Durbin Statement On NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced he has decided to end his tenure at NIH by the end of the year: "We should measure the legacy of Dr. Francis Collins not in years served, but in lives saved and suffering spared. From his breakthrough work in mapping the human genome to his tireless battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis Collins has show… Continue Reading

Durbin To McConnell: Republicans Are Playing With Fire By Imposing A Filibuster On Raising The Debt Ceiling

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today called out Senate Republicans, whose stonewalling tactics are led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), for their continued obstruction of suspending the debt ceiling to prevent the federal government from defaulting on the national debt. "It's no great revelation that with 50 Democrats, we would need 10 Republicans. The Senate Republican… Continue Reading

Durbin: Supreme Court's Shadow Docket Is Having Profound Consequences For Millions Of Americans

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today highlighted the Supreme Court's growing use of its "shadow docket" to make dramatic changes to legal and constitutional rights without full briefing, deliberation, or transparency. Durbin pointed out that the Supreme Court's conservative majority has increasingly used the shadow docket in recent years to issue substantive and controversial orders on cases wit… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Colleagues To Support Nomination Of Lauren King To The Western District Of Washington

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke in support of the nomination of Lauren King to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin highlighted Ms. King's professional experience and the historic nature of her nomination. The Senate will proceed to a cloture vote on Ms. King's nomination tomorrow. "Ms. King is an incredibly qualified jurist with experience… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $35 Million In American Rescue Plan Funding For Illinois Health Centers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that 42 Community Health Centers (CHCs) throughout Illinois have been awarded a total of $35.7 million in American Rescue Plan funding to modernize their health care infrastructure and enhance their work to address health disparities in underserved communities. CHCs will use this funding for COVID-19-related capital needs, constructing new facilities, renovating and expanding existing facilities to enhance r… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Foster Announce Nearly $600,000 For Joliet Fire Department

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL-11), today announced $593,163 in federal funding for the Joliet Fire Department to purchase new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which are vital to firefighters as they respond to emergencies. The funding was awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. "Firefighters are called upon day after day to prote… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley, Booker, Lee Introduce Legislation To Clarify Retroactivity Of Crack Cocaine Sentencing Reform

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Lee (R-UT), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee; introduced the bipartisan Terry Technical Correction Act, which clarifies that all offenders who were sentenced for a crack cocaine offense before the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 can apply for its retroactive… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $2.3 Million To Support Gun Violence Research At University Of Chicago And Northwestern University

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined researchers from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University to announce a total of $2.3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support gun violence prevention research. This funding is part of $25 million Durbin worked to include in the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations bill to support gun violence research at NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), following decades of resistance from the gun … Continue Reading

Durbin, Schneider Introduce Legislation To Reduce Gun Violence From Stolen Firearms

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) introduced bicameral legislation aimed at reducing gun violence by preventing the theft of firearms from federally-licensed gun dealers (FFLs). The SECURE (Safety Enhancements for Communities Using Reasonable and Effective) Firearm Storage Act would address the problem of "smash and grab" gun store burglaries by requiring all firearms to be securel… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of Continuing Resolution

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement on Senate passage of the Continuing Resolution (CR), which will fund the federal government through December 3, 2021: "Why is keeping America's government open and functioning a political issue? "I'm glad we passed a bill to fund the government through December 3, but cannot understand the Republican default wish that keeps us lurching from one deadli… Continue Reading

Durbin: Republicans Are Deliberately Manufacturing Economic Uncertainty

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today once again slammed Senate Republicans-led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)-for their continued refusal to join Senate Democrats in voting to suspend the debt ceiling. During his speech, Durbin also urged his colleagues to support Congressional Democrats' Continuing Resolution (CR), which keeps the government funded and open through De… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Latest Slate Of U.S. Attorney Nominations

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the following nominations: Jessica D. Aber, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Carla B. Freedman, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York; William J. Ihlenfeld, II, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia; Christopher R. Kavanaugh, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia; Darcie N. McElwee, to be United States Attorney for… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Speech On MOMMA Act At Illinois Maternal Health Summit

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) yesterday joined the first-ever Maternal Health Summit sponsored by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to deliver a speech on his efforts to reduce and close the racial disparity gap in maternal and infant mortality. After being introduced by Director of the IDPH Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Durbin spoke to doctors, health care providers, health researchers, public health officials, midwives, and doulas about the MOMMA Act and its provisi… Continue Reading

Durbin: Texas Abortion Ban Is A Five-Alarm Fire For Due Process And Constitutional Rights

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today highlighted the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing entitled "Texas's Unconstitutional Abortion Ban and the Role of the Shadow Docket," which examined the consequences of Texas's S.B. 8 abortion ban law and the increasing use of the Supreme Court's "shadow docket" to make drastic changes to legal and constitutional rights without full briefing, deliberation,… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses At Hearing On Texas's Unconstitutional Abortion Ban And The Role Of The Shadow Docket

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Texas's Unconstitutional Abortion Ban and the Role of the Shadow Docket." Durbin began his questioning by highlighting how the Supreme Court's "shadow docket" has been used in recent years. "To argue that this shadow docket is just routine, it happens, nothing to see here, move along - the numbers don't tell that story.… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Remarks During Hearing On Texas's Unconstitutional Abortion Ban And The Role Of The Shadow Docket

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 "Texas's Unconstitutional Abortion Ban and the Role of the Shadow Docket." The hearing will examine the consequences of Texas's S.B. 8 abortion ban and the increasing use of the Supreme Court's "shadow docket" to make drastic changes to legal and constitutional rights without full briefing, deliberation, or transparency. Key quotes… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Philippines Foreign Minister And Ambassador

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Philippines Foreign Minister Teodor Locsin and Philippines Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez to discuss U.S.-Philippines cooperation and the ongoing detention of Filipina Senator Leila de Lima. Durbin raised several human rights concerns under Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, including extrajudicial drug-related killings, harassment of journalists such as Maria Ressa, and jailing of opposing voices such as de L… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Refugee Consultation With Biden Administration

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after participating in a statutorily-required refugee consultation between the Biden-Harris Administration and House and Senate Judiciary Committee leadership: "The number of refugees admitted in Fiscal Year 2021 - around 12,000 - is a disappointment. The dismantling of programs by the Trump Administration has hindered our efforts to accept more of the world… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Disappearances Of Family Members Of Illinois Resident With Egyptian Ambassador

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), today spoke by phone with Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. Motaz Zahran about reports of harassment, forced disappearances, and human rights violations in Egypt. During their conversation, Durbin followed up on a letter he and Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Booker sent earlier this year to Zahran, advocating for the release of three family members of Aly Hussin Mahdy… Continue Reading

Senate Sponsors Laud House Passage Of EQUAL Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, Rob Portman (R-OH), Rand Paul (R-KY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the bipartisan Senate sponsors of the EQUAL Act, issued the following statement: "Today, House Republicans and Democrats joined together in passing the EQUAL Act, legislation that will once and for… Continue Reading