Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Military and Veterans
Durbin Meets with Quad Cities Officials to Discuss Rock Island Arsenal and Other Priorities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with officials from the Quad Cities area to discuss their priorities for Rock Island Arsenal and the region. Participants in today's meeting included: Rock Island County Board Chairman, Jim Bohnsack and Moline Mayor Dan Welvaert. "The Quad Cities region has a great history of coming together to build the economy of the entire region," said Durbin. "Meeting with local leaders like Chairman Bohnsack and Mayor Welvaert we can prod… Continue Reading
01.24.12
Durbin will Host Illinois Soldier for Tonight's State of the Union
[WASHINGTON, DC] - In what has become an annual tradition, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) will host a wounded Illinois soldier as his guest for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. U.S. Army Specialist Jacob Owens from the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, will also attend the Secretary of the Senate's dinner immediately preceding the President's address. Durbin has invited soldiers who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as his guests … Continue Reading
01.23.12
Durbin, Harkin: Congress Must Remove Loophole that Encourages For-profit Colleges to Target Veterans
[CHICAGO, IL] - At a forum examining aggressive recruiting and marketing tactics practiced by some members of the for-profit college industry to target veterans and service members, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced legislation that would further limit federal government subsidies to for-profit colleges and eliminate the incentive for these extremely profitable schools to aggressively target veterans and service members. The Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act is cosp… Continue Reading
12.15.11
Durbin Announces Over $315,000 in HUD Grants to Reduce Homelessness Among Illinois Veterans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that three Illinois communities will receive a total of $315,179 in Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) grant funding to help homeless veterans find shelter as they receive health and other services. "Last night, in Illinois alone, more than 1,000 homeless veterans were on the street," said Durbin. "This country can do better-and must do better-for t… Continue Reading
12.01.11
Durbin: Provision to Give National Guard Full Membership on the Joint Chiefs of Staff Approved by Senate
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the National Defense Authorization Act approved late tonight by the U.S. Senate included a provision that gives the Chief of the National Guard full voting membership on the Joint Chiefs of Staff - the biggest change since the Marine Corps was given full membership in 1979. This bipartisan measure was strongly support by the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard Major General William L. Enyart. "This bill en… Continue Reading
11.10.11
Durbin Statement on Passage of the Veterans Jobs Bill
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate passed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act - a bill that will help tens of thousands of unemployed veterans get back to work - by a wide bipartisan margin: "More than 75,000 veterans in Illinois are out of work, and as we end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that number will likely grow. These veterans fought for America, and it's our duty to see that they are given a helping hand when they r… Continue Reading
11.10.11
Durbin, Kirk Announce Nearly $500,000 in DOT Funding to Help Illinois' Veterans Literally "Get to Work"
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a $362,000 competitive grant to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and a $131,325 competitive grant to Lee County, Illinois, to enhance access to affordable transportation for wounded warriors as well as military families and spouses. The funding, which comes through DOT's new Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative, w… Continue Reading
10.21.11
Durbin Statement on President's Announcement of Troop Withdrawal from Iraq
[CHICAGO, IL] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today, after President Obama announced his decision to remove all American troops from Iraq by the end of this year: "During the President's announcement today, he stated what most Americans feel: we are so proud of what our troops have done." "We have made great sacrifices for the country of Iraq: $1 trillion has been spent on the war there, 4,400 American lives have been lost there, and… Continue Reading
10.21.11
Durbin, Kirk Extend Impact Aid Funding Formula For Schools Serving The Great Lakes Naval Base
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today announced that the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has approved a bill that will extend the practice of allowing the five public schools serving the Great Lakes Naval Training Base to pool their students to maximize federal education assistance through the Impact Aid program. The legislation also allows North Chicago to remain eligible for heavily impacted status for the next five years. "W… Continue Reading
09.06.11
As a Result of Durbin-authored Law, Family Caregivers Of Veterans Start Receiving Financial Assistance
[CHICAGO, IL] - Hundreds of families who have taken on the enormous task of caring for America's most seriously wounded warriors are now receiving financial assistance through the Department of Veterans Affairs' Family Caregiver Program, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. The Family Caregiver Program provides technical, financial and practical support to family caregivers of post-9/11 veterans seriously injured in the line of duty. To date, 36 Illinois families are participating in the … Continue Reading
08.24.11
Illinois Officials Announce Silver Cross Victory for Area Vets
[JOLIET, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13th) today were joined by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-11th) in celebrating a long-anticipated agreement to transform the emergency room facility at Joliet's Silver Cross Hospital into a 60,000 square foot outpatient mega-clinic for area veterans. Lawmakers began lobbying for the project three years ago after Silver Cross announced it would be moving its current operations to New Le… Continue Reading
08.18.11
Durbin Lauds Obama Administration Announcement on Dream Act Deportation Cases
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, in a letter to Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 21 other Senators, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the Administration has established a new process for handling the deportation cases of DREAM Act students and other sympathetic individuals. If fully implemented, the new process should stop virtually all DREAM Act deportations. "The Obama Administration has made the right decision in changing the way they hand… Continue Reading
08.11.11
Senator Durbin and Senator Murray Call on VA to Provide Answers About Privacy, Safety, and Security of Homeless Female Veterans
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a joint letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki expressing their concern about the placement of homeless female veterans in unsecure housing in Chicago, which jeopardized their safety. The Senators' letter asks the VA for assurances that homeless female veterans across the country who are being cared for by the Department are h… Continue Reading
08.03.11
Durbin Announces More Than $1 Million in Homeless Prevention Grants for Illinois Veterans
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded $1,159,122 in homeless prevention grants to two Illinois organizations that serve homeless and at-risk veteran families. The funding is provided through the new Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. "Last night, in Illinois alone, more than 1,000 homeless veterans were on the street," said Durbin. "We must ensure that when our brave men and women re… Continue Reading
07.20.11
Durbin: Senate Approves More Than $146 Million for Military Construction Projects in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate has approved $146,742,000 in federal funding for military construction projects in Illinois. These projects were included in President Obama's FY2012 Budget and supported by Durbin. The Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Bill for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs includes funding for the following Illinois projects: Army National Guard Readiness Center, Normal, Illinois. $10,000,000 to construct… Continue Reading
07.14.11
Illinois & Iowa Delegation Members to General: Any Proposal to Relocate JMTC Would Face Bipartisan Resistance in Congress
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The bipartisan, bi-state delegation that represents the Rock Island Arsenal today made clear to General Ann Dunwoody, the Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command, that any proposal to close or relocate Rock Island Arsenal's Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (JMTC) would be met with strong resistance in Congress. In a meeting in Washington, Dunwoody reassured the Illinois and Iowa delegation that the Army currently has no plans to close the JMTC, but could not… Continue Reading
07.12.11
Durbin, Bennet, Religious Leaders Announce DREAM Act Sabbath
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and more than a dozen religious leaders representing a broad variety of faith traditions, today announced a DREAM Act Sabbath - an initiative enlisting churches, synagogues, and mosques around the country to dedicate time during their regular weekly worship service to a conversation about the DREAM Act. The nationwide event will talk place this fall on September 23rd, September 24th, and Septe… Continue Reading
07.08.11
Illinois Lawmakers Ask Army Corps to Expedite Permit Process Ahead of Metro East Levees Meeting
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following yesterday's meeting with the head of the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council, Les Sterman, Illinois lawmakers today asked Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy of the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the approval process for upgrades to the Metro East levees system and ensure that the repairs are done quickly and cost-effectively. Over the last few weeks, Sterman and others have alerted the members of potential delays in the approval process. … Continue Reading
07.05.11
Durbin: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves More Than $146 Million for Military Construction Projects in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee, of which he is a member, has approved $146,742,000 in federal funding for military construction projects in Illinois. These projects were included in President Obama's FY2012 Budget and supported by Durbin. The Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Bill for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs includes funding for the following Illinois projects: Great Lakes Naval Station, Illin… Continue Reading
06.28.11
Opening Remarks at the First-ever Senate Hearing on the DREAM Act
Thousands of immigrant students in the United States were brought to the United States as children. It was not their decision to come to this country, but they grew up here pledging allegiance to our flag and singing our national anthem. They are American in their hearts. The DREAM Act would give these young people a chance to earn legal status if they have good moral character and go to college or serve in the military. The DREAM Act would make America a stronger country by giving the… Continue Reading