Durbin Responds To Justice Alito's Refusal To Recuse Himself In 2020 Election Cases

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito refused to recuse himself from cases concerning the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection. The justice’s refusal comes in response to a letter Durbin and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, sent to Chief Justice John Roberts last week imploring the Ch… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $11.5 Million In Grant Funding For Head Start Projects

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Carole Robertson Center for Learning in Chicago will receive $11,516,272 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant funding to support the center’s Head Start programming, which offers services for children under the age of five in receiving wrap-around support in early learning and development. “Providing a strong education is one of the greatest gifts we… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $8.6 Million For Medical Research And Health Center Programs In Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $8,602,005 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. A large portion of the funding will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from neurological disorders to cancer research.  This round of grant funding will also support the development of a program for Black asthmatic … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Impact Of FAA Reauthorization Act On Decatur Airport And Additional Federal Funding For Local Infrastructure Projects

DECATUR – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe to discuss the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024, which was recently signed into law by President Biden. The legislation, among other things, provides increased investment for Essential Air Service (EAS) program airports, like Decatur Airport. The EAS program was established to ensure that smaller communities maintain a sufficient level of air service. Durbin also discussed additional federa… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Democrats Push Bureau Of Prisons To Make Salaries Competitive For Critical Staff

CHICAGO – Led by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a group of Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats today pressed the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to request a special pay rate for critical BOP staff, as well as share results of a study on staffing guidelines. A special pay rate would make salaries more competitive, which would help remedy issues exacerbated by understaffing, including otherwise preventable deaths in custody.  In addition t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Whitehouse Request Meeting With Chief Justice Roberts, Urge Roberts To Ensure Justice Alito Recuses Himself In 2020 Election Cases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, today announced that they sent a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts imploring the Chief Justice take appropriate steps to ensure Justice Samuel Alito recuses himself from cases concerning the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection.  The Senators’ letter comes on the heels of … Continue Reading

Durbin, Rubio Urge Health Resources And Services Administration To Revise NHSC Application Process To Address Health Care Workforce Shortages

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today sent a letter to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) urging a revision to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) application process to make it more accessible and attractive to all stakeholders as the United States faces a health care workforce shortage.  More than 21,000 primary care, oral health, and behavioral health practitioners across the United States participate in this pro… Continue Reading

Durbin, Coons, Braun Introduce Resolution To Designate May As ALS Awareness Month

WASHINGTON – U.S Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate ALS Caucus, today joined U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Mike Braun (R-IN) to introduce a resolution to designate May 2024 as ALS Awareness Month. ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and often known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a debilitating disease that affects 1 in 300 people – approximately 30,000 Americans.  There is no cure for this fatal disease currently. “ALS is a devastating diagnosis—one that is, c… Continue Reading

Durbin Secures Illinois Priorities In Senate's Committee Passed Water Resources Development Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Environmental Justice Caucus, today announced that the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) advanced the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) out of Committee with several key provisions he secured for Illinois.  These provisions – ranging from adjusting the cost share for the Brandon Road Project to improving water infrastructure in Cahokia Heights, Illinois – aim to accelerate and fund m… Continue Reading

During Appropriations Hearing, Durbin Stresses Importance Of Rejecting Draconian Budget Cuts And Fully Investing In Medical Research At NIH

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, today participated in a subcommittee hearing entitled “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).”  During the hearing, Durbin, a longtime advocate for funding NIH, stressed the importance of rejecting domestic budget cuts—proposed by House Republicans—which… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Stabenow, Peters Secure Increase In Federal Cost Share To Help Protect The Great Lakes In The 2024 Water Resources Development Act

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) today announced that they secured an increase to the federal cost share for the Brandon Road Project in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), which was unanimously passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) earlier this week.  Under the provision, the federal government will… Continue Reading

Durbin, Young Applaud Committee Passage Of Their Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) today applauded the advancement of their Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, which passed out of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) with a strong bipartisan vote of 19-2.  The legislation extends funding for public health efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve childhood survival rates, prevent premature death and disability,… Continue Reading

Durbin, Casten Introduce Legislation To Incentivize Energy Conservation For Additional Consumer Savings

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL-06) today introduced the Responsive Energy Demand Unlocks Clean Energy (REDUCE) Act, legislation that would allow consumers to sell their energy use reduction into federal wholesale electricity markets by eliminating the “Opt Out” currently employed by 13 states that fully or partially ban “aggregated demand response” from these markets. “Incentivizing consumers to sell their energy reductions into … Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out Senate Republicans For Refusal To Address The Border On A Bipartisan Basis

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called out his Republican colleagues for their failure to help secure the border by once again voting against the bipartisan border bill on the Senate floor.  In a stunning reversal three months ago, Senate Republicans opposed the bipartisan border agreement, refusing to address these pressing issues, and instead prioritizing Donald Trump’s demands. “Once again, Senate Republicans are putti… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Speech At American Heart Association's 100th Anniversary Event

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Congressional Heart and Stroke Caucus, today delivered remarks at the American Heart Association’s 100th anniversary event.  In his remarks, Durbin emphasized the importance of strong and sustained funding increases for medical and scientific research centers to ensure that the U.S. moves medical research forward to prevent disease and improve treatments for patients.  Since 2015, Durbin has successfully secured a nearly … Continue Reading

Durbin: Justice Alito Must Recuse Himself From Cases Related To The 2020 Election After 'Appeal To Heaven' Flag Was Flown At His Home

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after a New York Times report that an “Appeal to Heaven” flag—a symbol carried on January 6—was flown at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s vacation home: “This incident is yet another example of apparent ethical misconduct by a sitting justice, and it adds to the Court’s ongoing ethical crisis.  For the good of our country and the Court, Justice Alito must recu… Continue Reading

Durbin, Schumer, Civil Rights Leaders Celebrate Milestone Of 200th Judge Confirmed During Biden Administration

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and civil rights leaders today celebrated the milestone of 200 Article III judges confirmed during the Biden Administration.  These 200 confirmations highlight the Judiciary Committee’s work filling judicial vacancies with highly qualified, diverse candidates who help ensure the fair and impartial administration of the American justice system. “Th… Continue Reading

In Speech on Senate Floor, Durbin Celebrates Milestone Of 200 Judges Confirmed During Biden Administration

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor ahead of the confirmation of the 200th Article III judge confirmed during the Biden Administration.  These 200 confirmations highlight the Judiciary Committee’s work filling judicial vacancies with highly qualified, diverse candidates who help ensure the fair and impartial administration of the American justice system. “Over the past three years something profound … Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Latest Judiciary Committee Hearing On Five Judicial Nominations

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 hearing on the nominations of Judge Michelle Court, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California; Judge Anne Hwang, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California; Judge Sarah Netburn, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; Stacey N… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Prison Reform Efforts During Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing On Prison Labor In America

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, discussed his efforts to date to reform the federal prison system, including conducting rigorous oversight and reducing the use of solitary confinement, at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism hearing entitled “An Examination of Prison Labor in America.” “I’ve tried in my time on the Judiciary Committee, and in the few years that I have been Chair, to have a fo… Continue Reading