Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of NDAA

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today released the following statement after voting for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes an authorization for $768 billion for national defense programs and authorizations for military construction projects in Illinois totaling $25.2 million: "The Senate's passage of the NDAA emphasizes that our government is committed to a … Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Latest Circuit & District Court Nominations Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Alison J. Nathan, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; Georgette Castner, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Ruth Bermudez Montenegro, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California; Julie Rebecca Rubin, to be United S… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Illinois AFL-CIO Leaders On Infrastructure

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met virtually with Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea and Secretary-Treasurer Pat Devaney in addition to members of the labor organization's Executive Board and Building Trades presidents from across the state. During their meeting, the Senators provided an update about funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), including the $17 billion in direct and guaranteed fu… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Vote To Raise The Debt Ceiling

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after voting to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default on our nation's debt: "Today, Senate Democrats acted to prevent a catastrophic default on our nation's debt, preserving the full faith and credit of the United States. I am grateful to our Republican colleagues who voted last week to fast-track a solution, allowing today's vote to only require a simple majority-ending the parti… Continue Reading

In Speech On The Senate Floor, Durbin Highlights Lower Prices For Insulin Through The Build Back Better Act

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech criticizing the pharmaceutical industry's price gouging for insulin, and highlighting how the Build Back Better Act would cap the cost to patients of insulin at $35 per month and dramatically lower the cost of other life-saving prescription drugs, despite opposition from Senate Republicans. Durbin referenced a USA Today article to describe how the price of insulin has increased to $300… Continue Reading

Durbin: Climate Action Cannot Wait

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke in support of the climate change provisions in the House-passed Build Back Better Act, which would create economic prosperity and growth through innovations like electric vehicles and renewable energy. Durbin went on to call out his Republican colleagues for their lack of urgency-and frequent denial of science-in addressing climate change. "How many times in the past year have members of the … Continue Reading

Durbin Recognizes Victims Of Devastating Tornadoes In Central Illinois, Metro-East, And Kentucky On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke about the chain of tornadoes and violent storms that ravaged Illinois and five other states Friday night, leading to the death of more than 90 people. In his remarks, Durbin recognized the devastation of the families who lost their loved ones as a tornado ripped through an Amazon distribution facility in Edwardsville, Illinois. "In Illinois, we have also suffered staggering losses. At least f… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Second Witness Panel At Senate Judiciary Committee Chicago Field Hearing On Reducing Gun Trafficking And Violence

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), and Roseanna Ander, Founding Executive Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, during the second witness panel of the Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing entitled "Combating Gun Trafficking and Reducing Violence in Chicago." Among his questions, Durbin asked Superintendent Brown about the stress and str… Continue Reading

Senate Confirms Lucy Koh To Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Lucy Koh's nomination to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Ms. Koh's confirmation: "In her tenure on the Northern District of California, Judge Koh has done precisely what we expect of federal judges: applied the law in an evenhanded and impartial way. Her judicial skill, legal abilities, and record on the… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions First Witness Panel At Senate Judiciary Committee Chicago Field Hearing On Reducing Gun Trafficking And Violence

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned John Lausch, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Dr. Debra Houry, Acting Principal Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during the first witness panel of the Senate Judiciary Committee field… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Urge VA Medical Centers In Illinois To Adhere To COVID-19 Protocols Following Outbreak At Jesse Brown VA Medical Center

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a combat Veteran and former Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA), wrote to all Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) in Illinois to urge the facilities to continue to follow Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) COVID-19 guidance and protocol to ensure the health and safety of veterans and employees. The l… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Davis, Bost Lead Illinois Delegation In Urging White House To Support Emergency Declaration For 28 Counties Following Severe Weather

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representatives Rodney Davis (R-IL-13) and Mike Bost (R-IL-12) today led every member of the Illinois Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to President Biden urging the White House to support Governor J.B. Pritzker's request for an Emergency Declaration for 28 counties. The letter follows severe weather and tornadoes this past weekend that led to six fatalities from the collapse of an… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Chicago Field Hearing On Reducing Gun Trafficking And Violence

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing entitled "Combating Gun Trafficking and Reducing Violence in Chicago." In his opening statement, Durbin highlighted the efforts of key federal agencies to combat gun trafficking, pursue evidence-informed violence prevention strategies, and coordinate with other government and community stakeholders to make our co… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Illinois Municipal League, Highlights Federal Relief For Local Governments

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined mayors and village presidents from around Illinois at the Illinois Municipal League's board meeting to discuss how new federal investments are helping cities and towns across Illinois recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and build towards the future. Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan Illinois is receiving historic investments in local governments, infrastructure, health care, housing, and education… Continue Reading

Durbin, Joined By Lee & Grassley, Attempts To Pass Bipartisan Inspector General Access Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today on the Senate floor requested unanimous consent (UC) to pass bipartisan legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct. Currently, the DOJ Inspector General (IG) has no authority to investigate professional misconduct by DOJ lawyers. DOJ is the only agency whose IG has such a jurisdictio… Continue Reading

Durbin, Blunt, Grassley, Bustos, Hinson Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort To Fund Modernization Of Upper Mississippi & Illinois Rivers' Locks And Dams

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), along with U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) and Ashley Hinson (R-IA-01), led a bicameral, bipartisan letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize the funding for construction of the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) on the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) with the $2.5 billion for inland waterways provided in the Infrastru… Continue Reading

Durbin To Acting FDA Commissioner: Agency Is Three Months Past Court-Ordered Deadline To Regulate E-Cigarettes

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock urging the FDA to complete its review of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for the millions of e-cigarette products that have fueled the youth vaping epidemic. In the letter, Durbin reiterated that the deadline for FDA's review was three months ago as mandated by a U.S. District Court Judge for Maryland. E-cigarette manufactur… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With President Biden's Nominee To Lead FDA, Robert Califf

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with President Biden's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Robert Califf. During their meeting, Durbin pressed Dr. Califf on his thoughts regarding FDA's overall tobacco strategy and its delays in several public health oversight policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use; Durbin's bipartisan drug pricing legislation, the Drug-price Transparency for Competition (DTC) Act; how to help terminally ill … Continue Reading

Durbin Speaks With Nominee For U.S. Army's Assistant Secretary For Acquisition, Logistics, And Technology

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke by phone with Doug Bush, who has been nominated by President Biden to be the U.S. Army's Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ALT). During their conversation, Durbin received an update on the Army's Make/Buy Guidance, which helps boost work for arsenals across the country, and how the program is helping inform equipment purchasing. Durbin also encouraged Bush to utilize the Rock Island Arsenal to its… Continue Reading

On Senate Floor, Durbin Praises Build Back Better Expansion Of Pell Grant Program, Slams For-Profit College Taking Advantage Of Program

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) highlighted how the Build Back Better Act will support college students by increasing the maximum Pell grant award by $550. The historic proposal would expand Pell grants and other forms of federal student aid to DACA students and help five million low-income students earn college degrees to build a better, more prosperous future. "It [Pell Grant program] was created in 1972 - almost 50 years ago. At the … Continue Reading