called for aggressive oversight of the federal g… Continue Reading

Durbin Releases Opening Remarks Ahead of Domestic Terrorism Oversight Hearing with FBI Director Wray

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released his opening statement ahead of the domestic terrorism oversight hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. In it, Durbin argues that the January 6th attack on the Capitol demonstrated that the federal government has failed to address the growing threat of white supremacist violence and domestic terrorism. He called for aggressive oversight of the federal… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Must Pass the American Rescue Plan

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on his Senate colleagues to support President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, which would deliver economic relief to American families and small businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. President Biden's American Rescue Plan is a historic legislative package designed to change the course of the pandemic, get students back to school, give families and businesses a bridge to an economic recov… Continue Reading

On Bipartisan Basis, Senate Judiciary Committee Advances the Nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. Attorney General by a bipartisan vote of 15-7. Ahead of the vote, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, argued that Judge Garland is the right leader to restore integrity and the rule of law in the Justice Department and combat domestic terrorism and systemic racism following four tumultuous years under the previous administrat… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill to Create National Heritage Area in Chicago's Bronzeville Community

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced a bill that would create a National Park Service (NPS) National Heritage Area in the greater Bronzeville community of Chicago. The Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Act would create a National Heritage Area from 18th Street to the North, 71st Street to the South, Lake Michigan to the East, and Canal Street to the West-approximately five miles south of downtown. This area would tell the st… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Illinois Shield Testing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement applauding an announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to SHIELD T3, an innovative system of COVID-19 testing and tracing developed by the University of Illinois to help monitor the health of students. The SHIELD test is a low-cost, rapid saliva-based test that holds the promise of being scaled up to address nationwide testing needs: … Continue Reading

Durbin, Garcia Applaud Administration Decision to Help Developing Nations Address Economic Fallout From COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-04) today applauded Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's announcement that the Administration will support the lawmakers' proposal to release Special Drawing Rights (SDR) as one mechanism to help with the global economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Durbin and García, along with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), are lead sponsors of legislation that directs th… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Intel Report Linking Saudi Crown Prince to Murder of Jamal Khashoggi

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the Biden Administration's release of an intelligence report that concludes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi: "This report confirms what was already suspected, directly linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This barbaric act joins a long list of outrages, inc… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Announcement of Mass Community Vaccination Center in Chicago

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today applauded an announcement that the Biden Administration will dramatically increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations in Illinois by launching a community vaccination center (CVC) Federal Pilot Site in Chicago on March 10. The site, which will be located at the United Center, will have the capacity for 6,000 COVID-19 vaccinations a day. "Getting vaccine shots into the arms of Americans will h… Continue Reading

Durbin to USPS Chicago Leadership: Take Action to Ensure Timely Delivery of Essential Mail

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged local United States Postal Service (USPS) leadership in Illinois to address service issues in the USPS Chicago region. In a letter to Krista Finazzo, Vice President, Area Retail and Delivery Operations Central Area, Durbin noted that the region has experienced a disruption in service due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff shortages, and recent snowstorms, but also said more must be done to ensure the timely delivery of medicine and othe… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Biden Administration Immigration Priorities with DHS Secretary Ali Mayorkas

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke with U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Ali Mayorkas about the need for Congress to fix our broken immigration system, smart and effective border security, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and other critical issues. "Secretary Mayorkas and I share a vision that America is a nation of immigrants and we must have an imm… Continue Reading

Ahead of Oversight Hearing Next Week, Durbin Speaks with FBI Director Wray About Domestic Terrorism Threat

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray on how the Bureau is allocating its resources to respond to and address the threat of violence by white supremacists and other far-right-wing extremists following the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. Today's call comes ahead of an FBI oversight hearing next Tuesday, March 2, in the Senate Judiciary Committee… Continue Reading

Durbin Speaks on USPS Delays, Slams Changes Sabotaging Critical Services to Illinoisans Amid Pandemic

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged his colleagues to work to improve the Postal Service by providing resources and tools it needs to offer reliable, affordable services during this critical time. Durbin spoke about service issues in Chicago and read aloud letters he's received from constituents who rely on the Postal Service for basic needs, like receiving paychecks, bills, and prescription medications. Durbin also slammed the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Extend CARES Act Bankruptcy Relief Provisions

WASHINGTON - Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act, bipartisan legislation to temporarily extend COVID-19 bankruptcy relief provisions enacted as part of the March 2020 CARES Act and December 2020 omnibus appropriations bill. "Extending these temporary bankru… Continue Reading