Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Foreign Policy
Durbin Statement On Trump Decertifying Iran Nuclear Deal
CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), who led the effort to secure the Iran Nuclear Agreement in the Senate in 2015, released the following statement: "Thanks to the Agreement and its inspectors, Iran is further away from a nuclear weapon than at any point in more than a decade. It has agreed to never pursue a nuclear weapon and to continue intrusive inspections around the clock. That's good for America's security and the security of our allies in the Middle East. "President … Continue Reading
09.07.17
Durbin, McCain Resolution Condemns Violence Against Burmese Rohingya, Calls On Aung San Suu Kyi To Act
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) today introduced a resolution condemning the horrific acts of violence being committed against the Rohingya ethnic minority in Burma, and calling on Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi to live up to her historic democratic and human rights ideals by taking action to stop this humanitarian tragedy. Co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the resolution: (1) condemns the vi… Continue Reading
08.02.17
Durbin Introduces Bill To End Cuba Embargo And Establish Normal Trade Relations
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to introduce the U.S.-Cuba Trade Act of 2017, which would repeal outdated sanctions on Cuba and establish normal trade relations with the island nation. "Ending the embargo is about more than opening the country up to American businesses and travel-it's about opening Cuba to new ideas, new values, and improved human rights that our 50 year old policy of isolation could not achieve," said Durbin. "While we… Continue Reading
07.19.17
Durbin, Nelson, Rubio, Menendez, Cruz, Merkley Introduce Resolution Honoring Late Cuban Dissident Oswaldo Paya
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the fifth anniversary of Oswaldo Payá's death, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a bipartisan resolution honoring the legacy of the Cuban dissident and calling for an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Payá, an outspoken activist for free speech, democracy, and human rights, died in a car crash on July 22, 2012. Wh… Continue Reading
07.12.17
Durbin, Klobuchar, Cardin, Reed Introduce Legislation To Prevent Creation Of Cybersecurity Unit With Russia
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Jack Reed (D-RI) today introduced legislation to prevent the creation of a cybersecurity unit with Russia. The legislation follows the suggestion from President Trump that the United States should partner with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on a joint cybersecurity unit. The No Funds for Cyber Coordination with Russia Act of 2017 says that the President should publicly accepts U.S. intelligence findin… Continue Reading
07.10.17
Durbin Joins Bipartisan Letter Urging Ambassador Haley To Pursue Special Investigation Into Deaths Of UN Imvestigators
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined a bipartisan group of ten senators in urging the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to work with the UN Secretary-General to pursue an independent special investigation into the suspicious deaths of two UN investigators killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in March. American Michael Sharp and Swedish-Chilean dual citizen Zaida Catalán were murdered in the Kasai region of the DRC while they were investigating human rig… Continue Reading
07.06.17
Ahead Of President Trump's First Meeting With Vladimir Putin, Senate Dem National Security Leaders Write To President Trump Demanding That He Press Putin On Russia's Interference In The 2016 U.S. Election
President Trump's Meeting With President Putin Will Be Their First Individual Meeting Since The U.S. Intelligence Community's Conclusion That Russia Sought To Undermine The Most Central Tenet Of U.S. Democracy - Our Election Despite Russia's Election Interference, The Trump Admin Has Said The President Has No Agenda Going Into Meeting With Putin - Senate Dems Say Not Raising Putin's Election Meddling would be a Dereliction of President Trump's Duty Senate Dems to Pres. Trump: Don't Let Putin… Continue Reading
06.01.17
Durbin Visits South Korea to Discuss Regional Threats
CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin has returned from South Korea, where he met with newly-elected President Moon Jae-in, his National Security Advisor, Defense Minister, and other key officials. Durbin also met with U.S. diplomatic and military personnel deployed on the Korean peninsula. "The Trump Administration has taken an aggressive stance with North Korea and made contradictory statements that have rattled the international community-I wanted to get a sense for how that is bei… Continue Reading
04.07.17
Durbin, Cassidy, Burgess, Cummings Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation To Improve Accountability Of Foreign Medical Schools Receiving Federal Student Aid
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) joined U.S. Representatives Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Elijah Cummings (D-MD) to reintroduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would protect students and taxpayers by closing a loophole that gives special treatment to a small number of overseas medical schools. The Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act would require all medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada to meet the same minimum requirements to r… Continue Reading
04.06.17
Durbin Statement on U.S. Missile Strikes in Syria
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: My preliminary briefing by the White House indicated that this was a measured response to the Syrian nerve gas atrocity. Any further action will require close scrutiny by Congress, and any escalation beyond airstrikes or missile strikes will require engaging the American people in that decision.… Continue Reading
04.04.17
Durbin Statement on Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: Images of the victims of Assad's latest chemical weapons attack-including women and children-are a horrific reminder that the six-year conflict in Syria is the humanitarian crisis of our time. History will judge how America responded, and so far, our response has been insufficient-failing to create humanitarian safe zones, shutting the door on Syrian refugees, and now this White House is cozying up to A… Continue Reading
03.14.17
Durbin, Rubio Reintroduce Legislation To Promote Education Abroad
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) today reintroduced legislation to expand educational opportunities for the world's poorest children. The Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act addresses barriers to school attendance, retention, and completion in developing countries by leveraging U.S. contributions through collaboration with governments, civil society, and global education initiatives. Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Dave Reiche… Continue Reading
02.20.17
Durbin In Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine To Discuss NATO, Russia
WARSAW-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin is in Poland today, as part of travel to three eastern European nations to discuss Russian aggression and interference in western democracies, and congressional support for the transatlantic relationship and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Durbin was joined by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in Warsaw for meetings with senior government officials. In Vilnius, Lithuania, Durbin will meet with President Dalia Grybauskaite, Parliament… Continue Reading
02.09.17
Durbin Statement On Reports Of Conflict Minerals Executive Order
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after reports that the Trump Administration is considering an executive order rolling back a rule requiring companies registered in the United States to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) what they are doing to mitigate sourcing from conflict mines in and around the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "This law was passed to help save the lives of the children, women, and men who were being sl… Continue Reading
02.08.17
Senators Meet With Baltic And Polish Ambassadors To Discuss Russian Aggression In The Region
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) met today with Lithuanian Ambassador to the U.S. Rolandas Kriš?i?nas, Latvian Ambassador to the U.S. Andris Teikmanis, Estonian Ambassador to the U.S. Eerik Marmei, and Polish Ambassador to the U.S. Piotr Wilczek, to discuss Russian aggression in the region, the importance of maintaining transatlantic unity, and support for NATO and continued … Continue Reading
02.01.17
Durbin Opposes Confirmation of Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after voting against Rex Tillerson, President Trump's nominee for Secretary of State: Election Day 2016 is a day that will live in cyber infamy-the result of a hostile foreign power intentionally attacking our democracy to influence the outcome of the presidential election. I have said repeatedly that this act of cyber warfare must not go unanswered, so I was deeply disturbed that Mr. Tillerson showed so little concern,… Continue Reading
01.18.17
Durbin Presses Secretary Of State Nominee Rex Tillerson On Russia Ties, U.S. Foreign Policy Under Pres.-Elect Trump
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson. Durbin pressed Mr. Tillerson about his role in carrying out U.S. foreign policy under President-elect Trump, particularly given his recent dismissal of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as obsolete. "The first thing I asked Mr. Tillerson was how he thought he could be an effective Secretary of State, dealing with a President who regularly tweets dramatic reversals of American foreign p… Continue Reading
05.06.14
Senate Passes Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Abduction Of Nigerian School Girls
[WASHINGTON, DC] Today, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators hailed the Senate passage of a resolution condemning the abduction of more than 200 Nigerian school girls by the terrorist group Boko Haram on April 14. Most of the abducted girls - the majority of them between 16 and 18 years old - remain missing. The resolution calling for the safe, immediate return of the girls was introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Chris Coo… Continue Reading
04.12.14
Durbin, McCain to NATO Secretary General: NATO Must Protect Legal International Borders
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) sent a letter yesterday to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen regarding the continued Russian aggression toward Ukraine. "We write to express grave concern over Russian actions in and around Ukraine. Such aggressive military and intelligence operations aimed at destabilizing other sovereign nations threaten decades of European security and are an affront to the values of NATO, the United States, the Europe… Continue Reading
03.27.14
Durbin Applauds Senate Passage of Ukraine Aid Bill
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the Senate's 98 to 2 vote to approve a bill that would send aid to Ukraine and place more sanctions on Russia for its acts of aggression in Crimea. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar bill today and the legislation is expected to be sent to the President shortly for his signature. "The United States took a serious step forward today to show the people of Ukraine that we stand with them as they work toward a mo… Continue Reading