Durbin: Republican Objections to Becerra Nomination Must End

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed Republican obstruction of the nomination of Xavier Becerra to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Becerra's nomination was announced three months ago and is still being blocked by Senate Republicans despite a majority of Senators supporting his nomination. Durbin said that delaying Becerra's confirmation only hurts the United States as we try to beat the p… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois Food Banks to Discuss Food Insecurity

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Feeding Illinois, which represents eight food banks that serve Illinoisans, to discuss President Biden's American Rescue Plan, food insecurity, and child nutrition. "Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in nine Illinois residents struggled with consistent access to meals, including one in six children. COVID-19 has exacerbated these challenges, but President Biden's Rescue Plan makes historic investments to su… Continue Reading

Durbin, Feinstein, Leahy, Klobuchar Statement on House Passage of VAWA Reauthorization Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statements after the House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021. The Senators have been working to prepare companion legislation, which they hope to introduce in the coming weeks. "The Violenc… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois Diaper Bank Organizations

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Loving Bottoms, Share Our Spare, Keeping Families Covered, and Cradles to Crayons - Illinois member organizations of the National Diaper Bank Network - to discuss diaper needs in Illinois in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the work the organizations are doing to get diapers to families in need. Durbin discussed President Biden's American Rescue Plan and his support for the End Diaper Need Act. "Diaper nee… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses for Passage of Equality Act in Historic Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - During today's historic hearing on the Equality Act - legislation that codifies federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans - in the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pushed back on arguments that the Equality Act could impact religious institutions or people of faith, as well as claims that passing this legislation would discriminate against people of faith or cause legal and social harms on m… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Remarks in Historic Judiciary Committee Hearing on the Equality Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Judiciary Committee hearing on the Equality Act, legislation that codifies federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans. This is the first time the U.S. Senate has held a hearing on the legislation, which the House of Representatives passed with bipartisan support last month. "Since the dawn of our Republic, LBGTQ Americans have made importan… Continue Reading

Durbin, Graham Statement on House Passage of Legislation to Strengthen the Victims of Crime Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statements after the House of Representatives unanimously passed critical legislation to strengthen the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) by fixing how the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is funded. This legislation, which Durbin and Graham are the lead authors of in the Senate, will redirect monetary penalti… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses American Rescue Plan, COVID-19 Response with Illinois Community Health Centers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with leaders from Illinois Community Health Centers (CHCs) and the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) to discuss President Biden's American Rescue Plan, health disparities, and vaccine distribution in Illinois. Durbin heard from CHCs about their efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted his efforts to expand participation of Illinois CHCs within the new federal program that directly sh… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Resolution Reaffirming Support for Good Friday Agreement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) to introduce a bipartisan resolution in support of the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, or the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent agreements and arrangements to support peace on the island of Ireland. "There is bipartisan resolve in the U.S. Congress to see the full realization of the Good Friday Agreement for the people of Northern Ireland," Durbin s… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Announces Majority Witnesses for Hearing on the Equality Act

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee Majority released the names of witnesses who will testify before a full committee hearing entitled "The Equality Act: LGBTQ Rights are Human Rights" on legislation that codifies federal civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans. The hearing will take place tomorrow, March 17 at 10:00 AM ET in 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Panel I The Honorable Jeff Merkley United States Senator (D-OR) Washington, DC The Honorable Tammy Baldwin … Continue Reading

Durbin: USPS Service in Illinois and Across United States is in Chaos

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed the policies of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, which have slowed down the United States Postal Service (USPS) and unacceptably decreased service for millions of Americans who rely on it. Many Americans continue to face unacceptable problems in postal delivery performance, which has affected prescription medication delivery, mortgage and utility bill payments, insurance policies, small busine… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois Corn Growers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, today met virtually with the Illinois Corn Growers Association to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois, including strengthening the future marketplace for biofuels, federal funds for modernizing Illinois' locks and dams, and the ongoing conservation practices and future opportunities for farmers in addressing climate change. "I had an informative meeting wit… Continue Reading

Durbin: America Must Lead Efforts to Address Global Vaccine Shortage

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke about how helping the global COVID-19 vaccine effort will ultimately help America stem the pandemic at home. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin praised the Biden Administration for ramping up production and distribution of vaccines in the United States, noting that weekly vaccine shipments to Illinois have nearly doubled since President Biden took office. He also shared concerns about coronavirus variants and warned th… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Kelly Ask HUD to Examine Issues at Concordia Place Apartment Complex in Chicago

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today urged the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Region Five Office to swiftly examine reported issues raised by residents of the Concordia Place Apartment complex on the south side of Chicago. In a letter to James A. Cunningham, the HUD Deputy Regional Administrator, Durbin, Duckworth, and Kelly highlighted news reports on the unsafe and unsanitary living … Continue Reading

Durbin: Republicans Have Beaten the Filibuster to the Point it is Hardly Recognizable

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today once again voiced his support for reform of the filibuster. Durbin argued that as filibusters and threatened filibusters have increased in recent decades-especially under Senator McConnell's leadership-real debate and bipartisan cooperation has plummeted. From 1917 to 1970, the Senate took 49 votes to break filibusters - fewer than one each year. Since 2010, it has taken the Senate, on average, mo… Continue Reading

Durbin: The Time is Now for Filibuster Reform

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today voiced his support for reform of the filibuster and called on his colleagues to join him in this effort. Durbin argued that there are many options of reform worth considering, including the "standing filibuster." "Today, nearly 65 years after Strom Thurmond's marathon defense of Jim Crow, the filibuster is still making a mockery of American democracy. The filibuster is still being misused by some S… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on Senate Colleagues to Support Vanita Gupta's Nomination to be Associate Attorney General at DOJ

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke in support of Vanita Gupta's nomination to be U.S. Associate Attorney General, the number three position in the Justice Department. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin addressed a few of the false attacks that are being leveled against Gupta, including right-wing claims that she supports defunding the police. Nothing could be further from the truth-Gupta does not support defundin… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Agriculture Subcommittee Assignments for the 117th Congress

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that he will be a member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade; the Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy; and the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Local Food Systems, and Food Safety and Security. As a member of these three subcommittees, Durbin will focus on a variety of issues that directly impact Illinois agriculture, the rural economy, and farmers. "I am hono… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Immigration Reform with Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met virtually with the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and coalition groups. Durbin and the group discussed the urgency of passing immigration reform legislation. "I am committed to fixing our broken immigration system and working with the Biden-Harris Administration on a path forward-so that we can finally succeed after more than 30 years of unsuccessful effo… Continue Reading

What they are Saying: Dept. of Justice Nominees Lisa Monaco and Vanita Gupta Deserve Swift Confirmation Following Strong Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - In their testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lisa Monaco and Vanita Gupta demonstrated clear commitment to restoring integrity and the rule of law at the Justice Department, combating white supremacy and domestic terrorism, boosting morale of the dedicated career professionals at DOJ, and building a more equitable justice system. Both of their nominations have received bipartisan support from lawmakers, legal experts, law enforcement, national security experts, and civi… Continue Reading