Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Health Care
Durbin, Marshall Urge FDA To Pre-Review Certain Direct-To-Consumer Drug Advertisements Prior To Being Aired
CARBONDALE - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) today sent a bipartisan letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to urge the agency to use its existing authority to require that certain direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertisements be submitted to FDA for pre-review, prior to being aired on TV. Currently, FDA does not require review of DTC ads prior to the airing of the commercials. In 2007, Congress provided FDA with the … Continue Reading
March 31, 2026
Durbin Celebrates New Pediatric Dental Surgery Center In Southern Illinois
MARION - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a press conference at the future home of Shawnee Health Children’s Dental Center to discuss the need for high-quality, accessible dental care in southern Illinois and how this new center will support the region. Thanks in part to the federal support and attention Durbin brought to this project, Shawnee Health was able to secure philanthropic funding from the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation for this dental … Continue Reading
March 27, 2026
Durbin, Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Address Health Care Provider Shortages In Rural Communities
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) this week reintroduced the bipartisan Rural America Health Corps Act. The legislation will address growing health disparities by incentivizing more health professionals to serve and plant roots in rural communities. The Rural America Health Corps Act creates a new program under the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to test whether an … Continue Reading
March 23, 2026
On 16th Anniversary Of The Affordable Care Act, Durbin Highlights Law’s Improvements To Insurance Quality & Coverage, Bashes Republican Attempts To Undermine Access To Health Care
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor to mark the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law. Durbin, who attended the legislation’s signing at the White House in 2010, spoke about the landmark bill that changed the health care landscape in the U.S. by expanding health insurance coverage to 30 million Americans and ending the practice of insurance companies denying coverage for pre-existing … Continue Reading
March 19, 2026
Durbin Meets With National Cancer Institute Director Amidst Widespread Concern About The Damage Being Done To Our Nation’s Medical Research Infrastructure
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate National Institutes of Health (NIH) Caucus, today met with National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Dr. Anthony Letai to discuss the future of cancer research as President Trump and Health and Human Services’ Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. push forward with efforts to slash funding, delay grant awards, and otherwise dismantle our nation’s critical medical … Continue Reading
March 05, 2026
Durbin, Fischer Urge USDA To Swiftly Implement Their Bipartisan Protecting Children With Food Allergies Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today sent a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins urging her to swiftly implement their recently passed Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act. The bill, which was passed as an amendment to the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, was signed into law in January. “We write to urge your … Continue Reading
February 19, 2026
Durbin Slams Cancer Screening Cuts For Medicaid Patients In Republicans’ “Big, Beautiful” Budget Bill
CHICAGO—U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a press conference at UI Health’s Mile Square Health Center to discuss new research findings that show how Medicaid cuts from Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will reduce lifesaving cancer screenings for Illinoisans. Medicaid covers three million people in Illinois, including 1.5 million children. The program is responsible for two-thirds of seniors in nursing homes and it is a lifeline for hospitals and health … Continue Reading
February 18, 2026
Durbin Visits Parkland College To Celebrate $3.5 Million For Dental Education
CHAMPAIGN - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a press conference to discuss federal funding he secured that will allow Parkland College to construct a new dental clinic and training facility. The $3.5 million in federal funding, secured through the Congressionally Directed Spending process, also known as an earmark, in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations package that was enacted earlier this month, will enable Parkland College to increase enrollment in its dental … Continue Reading
February 12, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Trump Administration Terminating Federal Funding For Health Grants In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) terminating more than half a billion dollars in funding for four Democratic-led states, including Illinois, which is used to prevent deadly disease outbreaks and to keep Americans safe and healthy. At least $170 million of this funding may be part of … Continue Reading
February 11, 2026
Durbin Meets With Rural Health Care Providers After Congressional Republicans Slash Funding For Medicaid, Affordable Care Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois members of the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), who presented him with their Rural Health Legacy Award for his dedication to protecting access to health care in rural communities. During today’s meeting, Durbin spoke with the health care leaders about providing care to Illinoisans after congressional Republicans rammed through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which cut $1 trillion from Medicaid … Continue Reading
January 29, 2026
Following Big Pharma’s Troubling Schemes With DTC Telehealth Platforms, Durbin, Warren, Welch Sound Alarm On Launch Of TrumpRx
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) raising serious questions about the operations of TrumpRx, a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform that the Trump Administration expects to launch this month. In their letter, the Senators underscored how new guidance issued by the HHS OIG appears insufficient … Continue Reading
January 14, 2026
Durbin Meets With Metropolitan Water Reclamation District To Discuss Thornton Reservoir
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Kari K. Steele, President of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) to discuss funding for the Thornton Reservoir, which was built to reduce chronic flooding in the Great Lakes region. During their meeting, Durbin and President Steele spoke about securing federal reimbursement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for construction of the reservoir, which was guaranteed through MWRD’s Project … Continue Reading
January 14, 2026
Durbin Statement On Trump Administration Terminating Funding For Addiction Treatment, Suicide Prevention, And Rural Ambulance Services
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Trump Administration terminated an estimated $2 billion in grant funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to treat addiction, mental health, and provide homelessness services. The grant cuts also affect Durbin’s longstanding bipartisan priorities to address childhood trauma and bolster rural ambulance services. Durbin’s office was notified by … Continue Reading
January 12, 2026
Durbin Calls On Republicans To Extend ACA Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to urge Senate Republicans to join Senate Democrats in voting to extend the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits. As Durbin made clear in his remarks, millions of Americans have relied on these tax credits to afford their health insurance, yet Republican lawmakers opted to allow the ACA enhanced premium tax credits to expire. “Against the direction and wishes of the Speaker of the … Continue Reading
January 07, 2026
Durbin Slams Trump Administration, Congressional Republicans For Failing To Address Rising Health Care Costs For Americans
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor, drawing a sharp contrast between the successful efforts of congressional Democrats to lower the cost of 10 common prescription drugs, and congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration’s actions to gut funding for Medicaid and end the enhanced premium tax credits that assist 22 million Americans in affording health insurance. On January 1, new, lower costs for 10 of the most … Continue Reading
December 15, 2025
Durbin To Congressional Republicans: Let Us Come Together And Give American Families The Gift Of Health Coverage For Christmas
WASHINGTON - As open enrollment for 2026 individual market health insurance plans is underway and Americans across the country are facing astronomic increases in their monthly premiums for next year, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about the health care affordability crisis, caused by congressional Republicans refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits. Last Thursday, Senate Republicans rejected Senate Democrats’ … Continue Reading
December 15, 2025
Durbin Slams Trump Administration For Cuts To NIH, Medical Research In Speech On The Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke out against the Trump Administration’s dangerous cuts to medical research. In his remarks, Durbin stressed that the President’s decision to cut medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will set back medical advancement by decades by disrupting research into cancer, brain diseases, mental health, drug development, and more. Durbin began his speech by recalling his first time meeting Dr. Francis … Continue Reading
December 12, 2025
Durbin Calls Out Republican Vote To Raise Health Insurance Premiums
CAHOKIA HEIGHTS - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a press conference at Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation’s (SIHF) Cahokia Heights Health Center following Senate Republicans’ vote yesterday to raise health insurance premiums for tens of millions of Americans. Senate Republicans voted against the Democratic legislation to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, meaning Illinoisans who purchase marketplace health plans will see … Continue Reading
December 11, 2025
Durbin Statement On Republicans Voting To Raise Health Insurance Premiums For Tens Of Millions Of Americans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Senate Republicans rejected Senate Democrats’ proposal to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits to ensure millions of Americans could continue to afford their health care plans in 2026: “Need I remind my Republicans colleagues that their votes have real consequences for the people of this country? “Shame on Republicans for, once again, voting to push millions of … Continue Reading
December 10, 2025
Amid Surge In ICE Hiring, Durbin Remarks On Low Standards Of ICE Recruits Who Have Failed Drug Tests, Have Pending Criminal Charges, And More
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today denounced the low hiring standards of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruits amid a surge in hiring. The Trump Administration announced their goal of onboarding 10,000 new agents by the end of the year—which would double the number of deportation officers, from roughly 6,000 to 16,000. Durbin also spoke out on the Administration’s so-called “Operation Midway … Continue Reading