Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Three Bills Supporting Law Enforcement

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced three pieces of legislation to support law enforcement. The legislation was advanced in conjunction with National Police Week, which Chair Durbin and Ranking Member Graham introduced a resolution to recognize earlier this week. Since Durbin became Chair, the Committee has now reported fourteen bills unanimously during National Police Week, of which four have been signed into law by President Biden. “Dating back to President Kenned… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Remarks as He Receives the Cancer Research Ally Award

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered remarks after receiving the Cancer Research Ally Award from the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) for his support of, and advocacy for, cancer research.  In his remarks, Durbin shared his own family’s history with cancer, speaking about how his father passed at age 53 from lung cancer. Durbin also highlighted the importance of committing to strong and … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association

WASHINGTON – During National Police Week, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit professional association exclusively representing federal law enforcement officers with nearly 800 members in Illinois.  During their meeting, Durbin and FLEOA leaders spoke about improving the recruitment and retention of federal law enforcement officers. Durbi… Continue Reading

Ahead of the Brown v. Board of Education 70th Anniversary, Durbin Reflects on the Progress We've Made and the Work That Remains

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor highlighting the upcoming 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, in which the Supreme Court unanimously declared the racist legal doctrine of “separate but equal” unconstitutional.  “Today, we celebrate this historic anniversary and how far we have come as a country since the dark days of Jim Crow.  Thankfully, we have made substanti… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Winnebago County Officials To Discuss Local Priorities

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Winnebago county officials to discuss federal funding in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations bill as well as energy projects important to the region.  They also discussed the $847,000 Durbin secured for Winnebago County in the FY24 budget to purchase equipment for its police training center.  “Our government is at its best when federal, state, and local leaders come together to address the needs of their community,” s… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds President Biden's Decision To Withhold Certain Military Assistance From Israel

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded President Biden’s decision to withhold military assistance from Israel that could be used for a full-scale invasion of the city of Rafah. Durbin said, “It is not, as some have characterized, a failure to support Israel in a dangerous region after a genuinely horrific Hamas attack.  And October 7th was such an attack.  It is, instead, a warning from one of the most pro-Israeli U.S. Presidents to … Continue Reading

Durbin, Graham Introduce Resolution Recognizing National Police Week

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced a resolution designating the week of May 12 through 18, 2024 as National Police Week. The resolution was cosponsored by 74 of their colleagues. “Law enforcement officers put their lives at risk every day to protect our families and communities,” said Durbin. “Police Week is a chance to show officer… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Chinese American Service League

WASHINGTON – During Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Paul Luu, CEO of the Chinese American Service League (CASL) in Chicago, to discuss the organization’s involvement with Change InSight, a nationwide partnership with community-based organizations that provide social services to the AAPI community.  Through Change InSight, CASL has helped launch a data hub for AAPI and immigrant communities across six metropoli… Continue Reading

Durbin Praises Russian Dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza for Winning Pulitzer Prize for Writings Criticizing Putin Regime

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech honoring Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition figure who has survived two poisoning attempts by the Kremlin, for earning a Pulitzer Prize for his writings aspiring for a democratic Russia and criticizing Vladimir Putin’s disastrous war in Ukraine.  In his remarks, Durbin spoke with admiration about Kara-Murza’s advocacy for a more democratic fu… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges The Federal Reserve To Hold Banks and Card Networks Accountable & Charge Reasonable Interchange Fees

WASHINGTON – Following the November notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on Debit Card Interchange Fees and Routing published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), author of the “Durbin Amendment,” sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, urging the Board to ensure that the biggest banks and card networks fulfill their obligations to charge reasonable and proportional interchange fees—and protect consumers, who… Continue Reading

Durbin Probes Pharmaceutical Company Amgen Over Patient Cost, Side Effects From Dosage Level of Cancer Treatment

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to Robert Bradway, CEO of Amgen, regarding the pharmaceutical company’s decision to sell the oncology drug, Lumakras (sotorasib), at a 960 mg dosage despite a post-marketing study required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showing that the medication has comparable efficacy, with less intense side effects, when taken at a much lower 240 mg dose.  In his letter, Durbin questioned whether Amgen has been engaged i… Continue Reading

ICYMI: Support for Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Competition Act Continues To Grow Despite Coordinated Smear Campaign By Credit Card And Airline Companies, Wall Street Banks

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, support for the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) continues to grow, despite false claims spread by credit card and airline companies, Wall Street banks, and other special interests. A recent study found that CCCA would have a negligible impact—at most—on rewards if enacted and noted that banks’ swipe fee profits would provide a more than sufficient margin to maintain current levels. Despite that fact, Visa, Mastercard, and Wall Street banks have … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Senate Passage of FAA Reauthorization Bill

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement following the Senate passage of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024, which will reauthorize funding for FAA programs through Fiscal Year 2028: “As a frequent flyer who relies on our nation’s pilots and air traffic controllers to safely return home to Illinois each weekend, I know that maintaining flight service is critical.  Chockful of support for training and recruitm… Continue Reading

In a Speech on the Senate Floor, Durbin Calls Out Airlines for their Deceptive Tactics on Frequent Flyer Rewards Programs

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called out the airline industry for their unfair and deceptive practices in their frequent flyer and loyalty programs.  During his speech, Durbin also highlighted Wall Street banks’ and the airlines’ false claims about his Credit Card Competition Act, legislation that would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market, which is currently d… Continue Reading

Durbin, Rep. Jackson Call on Department of Education to Create Interagency Task Force on For-Profit Colleges

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jeff Jackson (D-NC-14) today sent a bicameral letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona urging him to create an interagency task force to coordinate action against and increase accountability of for-profit colleges.  “We write to urge the Department of Education (Department) to stand up an interagency task force on for-profit colleges, similar to the task force that would be created in our bill, the Pro… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Landmark Gun Safety Law Implementation, DOJ Firearms Rule with ATF Director Dettelbach

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Steve Dettelbach, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), to discuss the implementation of the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) that was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden, as well as the Biden Administration’s new “engaged in the business” rule, the newly-expanded Chicago Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CG… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances the Protecting Older Americans Act, Four Judicial Nominations to the Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Protecting Older Americans Act, which would invalidate forced arbitration clauses that prevent age discrimination victims from seeking justice and public accountability in court. An AARP survey found that 78% of older workers have either seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, and the Committee held a hearing on the effects of forced arbitration broadly last month. The bill builds off the lawmakers’ successful … Continue Reading

ICYMI: Support for U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz's Nomination to Sixth Circuit Court Judgeship Grows Despite False Republican Smears

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, support for U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz’s nomination to be U.S. Circuit Court Judge for the Sixth Circuit continues to grow, despite Senate Judiciary Republicans’ false claims about him. In stark contrast to their current attacks, Senate Republicans strongly supported Mr. Ritz’s appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. Senators Blackburn and Hagerty backed him for that position, and he was confirmed by the Senate unanimously. As U.S. A… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Urgent Need To Protect Dreamers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Dream Deferred: The Urgent Need to Protect Immigrant Youth.”  The hearing emphasized the urgent need for Congress to pass legal protections for noncitizens who were brought to the United States as children.  These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Metropolitan Water Reclamation District

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's (MWRD) leadership to discuss the department’s ongoing projects and top priorities. In their meeting, Durbin received an update on the design and construction of Thornton Reservoir, which was built to reduce chronic flooding.  In Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), Durbin secured a $20 million for MWRD to address excessive flooding in historically underserved communities in the Chicagoland area… Continue Reading