Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Response With Mayors Lightfoot And Rockingham

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr., who is President of the Illinois Municipal League, to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and federal relief programs. Topics included assistance to state and local governments, testing, and relief for local small businesses. "I am thankful for the leadership of Mayors Lightfoot and Rockingham during this unprecedented crisis. I appreciated hearing about how t… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Impact With Illinois Corn Growers Association

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, spoke with the Illinois Corn Growers Association today to discuss his support for farmers during the COVID-19 crisis, including assistance in rebuilding locks and dams, restoring strong ethanol production, and improving export markets. During the call, Durbin talked about the distribution to date of more than $5 billion in Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payments to livestock and row crop farmers exp… Continue Reading

Durbin, Harris Lead 33 Senators Administration Comply With Supreme Court Decision On DACA

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee and author of the Dream Act, and U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), member of the United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today led a letter from 33 Senators to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf calling on the Trump Administration to immediately comply with the Supreme Court's decision rejecting the Administration's rescission of Deferred Action… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Health Disparities & Relief Programs With Illinois Latino Caucus

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke with the Illinois Latino Caucus to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Latinx Illinoisans and how the federal government can support communities of color in the health and economic needs during the pandemic. Latinx and Black Americans in the U.S. are three times more likely to become infected with coronavirus than their White counterparts, and are nearly twice as likely to die from the virus as White Americans. These disparities exist in cities l… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Bicameral Letter Urging ICE And DHS To Immediately Withdraw New Guidance That Threatens International Students With Deportation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA.), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7), Joe Neguse (D-CO-2), Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Seth Moulton (D-MA-6), and 85 other Senate and House Democrats, to send a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) an… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Impact Of COVID-19 On Local Communities With The Illinois Business Immigration Coalition

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke with Illinois Business Immigration Coalition leaders and staff about his efforts to extend COVID-19 relief to immigrants and communities of color. On the call, Durbin discussed provisions contained in the Heroes Act that he is fighting for in the Senate, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) work authorization extensions. He also discussed the Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act, l… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Rulings on President Trump's Financial Records

SPRINGFIELD - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled on two cases regarding disclosure of President Donald Trump's financial records: "There must be something truly awful in President Donald Trump's tax returns. Look at the lengths he has gone to in order to avoid what every other President in modern times has disclosed." -30-… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Call For $32 Billion In Transit Funding In Next COVID-19 Stimulus Package

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and 22 of their colleagues to urge Senate leadership to provide an additional $32 billion in emergency supplemental funding for public transit agencies in the next COVID-19 stimulus package. Transit agencies have been hit hard ever since stay-at-home orders were first announced in states across the country back in March, resulting in plummeting ridership and fare revenues needed to keep t… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Hospital Leaders In Decatur To Discuss COVID-19 Response

DECATUR - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) St. Mary's Hospital to discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care and the economy across central and southern Illinois and priorities for relief legislation. Durbin and hospital leaders discussed the need for a direct and immediate infusion of funds for our hospitals, as well as policies to stabilize funding for rural hospitals, support the health care workforce, and increase the perso… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $29 Million For Head Start Programs In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that eight organizations around Illinois will receive a total of nearly $30 million in federal funding to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This funding comes through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that allocates funding, provides technical assistance, and helps build strategic partnerships in order to p… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Schumer And Wyden To Introduce New Legislation To Extend Expanded Unemployment Insurance & Require Program Continue Providing Benefits Until Economic Conditions Improve

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) to introduce the American Workforce Rescue Act, bold, new legislation that would establish "automatic stabilizers" to ensure unemployment benefits remain available for working families during periods of persistent unemployment, a priority for Senate Democrats in the next COVID-19 bill. The proposal would extend the $600 increase in weekly unemployment insurance (UI)… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Implement And Expand Online SNAP Purchasing Nationwide

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced a bill to address hunger needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond by requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand online Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchasing choices by enabling additional retailers to participate in the program. The Expanding SNAP Options Act would provide funding for the creation of a universal online and app-based portal to make access to nutr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Bipartisan Amendment In Support Of Baltic States Included In NDAA

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), co-chairs of the Senate Baltic Caucus, today announced that their bipartisan amendment expressing support for coordinated action to ensure the security of our Baltic allies - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). "Eastern Europe and the transatlantic alliance are at critical moments in their history. We must support our allies who face the brunt of Russian cyberatt… Continue Reading

Durbin To NIH Director & Health Officials: Any COVID-19 Vaccine Must Be Proven Safe And Effective And Free Of Political Influence

WASHINGTON - During a Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Services Appropriations Subcommittee hearing today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) questioned the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, about Operation Warp Speed and how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will assure the American people that any COVID-19 vaccine will be safe and effective given the speed at which vaccines are being developed, an… Continue Reading

Durbin To Illinois AG Raoul: We Must Protect Students From Predatory For-Profit College Industry

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) warned Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul about the potential financial dangers posed to Illinois students by the for-profit college industry during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In a letter to AG Raoul, Durbin urged the state to remain watchful and vigilant when it comes to for-profit colleges, which have a long history of fraud and abuse that peaks during times of great economic uncertainty. Durbin cited reports that for-profit col… Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Legislation To Support Global Financial Institutions Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), today introduced the Support for Global Financial Institution Pandemic Response Act. The legislation directs representatives from the United States to multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), to help developing countries as they fight COVID-19, ensuring financial support for a ro… Continue Reading

Following Landmark Supreme Court Decision On DACA, Durbin Attempts To Pass Dream & Promise Act On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee and author of the Dream Act, today asked for unanimous consent to pass the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promise Act, which will establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). The House passed the Dream and Promise Act on June 4, 2019, nearly 400 days ago. Senator Ted Cr… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Army Secretary To Hold Illinois Army Reserve Leaders Accountable & Protect Sexual Assault Victims

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke to U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy to receive an update on the status of an ongoing investigation into the mishandling of sexual assault allegations at the 416th Theater Engineering Command (TEC), an Army Reserve unit in Darien, Illinois. Following an Associated Press article in January, Durbin and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) wrote to the Army calling for a comprehensive investigation into the handling of such claims as well as a revi… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Klobuchar To Call On Senate To Pass Legislation To Protect Elections During COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Rules Committee, today joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on the Senate floor to call on Senate Republicans to act on legislation to protect the right to vote amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act allocated $400 million to help states prepare for the 2020 election cycle through increasing the ability to vote by mail, vote early, register online, open more voting facilities, and hire more poll-workers. Illin… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Introduce NDAA Amendment To Increase National Production Of Testing Supplies And PPE As COVID-19 Cases Rise

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to introduce an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 (NDAA) that would require President Trump to unlock the full authority and power of the Defense Production Act to scale up nation-wide production of the testing supplies, personal protective equipment, and medical equipment needed at the local level to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "We can't take o… Continue Reading