Durbin to Illinois Hospitals: CARES Act Program Can Provide Immediate Financial Relief

SPRINGFIELD - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged Illinois hospitals to take advantage of a Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act program that can provide financial support immediately during the COVID-19 pandemic, following millions of dollars in successful funding requests for both urban and rural hospitals in Illinois. The Medicare accelerated payment program, included in the CARES Act, allows qualifying hospitals-including acute care hospitals, children's hospit… Continue Reading

Durbin, Democratic Colleagues Urge Student Loan Companies to Immediately Provide Relief to Private Student Loan Borrowers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in leading nine of their Democratic colleagues in sending a series of letters to student loan companies asking how they are taking steps to aid private student loan borrowers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In their letters to Wells Fargo, SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae), Navient, Citizens Financial Group, Discover Financial Services, the PNC Financial Services Group, Truist Financial Co… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Additional $8 Million in Federal Funding to Support COVID-19 Response in Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $6.3 million to the State of Illinois and $1.7 million to the City of Chicago to support COVID-19 response. This is in addition to funding previously provided by the CDC, for a total of $23.7 million for Illinois and $12.2 million for Chicago. "Our state and local public health departments are at the forefront of this crisis and this fede… Continue Reading

Durbin, Lankford to HHS: Ensure Rural Hospitals Have Help During Coronavirus Response

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and James Lankford (R-OK) urged Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to ensure rural hospitals have the needed support to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain financial stability to continue serving their communities. Durbin and Lankford highlighted the $100 billion in new funding appropriated by Congress to health care providers in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and emphas… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Response With Chief of National Guard

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today discussed the COVID-19 pandemic response with General Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau. Durbin received an update about National Guard operations in Illinois, where hundreds of troops are assisting state and local authorities in response to the crisis. Durbin also pressed on the need to provide full benefits to all members of the Guard who are activated. If a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Brown to Financial Regulators: Protect Consumers from Predatory Lending Practices During COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today pressed the nation's top financial regulators to issue guidance and lending principles that include a heightened emphasis on protecting our nation's ailing small businesses and consumers from predatory lending practices. In a letter to Jerome Powell, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Kathleen Kraninger, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Jelena… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $1.6 Billion in COVID-19 Relief Bill Funding for Illinois Transit

SPRINGFIELD - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded the State of Illinois a total of $1,623,200,130 in federal transit formula funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The funding will allow Illinois's transit agencies to continue operations during the COVID-19 response ensuring transportation access to jobs, medical treatment, food, and other essential service… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Bipartisan Letter Urging USDA to Ensure Continuity of Food Supply by Supporting Farmers During COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), and 30 of their colleagues in writing a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, urging the Administration to ensure the continuity of our country's food supply and to support rural areas during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by providing needed relief to farmers. "We write to ask that you take action to ensure the continuity of our country'… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins AJC to Speak out Against Chinese & Asian American Discrimination During COVID-19 Pandemic

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined AJC Chicago and AJC's Asia Pacific Institute for a virtual panel discussion entitled, "Declaration of Support for the Illinois Chinese-American Community," to speak out against Chinese and Asian-American discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion, which was in partnership with United Chinese Americans (UCA) and Coalition for a Better Chinese-American Community … Continue Reading

Durbin, Warren, Brown, Blumenthal Urge Departments of Education & Defense to Protect Student Borrowers From Predatory For-Profit Schools

SPRINGFIELD - In the wake of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) decision to suspend new G.I. Bill enrollments at several institutions of higher education - including for-profit University of Phoenix and schools owned by Career Education Corporation - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today sent letters to the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Defense urging each Department to take action to prot… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $147 Million to Support Community Services in Illinois as Part of COVID-19 Relief Package

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive more than $147 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding was provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which was signed into law last week and will be distributed across Illinois through HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDGB) program and Emerge… Continue Reading

Durbin to Illinois Banks and Credit Unions: Participate in SBA Loan Program to Help Small Businesses

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged the leaders of the Illinois Bankers Association, Illinois Credit Union League, and Community Bankers Association of Illinois to encourage their members to participate in the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to help ensure that small businesses across the state have access to the resources they need to survive the economic consequences they are facing due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Coronavirus … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Relief Bill With Illinois Transportation Leaders

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with a group of transportation leaders from across Illinois and heard how the pandemic is continuing to affect local transportation needs and services. On a call with leaders from Illinois transportation departments, airports, railroads, and other mass transit systems, Durbin discussed how provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act can help provide relief funding fo… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Response With Illinois VA Medical Facility Leaders

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic with directors of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers in Illinois. Durbin, on a call with the directors, spoke about the provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that could support VA Medical Centers in Illinois that are dealing with outbreaks of COVID-19. As of April 1, the VA has 1,602 positive veteran cases of COVID-19 nationwide, includ… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Demand Expanded Internet Access for Low-Income Americans Throughout COVID-19 Crisis

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) in leading a group of their colleagues to demand better mobile internet service for low-income Americans impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Improved internet access would help American families better work and learn from home and access vital telehealth resources. The federal Lifeline service program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), provides free and discounted … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Relief Bill With Illinois Municipal League & Mayors

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the Illinois Municipal League Board of Directors and a group of Illinois mayors from across the State and heard how the pandemic is continuing to affecting local governments, small businesses, and essential services. Durbin discussed how social distancing measures are being implemented in the cities and villages across Illinois, and how provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Se… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Relief Bill with AAR Corp CEO

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the COVID-19 pandemic's continued impact on airline manufacturers and suppliers with Illinois-based AAR Corp CEO John Holmes. AAR Corp operates two maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities in Illinois, one at Rockford International Airport and one in Wood Dale, Illinois. On a call with Holmes, Durbin shared how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides eligibility for the air maintenance (MRO) … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Relief Bill with United Airlines CEO

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke with United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz today about the COVID-19 pandemic's continued impact on the airline industry and how the company is planning to use its federal relief funding to help workers and protect consumers during this unprecedented crisis. "I urged United Airlines to do everything it can to protect the jobs of employees that work for them during this unprecedented public health and economic crisis," Durbin said. "United has a majo… Continue Reading

Durbin, Rosen, Colleagues Request Language in Annual Spending Bill Barring Funding for the Arrest, Detention, or Deportation of Dreamers or TPS Recipients

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), led 18 of their colleagues in a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee requesting that language be included in the Fiscal Year 2021 annual spending bill to prohibit the u… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Availability of Protective Masks With EPA Region 5 Administrator

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), on a call with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Administrator Kurt Thiede, asked about the agency's supply of N-95 masks and whether they could be given to hospitals and health care workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois. Durbin pushed Administrator Thiede about whether EPA's warehouse in suburban Chicago had an available supply of N-95 masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE). The EPA indicated that the agency … Continue Reading