Press Releases
Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On President-Elect Trump's Threats Of Mass Deportation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, “How Mass Deportations Will Separate American Families, Harm Our Armed Forces, and Devastate Our Economy.” The hearing examined the consequences of President-elect Trump’s threats of mass deportations, as well as stressed the need to shift congressional efforts toward sensible solutions that bring order to the border … Continue Reading
December 10, 2024
Durbin Meets With CDC Director Cohen
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Mandy Cohen, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to discuss several issues important to the public health and safety of children. During the meeting, they discussed the need to provide CDC with robust federal funding in order to protect the public health—from the agency’s work to ensure children are protected from preventable childhood diseases and illnesses, to monitoring and helping … Continue Reading
December 10, 2024
Durbin Discusses Preventing Gun Violence With Former Rep. Gabby Giffords
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with former Representative Gabby Giffords and Emma Brown, Executive Director for GIFFORDS Law Center, to discuss laws, policies, and programs to prevent gun violence. “It’s always a pleasure to meet with former Congresswoman Giffords and her team at GIFFORDS. Gabby turned immense trauma and pain into selfless action in all 50 states, and we had a productive conversation on the path forward … Continue Reading
December 10, 2024
Durbin, Colleagues Call Out Dr. Oz For Proposal To End Traditional Medicare And Glaring Conflicts Of Interest
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37) in sending a letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), raising stark concerns about his advocacy to eliminate the traditional Medicare program and his deep financial ties to the private health insurance corporations that … Continue Reading
December 10, 2024
Durbin, Senators Request President Biden Protect Immigrant Families Ahead Of The Inauguration Of President-Elect Trump
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) sent a letter calling on President Joe Biden to protect immigrant families before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. “As Senators who represent diverse states across our nation and who collectively represent millions of … Continue Reading
December 09, 2024
Durbin Previews Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Dangers Of Mass Deportation To American Families
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor previewing tomorrow’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “How Mass Deportations Will Separate American Families, Harm Our Armed Forces, and Devastate Our Economy.” The hearing will examine the consequences of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations, as well as stress the need to shift our focus toward sensible solutions that would bring order … Continue Reading
December 05, 2024
Durbin, Hawley Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Protect Employees When Businesses File For Bankruptcy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act. The bipartisan legislation would correct abuses of the bankruptcy process that deprive employees and retirees of their hard-earned wages, benefits, and retirement savings. As businesses’ bankruptcy filings have increased, jobs, … Continue Reading
December 05, 2024
Durbin Issues Statement On Urgency Of Passing Farm Bill As President-Elect Trump's Tariffs Loom Over Illinois' Agriculture Sector
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today released the following statement regarding the urgency in passing a Farm Bill as President-elect Trump threatens to impose tariffs on prominent trade partners in the agricultural sector: “Sticker shock has become an almost expected experience during Americans’ weekly grocery shopping, and it’s deeply impacting families’ budgets. And Illinois farmers are … Continue Reading
December 05, 2024
Durbin Urges President-Elect Trump To Follow Precedent And Require All Nominees To Complete FBI Background Investigations
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor urging President-elect Trump to follow precedent and ensure every single Senate-confirmed nominee has undergone an FBI background investigation. Durbin has served on the Senate Judiciary Committee for over 20 years and in that time, he has voted on thousands of judicial, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal, and Justice Department nominees. Regardless of party, every nominee who … Continue Reading
December 05, 2024
Durbin Statement On Ramaswamy's Threat To Claw Back Federal Loan To Rivian, Rival Company Of Elon Musk
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on remarks made by Vivek Ramaswamy, the incoming Co-Chair of President-elect Trump’s commission to cut government spending, about clawing back federal funding that the Biden administration is dispersing, including a key loan to Rivian, a rival company of his commission Co-Chair, Elon Musk: “Isn’t this rich. In 2009, when his Tesla operation was hanging by a thread, Elon Musk borrowed nearly $500 … Continue Reading
December 04, 2024
Durbin Makes Urgent Plea For Defense Secretary Austin To Reconsider His Revoking Of Guilty Plea Deal For Accused September 11th Plotters
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, again pressed U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin today on his decision to revoke a long-sought guilty plea deal between prosecutors and defendants accused of perpetrating the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. Secretary Austin revoked the deal two days after it was announced despite two years of negotiations, a move that frustrated victims’ families and put them through … Continue Reading
December 04, 2024
Durbin Announces Senate Democratic Whip Operations For 119th Congress
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the following Senators were selected to be members of the Senate Democratic Whip operation for the 119th Congress: Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chief Deputy Whip; Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Deputy Whip; and Senator Tina Smith, Deputy Whip; as well as Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE). “The November 5th election showed that our nation remains … Continue Reading
December 04, 2024
Durbin Meets With Illinois Primary Health Care Association
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) to discuss workforce shortages in the health care sector, and funding to ensure Illinoisans can continue to get the high quality, affordable care they need. One in nine patients in Illinois are served by community health centers across urban, suburban, and rural parts of the state—providing primary, behavioral, and dental health care to patients regardless of their … Continue Reading
December 04, 2024
Durbin, Markey, Waters Lead 72 Colleagues In Calling On Department Of Education To Discharge Loans For Defrauded Borrowers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) today called on the Department of Education to discharge student loan debt for hundreds of thousands of students who were defrauded by predatory schools. During the first Trump Administration, defrauded borrowers’ applications for debt relief were left to languish for years, and if reviewed, were often denied. In their letter today, the lawmakers called … Continue Reading
December 04, 2024
Durbin Meets With Metra CEO
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Jim Derwinski, CEO of Metra to discuss surface transportation reauthorization priorities for the commuter rail provider and receive updates on its recent federal grant awards. During their meeting, Durbin and Metra leadership spoke about ongoing funding needs for station upgrades and bridge repairs. “Many Illinoisans rely on Metra to commute in and out of Chicago. It’s critical that Metra has the support it needs to … Continue Reading
December 04, 2024
Durbin Pays Tribute To Senators Cardin, Carper, Manchin, Stabenow, And Butler For Their Service In The U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today paid tribute to five Senators who will be retiring at the end of the 118th Congress—U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Joe Manchin (I-WV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA). “The Biden-Harris Administration will go down in history as arguably the most productive and consequential administration in the last 75 years. They couldn’t have done it without a good … Continue Reading
December 03, 2024
Durbin Joins Introduction Of National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act
WASHINGTON - To maintain and expand the United States’ leadership in the global race for quantum technology, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Todd Young (R-IN), and Steve Daines (R-MT) to introduce the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation that would authorize $2.7 billion in federal funding, for the next five years, to accelerate quantum research and development at federal science agencies - … Continue Reading
December 03, 2024
Durbin Re-Elected As Senate Democratic Whip For 119th Congress
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after being unanimously re-elected as the Senate’s second-highest ranking Democrat, the Senate Democratic Whip, for the 119th Congress by his Senate Democratic colleagues this morning. Durbin has served in the number two role in the caucus since 2005. “I am honored to continue to serve the Senate Democratic Caucus as Whip in the 119th Congress. The November 5th election showed that our nation remains … Continue Reading
December 03, 2024
Durbin Recommits To Protecting Dreamers On Senate Floor Ahead Of New Administration
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor highlighting the urgent need for Congress to pass legal protections fornoncitizens who were brought to the United States as children, known as Dreamers, especially as President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on an immigration platform of “mass deportations.” Durbin said, “I rise today to again discuss one of my top priorities throughout my Senate career: fixing our … Continue Reading
December 02, 2024
Durbin Urges Biden Administration To Prioritize Processing Borrower Defense Claims To Support Defrauded Students Before Second Trump Administration
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling on the Biden Administration to prioritize discharging student loans of borrowers who attended predatory for-profit colleges. In his remarks, Durbin underscored that the current administration must move to protect students as the Trump Administration has a proven record of disregarding students’ borrower defense claims. Durbin also emphasized the dangers of for-profit colleges, which … Continue Reading