Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley Applaud Illinois, Michigan & Army Corps Of Engineers For Signing The Project Partnership Agreement For Brandon Road To Help Protect The Great Lakes

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) applauded Illinois, Michigan, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for signing a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) regarding the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP).  The BRIP will construct a new engineered channel at Brandon Road in Joliet, Illinois, that will be used to test and deploy a range of technologies that will prevent invasive carp from movi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Schneider Announce Resolution Marking Two Years Since July 4th Shooting In Highland Park

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) along with U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) announced the introduction of a resolution expressing the condolences of Congress and honoring the memory of the victims of the shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4, 2022.  The House version of the resolution was introduced last week and the Senate version will be officially introduced when the Senate is back… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Ruling In Donald Trump Immunity Case

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. U.S., which held that “the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is n… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $4.4 Million In Medical Research Grants For Illinois

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $4,452,852 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. A large portion of the funding will be put towards research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from cancer research to metabolic research.    “Federal investment in medical research pushes our society forward, bringing us new treatments for… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $6.2 Million In Health Care Related Grants For Illinois

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $6,218,045 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. The funding will be put towards programs across the state to support efforts to improve health equity.    “While we continue to make strides in the medical and health care fields, there are still clear inequities in outcomes that we must address,” said Durbin.  “Today’s announced funding … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $525,000 In Federal HHS Grants For Lawrence County Department Of Health

WASHINGTON – In  a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, applauded President Joe Biden’s executive actions to offer relief to hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including allowing undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens to seek protection and streamlining the process for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) holders and other immigrants to change their immigration status. In March, Durbin led a group o… Continue Reading

Durbin Has Hip Replacement Surgery At Rush Oak Brook

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today underwent a successful hip replacement surgery for his left hip. The procedure was performed this morning at RUSH in Oak Brook, Illinois. Durbin will remain in Illinois until he is cleared for travel to Washington by his doctor.             “Today, I had a routine hip replacement surgery in Chicago. I’m grateful to the medical staff at RUSH for today’s successful procedure, and I look forward to a speedy recovery and climbing the Cap… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $5.2 Million In Grant Funding For Head Start In West Central Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Parent & Child Together for West Central Illinois in Camp Point, Illinois, will receive $5,220,433 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant funding to support the organization’s Head Start programming, which offers services for children under the age of five in receiving wrap-around support in early learning and development. “Education is one of the grea… Continue Reading

Durbin, Butler Urge DHS To Issue A Policy Ensuring Vulnerable Children Seeking Protection Through The Central American Minors Program Have Access To Counsel

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Department to issue a policy directive ensuring that vulnerable children seeking protection through the Central American Minors program (CAM) have access to counsel during their refugee interviews with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $42.4 Million In DOT Raise Grant Funds for Illinois Projects

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive $42,454,810 in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant funding for five Illinois-based transportation projects, ranging from planning freight rail connection to constructing electric vehicle charging stations and designing pedestrian trails. “Today’s funding is a major investm… Continue Reading

Durbin Issues Statement On President Biden's Pardon Of LGBTQ+ Service Members Who Wrongfully Received Dishonorable Discharges For Their Identity

CHICAGO – On the ninth anniversary of the Obergefell v. Hodeges ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on President Biden’s pardon for military service members who were convicted under a now-repealed military law because of their sexual orientation:  “On the anniversary of Obergefell, President Biden has taken another step forward in advancing the rights of LGBTQ+… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Budzinski Announce $21 Million For Multimodal Transportation Improvements In Edwardsville

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) today announced that Edwardsville, Illinois will receive $21,241,730 in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant funding for the Goshen Road and Liberty Trail Multimodal Transportation Improvements. “I’m pleased to see more federal funding coming home to Illinois to improv… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Send Illinois School Counselors Letter Urging Them To Support Students Completing The FAFSA

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter to Illinois school counselors to urge them to assist students and their families in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  After Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, the U.S. Department of Education rolled out a new FAFSA form in January 2024.  However, students, families, and counselors have experienced challenges with the new form.  Along with encou… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Urge Governor Pritzker To Sign Project Partnership Agreement For Brandon Road Project Ahead Of June 30 Deadline

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a response letter to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker regarding the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, in which they encouraged the Governor to sign a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) and reiterated their support for the project.  The Senators’ letter comes ahead of the June 30, 2024, deadline for the State of Illinois to sign a PPA with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or risk losing signific… Continue Reading

Durbin, Marshall Statement On Judge Rejecting Visa & Mastercard Settlement With U.S. Merchants To Address Excessive Swipe Fees

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), lead sponsors of the Credit Card Competition Act, today released the following statement after U.S. District Judge Margo Brodie rejected the Visa and Mastercard settlement with U.S. merchants to temporarily lower credit interchange rates and cap those rates into 2030: “We’re pleased Judge Brodie rejected this settlement, which we felt only temporarily pr… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Surgeon General Advisory Highlighting Firearm Violence As Urgent Public Health Issue

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today issued the following statement on a new U.S. Surgeon General Advisory calling the American people’s attention to firearm violence as an urgent public health issue that demands response: “The Surgeon General’s advisory sounds the alarm on gun violence, a uniquely American crisis. I’ve worked with doctors treating gunshot victims, spoken with survivors about the physical and emotional scars from… Continue Reading

On The Two-Year Anniversary Of The Dobbs Ruling, Durbin Recommits To Protecting Women's Reproductive Freedom

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement on the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court: “For the past two years, the Dobbs ruling has sown chaos, fear, and division.  Abortion is now completely banned in 14 states, leaving large swaths of the country without care.  Some statewide bans include jail time for health care providers who perform a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cardin, Raskin Lead Colleagues In Urging DHS Secretary To Protect Stateless Persons In The U.S.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8); along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety; and U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs; and colleagues from the U.S. Senate a… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On FDA Authorizing First Menthol Flavored E-Cigarette Products

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement expressing his disappointment after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the marketing of four menthol e-cigarette products in the United States through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway. Today’s authorizations mark the first non-tobacco flavored e-cigarette products to be authorized by FDA. “Flavors like menthol are used by Big Tobacco companies to mask the harsh… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Ruling In United States v. Rahimi

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling today in United States v. Rahimi, which ruled that when an individual has been found by a court to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of another, that individual may be temporarily disarmed consistent with the Second Amendment: “Today, the Court reaffirmed that the Second Amendment is not limitless and rejected a… Continue Reading