Press Releases
Durbin: The Supreme Court's Conservative Majority Is Undermining The Rule Of Law
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today reflected on one of the most consequential and disastrous Supreme Court terms in American history. Specifically, Durbin outlined how the Court's radical majority-in furtherance of an ideological agenda-issued rulings in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women's … Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Durbin, Collins Urge FDA To Follow The Law, Clear The Market Of All Unauthorized Synthetic Vapes Ahead Of July 13th Deadline
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led a bipartisan letter with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to remove all unauthorized synthetic nicotine e-cigarettes from the market as required by law. Durbin and Collins successfully secured a bipartisan provision in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill that clarified FDA's ability to regulate products containing synthetic nicotine as tobacco products. This … Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Highland Park Residents Following July 4th Mass Shooting
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Highland Park, Illinois, residents and members of March Fourth, a gun safety advocacy group, following the Highland Park mass shooting on July 4 that resulted in the deaths of seven people and injured dozens more. During the meeting, Highland Park residents shared their experiences from the shooting and the toll that attack has had on them and their families. Durbin and Duckworth … Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Legal Consequences Of The Dobbs Decision
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision." Durbin questioned Dr. Colleen McNicholas, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, on maternal mortality and the consequences of overturning Roe. According to a study in the American Journal of Public … Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Senate Confirms Steve Dettelbach To Lead ATF
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Steve Dettelbach's nomination to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) by a bipartisan vote of 48-46. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Dettelbach's confirmation: "When a mass shooter tears apart a community like Highland Park, Illinois, ATF agents are among the first to arrive on scene. In fact, in the … Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Legal Consequences Of The Dobbs Decision
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 "A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision." Key Quotes: "A little over two weeks ago, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The majority overturned nearly five decades of precedent, holding that the U.S. Constitution does not … Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Abortion Provider To Congress: The End Of Roe Is A Public Health Crisis
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released prepared testimony from Dr. Colleen McNicholas, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, during today's hearing entitled "A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision." McNicholas has 15 years of experience as an abortion provider and a specialist in Family Planning including academic practice, resident education, clinical research, and health care advocacy. Her testimony … Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Lieutenant Governor Of Illinois Testifies On How The Dobbs Decision Is Already Harming Individual States
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton's prepared testimony during today's hearing entitled "A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision." Stratton is the first Black woman to serve as Illinois's Lieutenant Governor, a position she has held since 2019. Her testimony focuses on the steps that Illinois has taken to protect access to abortion, the challenges of out-of-state patients coming to Illinois to seek care, … Continue Reading
July 12, 2022
Durbin Welcomes Overdue Announcement Of New BOP Director
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today welcomed the selection of Colette Peters as the next Director at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Durbin has called for a new, reform-minded Director to replace BOP Director Michael Carvajal since November 2021, following an Associated Press report that found that BOP is a "hotbed of abuse, graft and corruption, and has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct." … Continue Reading
July 11, 2022
Durbin: Military-Style Assault Weapons Belong On The Battlefield, Not In Our Communities
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke about the deadly toll that gun violence-particularly mass shootings caused by assault weapons-continues to take on our communities. "On June 8th-15 days after their 10-year-old daughter Lexi was murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas-Kimberly and Felix Rubio testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform," Durbin said. … Continue Reading
July 11, 2022
Durbin, Mayor Lightfoot, Transportation Leaders Announce Coalition In Support Of The Chicago Union Station Access Project
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, and regional transportation leaders joined together at Chicago Union Station to announce a broad coalition of leaders in support of the Chicago Union Station Access Project, which will transform passenger rail in the region. The $418 million project is a joint effort by Amtrak, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the City of Chicago, Metra, Cook County, and Michigan's Department of … Continue Reading
July 11, 2022
In A Letter To Illinois Public Schools, Durbin Highlights Federal Funds That Support Mental Health And Counseling Efforts In Bipartisan Gun Safety Bill
CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Illinois education leaders highlighting the federal funds secured through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act for mental health services to help students prevent and cope with the emotional scars related to gun violence. The bill provides $3 billion for school and community mental health grants and activities to support counseling and trauma-informed care, including at least $28 million over four years for the … Continue Reading
July 08, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $2,000,000 For WIU's New Emergency Operations Center
MACOMB - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $2,000,000 in new Congressionally Directed Spending they secured in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill for Western Illinois University's (WIU) new Emergency Operations Center. The federal funds will renovate WIU's library to add a permanent emergency operations center (EOC) for the region. The center will also train public safety professionals and provide apprenticeships for the next … Continue Reading
July 08, 2022
Durbin Visits USP Thomson Amid Investigation Into Inmate Deaths, Allegations Of Abuse
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead cosponsor of the First Step Act, and staff from the offices of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today visited United States Penitentiary Thomson (USP Thomson), a Bureau of Prison (BOP) facility in Thomson, Illinois. In addition to touring the facility, Durbin met with the penitentiary's Warden and institution leadership, as well as the … Continue Reading
July 07, 2022
Durbin, Mayor Lightfoot, Transportation Leaders Announce Coalition in Support of the Chicago Union Station Access Project
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, and regional transportation leaders joined together at Chicago Union Station to announce a broad coalition of leaders in support of the Chicago Union Station Access Project, which will transform passenger rail in the region. The $418 million project is a joint effort by Amtrak, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the City of Chicago, Metra, Cook County, and Michigan's Department of … Continue Reading
July 07, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Secure $15 Million For New Air Traffic Control Tower At Peoria International Airport
PEORIA - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today announced $15 million in federal funding awarded to the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to construct the airport's new Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). Durbin, Duckworth, and Bustos secured language in the IIJA making the outdated air traffic control tower eligible for federal funding. … Continue Reading
July 06, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $400,000 In ARP Funding To Support The Pullman National Monument Project, Rockford Area Convention And Visitors Bureau
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, the Pullman National Monument Project and the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau will receive a total of $407,500 in federal funding to improve travel and tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding, awarded through the Economic Development Administration, will renovate and upgrade the Historic Pullman National Monument in Chicago, and invest in the … Continue Reading
July 06, 2022
Durbin Announces $750,000 For UCAN's Trauma-Informed Violence Prevention Programming
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced $750,000 in new Congressionally Directed Spending-also known as an earmark-in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill for UCAN to expand its trauma-informed violence prevention and intervention program to more communities. Programming includes individual and group coaching, mediation, planning and case management, and mental health services to individuals who have experienced … Continue Reading
July 06, 2022
Durbin Statement On FDA's Decision To Stay JUUL Marketing Denial
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision to "stay" its marketing denial order of all JUUL Lab Inc.'s products after previously finding these e-cigarettes fail to meet the agency's public health standard for authorization: "I was heartened two weeks ago when FDA finally acted to remove JUUL e-cigarettes from the market. After a lengthy review, FDA scientists determined that JUUL failed to meet … Continue Reading
June 30, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $14 Million For Varity Of Health Care Programs And Initiatives
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $14,446,505 for a variety of health care programs, initiatives, and community projects across the state. "Illinois has a wide-range of initiatives and programs aimed at keeping residents healthy-from efforts to end the HIV epidemic, to preventing strokes and heart disease, to advancing our understanding and treatment of Alzheimer's. This robust federal funding will help these … Continue Reading