Durbin: Energy Bill Must Address Scientific Research And Climate Change

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today, in a speech on the Senate floor, urged his colleagues to support an amendment he has introduced to the American Energy Innovation Act that would provide more than $43 billion over five years for basic research in energy technology. The bill is being considered by the Senate this week. "We need more robust support for basic science research, the kind of research that costs too much and takes too long for private companies to unde… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses Guard & Reserve Chiefs On President's Diversion Of Funding To Border Wall

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today pressed the Chiefs of the National Guard and the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Forces Reserve about the Trump Administration's short sighted and dangerous transfer of $1.3 billion from the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA) to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's ineffective wall on the southwest border. This funding diversion was… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Rock Island Army Corps Commander To Discuss Quincy Bay

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Colonel Steven Sattinger, Commander and District Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, to discuss funding to restore Quincy Bay, one of the largest natural bays of the Upper Mississippi River. Durbin also discussed funding for the much needed modernization of seven locks along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. "The environmental need for the restoration of Quincy Bay is obvious," said Durbin. "F… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kaine Bill To Support Family Caregivers Passes Senate

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today announced that major components of their Supporting America's Caregivers and Families Act, a bill that would increase funding, training, and support for the more than 34 million family caregivers in America, passed the Senate unanimously as part of the Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020. Each year, caregivers provide more than $470 billion worth of unpaid care-more than the entire federal Medicaid budget. The average … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Chief Of National Guard To Discuss Trump Admin Diversion Of Funding To Border Wall

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today met with General Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to discuss the Department of Defense's (DoD) short sighted and dangerous transfer of $1.3 billion from the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA) to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's ineffective wall on the southwest border. This funding diversion was part of the rece… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Must Safeguard America's Medical Supply Chain Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

WASHINGTON - Amid the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today, during a speech on the Senate floor, previewed legislation he will be introducing this week to safeguard America's medical supply chain and address shortages due to the United States' dependence on foreign-made medical equipment. Approximately 40 percent of finished drugs and 72 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients are manufactured overseas-primarily from China and India. The ongoing coro… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $13 Million For Pullman Junction Rail Improvements

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Cook County has been awarded $12.9 million in federal funding for the CREATE (Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency) Program's Pullman Junction project on Chicago's South Side. Today's investment, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, will support improvements to increase the effi… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Humanitarian Crisis In Idlib, Syria

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement in regards to the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in Idlib, Syria: "The renewed violence directed at the civilians in Idlib by the Assad regime and its Russian enablers is an affront to our common humanity. It is long overdue that the Trump Administration step up, along with our European allies, to foster a credible ceasefire and sustained access to humanitarian aid. "President Trump … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Bill To Expand Coverage For Seniors' Kidney Transplant Drugs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), introduced legislation to ensure that seniors who receive kidney transplants under the Medicare Part B program are able to access life-saving anti-rejection medications. U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Todd Young (R-IN) joined as cosponsors of the legislation. "Our bill ensures that kidney transplant patients can afford the medication they need … Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Blast Facebook's Continued Failure To Monitor And Enforce Gun Sales Ban

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Ed Markey (D-MA), along with 10 of their Senate colleagues, in calling out Facebook for its continued failure to enforce and monitor its own ban on guns sales, pointing to a recent report that shows sellers and buyers have simply moved their transactions to private Facebook groups in order circumvent the social media giant's own ban. "[D]espite Facebook's ban of gun sales on its platforms, users are nonetheles… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos To DOD: Diverting Border Wall Funding From National Guard To President's Border Wall Is Shortsighted & Political, Hurts 182nd Wing In Peoria

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today sent a letter to the Department of Defense (DOD) expressing their dismay about the transfer of $1.3 billion appropriated for National Guard and Reserve Equipment and $169 million appropriated for Air Guard C-130Js for the construction of President Trump's wall on our southern border. This funding was part of the recent notification of the transfer of $3.8 billion… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Reverse & Restore Military Funding After President Trump Repeatedly Raids Defense Department For His Border Wall

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined 30 additional Senators to introduce the Restoring Military Priorities Act of 2020. The bill would reverse and restore the Department of Defense's (DoD) recent short sighted and dangerous transfer of $3.8 billion to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's ineffective border wall. The bill also reduces DoD's transfer authority so that DoD can… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senate Dems Introduce Bill To Reverse & Restore Military Funding After President Trump Repeatedly Raids Defense Department For His Border Wall

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, along with Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Doug Jones (D-AL), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and 27 addition… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Detection Of PFAS Near Scott Air Force Base With Air Force Chief Of Staff

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today met with U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein to discuss the detection of the two main types of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - PFOS and PFOA - during site inspections at Scott Air Force Base (AFB), which may be impacting off-base water wells. The Air Force is now working to determine how many water wells might be impacted, whether people are consumin… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois Chapter Of The Postmasters And Managers Of America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the national and Illinois chapters of the United Postmasters and Managers of America, which represents current postmasters, managers, and supervisors, to discuss postal reforms and policies affecting federal employees. Durbin discussed critical postal issues including the Trump Administration's threat to privatize USPS service, and protecting 6-day delivery service. "USPS privatization would disproportionately hurt rural communities t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Illinois Director Of Veterans Affairs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) Director Linda Chapa LaVia to discuss Veterans issues in Illinois, including disability claims, mental health, and the needs of women Veterans. They also discussed supporting operations at Illinois Veterans' Homes (IVH) and progress in the construction of the Chicago Veterans Home project. "Senator Duckworth and I remain committed from the federal side to provi… Continue Reading

Durbin: If You Want To Reduce Infant & Maternal Death Rates, Pass The MOMMA Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made a unanimous consent (UC) request to immediately pass his Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA) Act. Durbin's legislation seeks to reduce America's rising maternal and infant mortality rate, especially for moms and babies of color who are significantly more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy. On average, maternal mortality claims the lives of 700 Americ… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls For Increased Federal Funding To Address Coronavirus

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Trump Administration to do more to address the coronavirus epidemic following the President's minimal and long overdue coronavirus funding request. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin called out President Trump's continued years-long efforts to cut funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-two federal health agencies that our nation relies upon t… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses Secretary Azar On Administration's E-Cigarette Flavor Policy & Family Separation

WASHINGTON - During a Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Services Appropriations Subcommittee hearing today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) pressed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to reconsider the Trump Administration's decision to allow cheap, disposable e-cigarette flavors to remain on the market. Over the past two years of this presidency, our nation has seen a 135 percent increase in the number of children … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Chicago Department Of Public Health Commissioner To Discuss Coronavirus Response

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Chicago Department Public Health (CDPH) Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady to discuss public health priorities in Chicago, including addressing the coronavirus in Illinois. This morning, Durbin attended a Congressional briefing from the Trump Administration about the ongoing response to the coronavirus. Last night, the Trump Administration requested an emergency supplemental funding request of $2.5 billion to combat the spread of coronavi… Continue Reading