Press Releases
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 … Continue Reading
December 14, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 14, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 14, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 13, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 13, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 13, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 13, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 13, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 13, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 11, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
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 … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
Judiciary Committee Advances Legislation To Remove Pacer Paywall, Increase Accessibility To Court Records
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced S. 2614, Open Courts Act of 2021, bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) and cosponsored by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, by voice vote. This legislation-more commonly known as the "Free PACER" bill-would modernize the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts' electronic record system and eliminate the PACER … Continue Reading
December 09, 2021
Durbin Meets With Navajo Nation On America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, Protecting Land In Utah
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met virtually with members of the Navajo Nation and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to discuss building support for Durbin's America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, which would protect 8.4 million acres of land in Utah that is rich in archaeological resources and home to numerous rare plant and animal species. During their conversation, Durbin heard about the importance of the landscape and cultural resources in the Utah lands to the … Continue Reading
December 08, 2021
Durbin: We Are More Prepared To Fight COVID-19 Variants Because Senate Democrats Passed The American Rescue Plan
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today outlined the historic steps Senate Democrats have already taken to improve our ability to combat the new COVID-19 Omicron variant-including passing the American Rescue Plan, which funded the production and distribution of life-saving vaccines and enhanced detection and tracking of new variants like Omicron. "Today we received preliminary findings that patients are better protected against … Continue Reading