Durbin Meets With New Adjutant General Of The Illinois National Guard

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with new Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard Major General Rodney Boyd to discuss Illinois’ role in contributing to national military readiness.  Durbin and General Boyd spoke about Peoria’s 182nd Airlift Wing as a basing location for new C-130J aircraft and Durbin’s successful effort to secure $350 million in Fiscal Year 2023 funding for 12 new MQ-1C Gray eagle aircraft for the National Guard. Durbin also expresse… Continue Reading

Durbin Talks Frequent Flyer Programs, Rail Grants With Secretary Buttigieg

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about federal oversight of airlines’ frequent flyers programs.  While these programs may have originated to incentivize and reward true “frequent flyers,” they have evolved to include co-branded credit cards and now often exclusively focus on dollars spent using these co-branded credit cards. Durbin received an update from Secretary Buttigieg about the Department … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Federal Judge Dismissing Classified Documents Case Against Donald Trump

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on Judge Aileen Cannon dismissing the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump on the grounds that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith violated the Constitution: “This unprecedented decision goes far beyond this individual prosecution and undermines the entire system that our country has long relied on to protect the independence of… Continue Reading

Senate Appropriations Committee Advances Spending Bills With Illinois Priorities Secured By Durbin, Duckworth

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced funding bills for Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Legislative Branch for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).  Durbin and Duckworth worked to secure various priorities for Illinois in these three appropriations bills, … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Nomination Of Former Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson-Bush To Railroad Retirement Board

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding former Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson-Bush’s nomination to serve as the Chair of the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB): “At my urging, President Biden has made an excellent choice in nominating former Illinois Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson-Bush to serve as Chair of the Railroad Retirement Board.  Congresswoman Halvorson-Bush’s career is steeped in public service, from her time in Congress f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cohen Introduce Bicameral Legislation To Crack Down On For-Profit College Industry

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) today introduced bicameral legislation that would help put an end to the for-profit college industry’s aggressive recruiting of veterans, service members, and their families.  The Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act would reinstate the 85/15 rule, which would prohibit for-profit colleges from receiving more than 85 percent of their revenue from the federal government, including fr… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Federal Firearm Licensee Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced legislation to update federal laws governing licensed firearm dealers, cracking down on rogue firearm dealers who engage in unlawful practices that lead to gun trafficking and violence.  The Federal Firearm Licensee Act would establish new requirements for licensed firearm dealers to secure their business premises and conduct physical checks of their business inventories. It would… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Eight Judicial Nominations To The Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced eight judicial nominations to the full Senate, continuing the Committee’s work to bring balance to the federal judiciary. The nominations advanced include one circuit court nominee and seven district court nominees. “In our first markup following the latest Supreme Court term, we’re reminded of the importance of the rule of law and judges who uphold it. Since Democrats took back the White House and the Senate majority in January 2… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Foster, Sorensen Announce $334.7 Million In Federal Funding For Retooling Of Stellantis Plant In Belvidere

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding Stellantis $334,763,050 in Domestic Auto Manufacturing Conversion Grant program funds to assist in the reopening of the Belvidere Assembly Plant and in the construction of the plant’s new electric vehicle battery production facility.  Stellantis has pledged to… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Judiciary Committee Hearing On Supreme Court Ruling in Donald Trump Immunity Case

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a full committee hearing in September to explore the immediate legal and policy ramifications of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States: “The Court’s six Republican-appointed justices upended our constitutional landscape with their misguided ruling in Trump v. United States. This dangerous decision immunizes presidents wh… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Senate Republicans Voting Against The Reproductive Freedom For Women Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted against the Reproductive Freedom for Women Act, a bill that simply states women should have the basic freedom to make their own health care decisions: “Today’s vote was simple: do you support a woman’s right to make their own reproductive health care decisions?  My Republican colleagues voting against this fundamental right is … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois Farm Bureau President And Members

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today met with Illinois Farm Bureau members and President of the Illinois Farm Bureau, Brian Duncan, to discuss Illinois’ agricultural priorities as the Senate continues its work on the Farm Bill.  During their meeting, the group expressed support for federal crop insurance and shared concerns about California’s Proposition 12 and its effects on pork producers.  Fa… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's Meeting With The United States Senate

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today released the following statement after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the United States Senate on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington, DC: “President Zelenskyy was very clear in our meeting today: without U.S. support, Ukraine will lose the war.  Allowing a Putin victory in Ukraine would surrender U.S. leadership around the world, undermine the hard-fought stabili… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Introduce Resolution Recognizing & Strengthening Diplomatic Relations, Security Cooperation Between U.S. & Baltic States

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Co-Chairs of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, introduced a resolution recognizing the importance of the alliance between the United States and the Baltic States, including support for the Baltic Security Initiative, which enhances and strengthens U.S. security cooperation with the Baltics and NATO interoperability amid Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine.  The resolution is introduced while the Unit… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Judicial Nominees In Today's Judiciary Committee Nominations Hearing

WASHINGTON – During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Mary Kathleen Costello, nominated to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Laura Margarete Provinzino, nominated to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota; and Noël Wise, nominated to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California. Durbin first asked Judge Wise about … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Interchange Fees With Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, to receive an update on the status of economic and monetary policy in the U.S.  During the meeting, Durbin stressed the importance of ensuring that the biggest banks and card networks fulfill their obligations to charge reasonable and proportional interchange fees for debit card transactions—and protect consumers, who pay these hidden fees in the form of higher retail pr… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Discusses U.S. Support For Baltic State And Ukraine

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, today met with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.  During the meeting, they discussed continued U.S. support for the Baltics amid Russia’s aggression in the region and Putin’s efforts to undermine allied security and democracy.  Durbin and Landsbergis also reaffirmed the transatlantic alliance amid the annual NATO Summit being hosted in Washington, D.C. this week. … Continue Reading

Durbin, Wicker, Senators Meet With Speaker Of the Parliament Of Ukraine During NATO Summit Week

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, hosted Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, to discuss continued Congressional support for Ukraine.  This week, the United States is hosting the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., where Heads of State and Government of NATO member countries will discuss important issues facing the Alliance and provide strategic direction for its activities.  … Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Closing The Civil Justice Gap

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, “Closing the Justice Gap: How to Make the Civil Justice System Accessible to All Americans.”  Today’s hearing examined the “civil justice gap,” which is the gap between the civil legal needs of low-income Americans and the services available to meet those needs.    Durbin began his questions by asking Nikole Nelson, CE… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $30.9 Million In Federal Funding For Pace Suburban Bus' Hybrid Buses Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Pace, the Suburban Bus Division of the Regional Transportation Authority, will receive $30,911,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation.  With this award, Pace plans to purchase hybrid electric buses to replace vehicles that have exceeded their useful life and upgrade its maintenance facility to adapt to new technology.  The funding will also support tra… Continue Reading