Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Foreign Policy
Durbin Statement on Plan to Begin Drawdown of US Forces in Afghanistan
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement tonight, after President Obama announced plans to begin the drawdown of American forces in Afghanistan: "The President's announcement that we will withdraw 30,000 of our 100,000 troops from Afghanistan by next summer is a step towards the end of this long war." "We invaded Afghanistan to end al Qaeda and with the killing of Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, we have accomplish… Continue Reading
06.07.11
Durbin Discusses Rock Island Arsenal with Secretary of Defense Nominee
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a meeting with President Obama's nominee to be Secretary of Defense and current Director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed his concerns about the possibility that an internal task force within Army could recommend closure of the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (JMTC) at Rock Island Arsenal. Last week, after touring the JMTC facilities, Durbin spoke with Army Secretary John McHugh who assured him that there are no current p… Continue Reading
05.24.11
Durbin Meets with Former Lithuanian President Landsbergis
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Vytautas Landsbergis, the first president of Lithuania and current member of the European Parliament. Landsbergis was joined by a number of senior Lithuanian officials. Today's meeting follows the EU's Monday announcement that revealed toughened sanctions against Lithuania's neighbor county, Belarus. The new sanctions extended asset freezes and travel restrictions to thirteen additional Belarusian offici… Continue Reading
05.24.11
Durbin, Kirk and Delegation Call on President to Provide Federal Relief for Southern Illinois Counties
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) were joined by the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation today in sending a letter to President Obama asking him to issue a major disaster declaration for the State of Illinois and to provide relief to the 14 Southern Illinois counties affected by a series of severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding in April and May. A Presidential disaster declaration would allow cities and counties to apply for federal reimbursements to … Continue Reading
05.24.11
Durbin Welcomes AIPAC President as Special Guest to Joint Session of Congress with Israeli PM
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today welcomed the President of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Chicago native Lee Rosenberg, as his guest to an address by the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to a joint session of Congress. Durbin, the Assistant Senate Majority Leader, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a member of the council that oversees the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum, met with Rosenberg prior to the jo… Continue Reading
05.19.11
Durbin Introduces Bill to Aid Reforestation Efforts in Haiti
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) has introduced legislation to aid reforestation efforts in Haiti. Once covered by thick tropical forest, Haiti is now 98 percent deforested. That deforestation has caused widespread soil erosion; the destruction of natural barriers from hurricanes; and contributes to widespread and abject poverty. The Haiti Reforestation Act seeks to end the rapid and near total deforestation of the island-nation and restore Haiti's na… Continue Reading
05.11.11
Durbin, Reid, Menendez, 30 Others Introduce the DREAM Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and 30 other Senators introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act today - a narrowly tailored bill to give undocumented students a chance to earn legal status if they came here as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, and complete two years of college or military service in good standing.… Continue Reading
05.04.11
Durbin Writes China's Largest Search Engine About Web Censorship, Possible Facebook Deal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) has written to Baidu, China's largest search engine, about its censorship of the internet. Durbin, who recently returned from a week-long trip to China, asked the company to take immediate steps to protect human rights, including freedom of expression and privacy."I appreciate that Baidu has given millions of Chinese citizens the ability to access information. At the same time, your company has a moral obligation to respec… Continue Reading
04.18.11
Durbin Travels to China
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) has arrived in Hong Kong as part of a week-long, senior Senate Delegation visiting China. Durbin, the Senate's second-ranking Democrat, is part of a ten-member, bipartisan trip lead by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Other members of the Delegation include Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR… Continue Reading
04.13.11
Durbin, Reid, 20 Senate Democrats Write Obama on Current Situation of DREAM Act Students
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and a group of 20 Democratic senators today sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to establish a rigorous, consistent and orderly process for handling requests for stays of deportation from young people who would qualify for the DREAM Act if it were to become law. The Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, has granted "deferred action" to som… Continue Reading
04.11.11
Durbin Urges Postponement of International Hockey Tournament Over Concerns About Belarusian Human Rights Record
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Peter Stastny, National Hockey League Hall of Famer and Member of European Parliament sent a letter to the International Ice Hockey Federation today, urging them to postpone the 2014 Ice Hockey Championship in Minsk, Belarus over human rights concerns. "We write to urge the International Ice Hockey Federation to suspend its 2014 Ice Hockey Championship in Minsk, Belarus until that co… Continue Reading
03.29.11
Durbin Chairs First-Ever Hearing on the Civil RIghts of American Muslims
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired the first-ever Congressional hearing on the civil rights of American Muslims today where he highlighted the "First Freedom" - the freedom of religion - and the rights the Constitution affords all Americans. "Many of our nation's founders fled religious persecution, which is why our Constitution puts great importance on religious freedom."Durbin said. "Today, addressing anti-Muslim discrimination is an important c… Continue Reading
03.18.11
Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Political Repression in Belarus Passes Senate
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A bipartisan resolution condemning recent Belarusian elections as illegitimate and calling on the Belarusian regime to immediately release all political prisoners, unanimously passed the Senate late yesterday. The resolution also calls for a tightening of the of the list of Belarusian officials who are subject to U.S. and European Union travel and financial sanctions, new elections in Belarus that meet international standards, tightening of EU sanctions against the Belarusia… Continue Reading
03.18.11
Durbin and Corker Introduce Water for the World Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A bipartisan group lead by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) introduced the Water for the World Act late yesterday, a bill that bill builds on the success of the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act by placing clean water in the forefront of America's development priorities, seeking to reach 100 million people around the world with sustainable first time access to clean water and sanitation within six years of enactment. The b… Continue Reading
03.15.11
Durbin Writes Letter in Support of Dr. Muhammad Yunus
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote a letter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, voicing strong concern over the recent dismissal of Professor Muhammad Yunus as Managing Director of Grameen Bank. Yunus, winner of the Noble Peace Prize, founded Grameen Bank in 1983 as a microfinance and community development bank focused on making small loans to Bangladesh's poor population. The circumstances surrounding Dr. Yunus' dismissal are suspect and have… Continue Reading
03.09.11
Durbin, Lieberman, Lead Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Political Oppression in Belarus
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) introduced a resolution today, condemning recent Belarusian elections as illegitimate and calling on the Belarusian regime to immediately release all political prisoners. The resolution also calls for expansion of the list of Belarusian officials who are subject to U.S. and European Union travel and financial sanctions, new elections in Belarus that meet international standards, expanded EU … Continue Reading
03.07.11
Tyrants can use Facebook, too
There has been much talk lately about the "Facebook revolution" in the Middle East. But the rhetoric oversimplifies a more complicated reality. The Internet has helped activists from Morocco to Iran organize demonstrations and publicize human rights abuses. The world had a front-row seat at the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions thanks to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. This publicity likely helped restrain government crackdowns on protesters. While the mainstream media has limited acces… Continue Reading
02.18.11
Durbin, Snowe, Others Introduce Bill to Eliminate the Practice of Child Marriages Overseas
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced legislation yesterday which seeks to end the harmful practice of child marriage oversees. The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act would require the U.S. Government to develop an integrated, strategic approach to reduce, and ultimately end, the practice of child marriage. The bill is also cosponsored by Senators Boxer (D-CA), Cardin (D-MD) Brown (R-MA) a… Continue Reading
02.10.11
Durbin Statement on the Situation in Egypt
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned, handing power to Vice President Omar Suleiman and Egypt's military: "For more than two weeks, tens of thousands of Egyptians have been peacefully calling for a voice in choosing a representative government. Today, with the departure of Mubarak, those calls have been heard. Egypt's future is now in the hands of the Egyptian people. … Continue Reading
02.02.11
Durbin Meets with Illinois Businesses to Discuss Opportunities to Export to Africa
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the Corporate Council on Africa - which included representatives from two Illinois companies - to discuss challenges faced by U.S. companies that want to do business in Africa. Durbin, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee listened to the group's ideas on how the U.S. government can more effectively help American companies compete in the African market, particularly against China. "For businesses - both… Continue Reading