Durbin, Yarmuth, Boyle Introduce Bicameral Legislation To Transfer Debt Ceiling Authority To Treasury Secretary

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), House Budget Committee Chair Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), and House Budget Committee Vice-Chair Rep. Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA) introduced the Debt Ceiling Reform Act, legislation that would repeal the debt ceiling and give the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to issue new debt as long as the president notifies Congress that new debt is needed. Republicans previously used stonewalling tactics led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McC… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Johnson & Johnson's Shameful 'Texas Two-Step' Maneuver On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called out Johnson & Johnson for using a corporate bankruptcy shell game known as the 'Texas Two-Step' to avoid facing claims from cancer-stricken customers. The 'Texas Two-Step' is the name given to a highly controversial legal strategy that some of the biggest companies are now using to shield their assets from accountability. It allows massively wealthy cor… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Confirmation Of Dr. Robert Califf To Lead FDA

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Robert Califf's nomination to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after voting in favor of Dr. Califf's confirmation: "The person leading FDA must feel a deep sense of responsibility to protect the health and well-being of all Americans, including to help lead our COVID-19 response and ensure the safety of food on our tables and medicine in our cabinets. … Continue Reading

In Senate Floor Speech, Durbin Calls Out Nefarious For-Profit Operator Dr. Arthur Keiser For His Conflict Of Interest As Chair Of NACIQI

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senator floor calling out Dr. Arthur Keiser for his consistent underhanded dealings that include his questionable nonprofit conversion of Keiser University, his ownership of the for-profit Southeastern College, and his chairmanship of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). NACIQI serves as the Department of Education's federal advisory board that approves the accreditors … Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Press Ice On "Excessive And Seemingly Indiscriminate" Use Of Solitary Confinement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide information on the use of solitary confinement in ICE facilities. In a letter to Acting Director Tae Johnson, Durbin-along with Senators and Judiciary Committee members Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Alex Padilla (D-CA… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On FBI, Bureau Of Justice Statistics To Collect Nationwide Data On Carjacking

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today wrote letters to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) calling for prompt action to initiate nationwide data collection on carjacking. In his letters, Durbin emphasized that data collection plays a critical role in crime prevention and informing investigation and enforcement strategies that could help save lives. … Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Retain International Graduates With Advanced STEM Degrees

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a bill that would remove unfair barriers for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educated international students who want to work in the United States after they complete their advanced degrees. The Keep STEM Talent… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Biden For EV Charging Network Investments, Highlight Job Creation Benefits

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today highlighted that the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) nationwide electric vehicle (EV) charging network investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will have important benefits in Illinois, including creating good-paying, local jobs and making it easier for Illinoisans to travel the state and nation. DOT's investments in EV charging will total nearly $5 billion available over the next five years, in… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats Meet With President Biden And Vice President Harris To Discuss Supreme Court Vacancy

WASHINGTON - At a meeting in the White House, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee today met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy. Along with Durbin, today's meeting was also attended by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D… Continue Reading

Durbin, Brown, Senators Urge CFPB To Investigate Private Student Lenders' Compliance With Bankruptcy Law

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today led six colleagues in writing a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to express their concerns, first raised in a Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) report, that private student loan companies and servicers are intentionally misrepresenting to borrowers the possibility of discharging "non-qualified" private student loans in bankruptcy. Federal law prevents "qualified"… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Violence Against Women Act, Ending Forced Arbitration Of Sexual Assault And Sexual Harassment Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the passage of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, legislation that will prevent survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault from being forced into secretive, biased forced arbitration proceedings. Durbin also called on the Senate to pass the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act (VAWA), which was introduced by Senators Durbin, Dianne Feinstei… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out Republican Tactics To Stall U.S. Marshal Nominee For The Northern District Of Illinois

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, fought back against stalling tactics by Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, who were attempting to delay confirmation of LaDon Reynolds, nominee to serve as U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois. Durbin praised Reynolds for his qualifications for the position and expressed support for his full confirmation. "I … Continue Reading

Durbin, Gilibrand, Graham Celebrate Senate Passage Of Landmark Bill To Void And Prevent Forced Arbitration Agreements For Sexual Harassment And Sexual Assault

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in announcing the Senate passage of the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, legislation that will prevent perpetrators from being able to push survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault into the secretive, biased process of forced arbitration. Under the bill, forced … Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances Nine Nominees, Two Bipartisan Bills

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Andre B. Mathis, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Jessica G.L. Clarke, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; Hector Gonzalez, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York; Fred W. Slaughter, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; and Andrew Fois, to be Chairman of the Administrative Conference of t… Continue Reading

Senate Confirms Leonard Stark To The Federal Court

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Leonard Stark's nomination to serve on the Federal Circuit by a vote of 61-35. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Judge Stark's confirmation: "Judge Stark is an exceptional jurist whose extensive background as a trial judge includes presiding over thousands of patent cases and several dozen patent trials. Judge Stark has also served on several federal ap… Continue Reading

Durbin: Dr. Fauci Deserves To Be Listed Alongside World's Greatest Scientific Minds

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to express his support for Dr. Anthony Fauci-Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-and praised him for using his expertise to see the United States through numerous public health crises like HIV/AIDS, SARS, avian flu, swine flu, Zika, Ebola, and COVID-19. In his speech, Durbin called out Dr. Fauci's Republican detractors for … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Rural Illinois Health Care Providers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois members of the National Rural Health Association to discuss the challenges hospitals and health care providers are facing with COVID-19, behavioral health challenges, and delivering maternal health care services in rural Illinois. During their conversation, Durbin received an update on workforce shortages, the burnout health professionals are experiencing, and how federal programs and funding are helping to ensure … Continue Reading

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Modernize Violence Against Women Act

Washington-Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act. The bill, which would reauthorize VAWA through 2027, preserves advancements made in previous reauthorizations and includes a number of additional improvements to the current law. "This bill is the result of a true bipartisan effort, written in partnership with those … Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On U.S. Drone Strikes And Civilian Casualties

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, "'Targeted Killing' and the Rule of Law: The Legal and Human Costs of 20 Years of U.S. Drone Strike." This is the first hearing since 2013-which Durbin also chaired-on the United States' use of drone strikes to lethally target suspected terrorists overseas. Durbin first questioned Stephen Pomper, Chief of Policy at the… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Remarks During Hearing On U.S. Drone Strikes And Civilian Casualties

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during a hearing entitled "'Targeted Killing' and the Rule of Law: The Legal and Human Costs of 20 Years of U.S. Drone Strikes." This is the first hearing since 2013-which Durbin also chaired-on the United States' use of drone strikes to lethally target suspected terrorists overseas. Key quotes: "In the nine years since that 2013 hearing, the watchdog … Continue Reading