Durbin Statement on White House, HHS Announcement to Delay Menthol Cigarette Ban

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement expressing his frustration that the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have announced the delay of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation to prohibit the production and retail sale of menthol cigarettes: “With each additional day that menthol cigarettes remain on the market, Big Tobacco profits off the addiction and suffering of Americans.  For too long,… Continue Reading

Durbin Visits Illinois College to Announce $911,000 for Nursing Program

JACKSONVILLE – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Illinois College to announce the $911,000 in federal funding he secured through Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS)—more commonly known as an earmark—in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) omnibus to expand the school’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and thereby respond to statewide demand for more highly trained nurses in health care settings, especially in rural Illinois. “In countless communities across Illinois, access t… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses Justice Department to Investigate Disproportionate Prosecution of Asylum Seekers from Muslim-Majority Countries

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a request to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz to investigate whether the Justice Department is or has been targeting migrants for prosecution based on their religion, national origin, or any other protected characteristic. Public reporting from the Los Angeles Times detailed a high number of prosecutions of migrants from Muslim-ma… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Nomination of April Perry to be Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the White House announced its intent to nominate April Perry to be a Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois: “We are pleased that President Biden is nominating April Perry to be a Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois.  She brings strong qualifications and a … Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Senate Passage of the National Security Supplemental

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, released the following statement on Senate passage of the national security supplemental, which provides aid for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Taiwan: “What we do has consequences—global and historic.  With this aid, we are helping the millions of Ukrainians on the front lines in their fight against Russian tyranny, providing critical security assistance for Israel, delivering urgent humanitarian aid … Continue Reading

Durbin Urges the Senate to Pass the National Security Supplemental as Soon as Possible

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, took to the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to pass the national security supplemental, which includes emergency funds for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and the Indo-Pacific.  The supplemental passed the House this weekend and once it passes the Senate, it will head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.  The Senate previously passed a similar… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Passing of Rikki Jones, Civil Rights Activist and President of Cook County Democratic Women

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the passing of Rikki Jones, President of Cook County Democratic Women: “Rikki Jones dedicated her life to fighting for civil rights and true equality.  She was a fierce advocate for marginalized communities, and spent much of her time mentoring community leaders and elected officials.  Rikki also cared deeply about Chicago’s youth and strived to assist educational leaders with ensuring that all of Chicag… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Attend Groundbreaking Ceremony for Improvements at O'Hare International Airport's Terminal 3

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today attended the groundbreaking ceremony forO’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 3 improvements project. Roughly 45 percent of the $200 million Terminal 3 project will be financed through two Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Airport Terminal Program (ATP) grants totaling $90 million, which Durbin and Duckworth helped secure; a 2023 grant of $50 million, and a 2024 grant of $40 million. In 2023… Continue Reading

Durbin Votes Against FISA Reauthorization Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today voted against the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISA).  Earlier this week, Durbin announced that without critical changes to improve RISA, he could not support the legislation. Durbin, along with U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), filed a bipartisan amendment to RISA that would have required the government to obtain a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Cour… Continue Reading

Durbin, King, Sinema, Smith Urge Department of Education to Prevent Students from Being Automatically Charged for Course Materials

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Tina Smith (D-MN) today sent a letter to the Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona urging him to finalize proposed changes that would make “Inclusive Access” (IA) and “Equitable Access” (EA) programs – models that allow institutions of higher education (IHEs) to automatically charge a student’s federal student aid for textbooks without a student’s consent – an opt-in program … Continue Reading

Durbin, Thune Statement on Approval of Summertime E15 Fuel Sales

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today issued the following statement regarding the Biden administration’s decision to allow the summertime sale of E15 fuel: “Year-round access to E15 fuel is a huge win for American drivers, farmers, and the environment.  Higher blends of home-grown ethanol enhance our energy security, lower emissions, and provide a … Continue Reading

Durbin: Without Critical Changes to Improve FISA Reauthorization Bill, I Cannot Support It

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his colleagues to support his bipartisan amendment to the House-passed Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISA). Durbin, along with U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), today filed a bipartisan amendment to RISAthat would require the government to obtain a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) before reviewing th… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Colleagues in Pressing Navient to Cancel Loans of Borrowers Scammed by Fraudulent, For-Profit Colleges and Services Misconduct

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and seven of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter to David L. Yowan, President and Chief Executive Officer of student loan servicer Navient, urging the servicer to cancel decades-old private student loans pushed onto borrowers attending fraudulent, for-profit colleges.  The letter comes as Navient plans to transfer its 2.7 million student borrower loan portfolio to the Higher Educa… Continue Reading

Durbin, McCollum Introduce Bill to Mitigate Use and Release of Toxic PFAS

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) today introduced new bicameral legislation to address the excessive use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across the nation’s supply chain, which has led to the harmful compounds contaminating water sources, infiltrating surrounding environments and communities. The Forever Chemical Regulation and Accountability Act would initiate a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, a… Continue Reading

Durbin Speaks with USCIS Director Jaddou Following Senator's Letter Calling on USCIS to Process DACA Renewal Applications After Reports of Delay

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today had a phone conversation with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director (USCIS), Ur M. Jaddou, about recent processing delays for renewal applications and work permits for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.  During the call, Durbin received a commitment from Director Jaddou that USCIS is improving processing for DACA recipients around the country Today’s … Continue Reading

Durbin, Cramer File Bipartisan Amendment to the FISA Reauthorization Bill to Add Narrow Warrant Requirement

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) today filed a bipartisan amendment to the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISA) that would require the government to obtain a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) before reviewing the contents of innocent Americans’ private communications.  Requiring the government to obtain court approval before accessing the content… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Sentencing Commission's Unanimous Vote to Prohibit Acquitted Conduct from Being Used in Sentencing Guidelines

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today applauded the bipartisan United States Sentencing Commission’s unanimous vote to restrict conduct for which a person was acquitted in federal court from being used in calculating a sentence range under the federal sentencing guidelines.  The vote comes after Durbin and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), along with U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND-At-Large… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Ten Nominations to the Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced ten nominations to the full Senate, continuing the Committee’s work to bring balance to the federal judiciary. The nominations advanced include five judicial nominees, two nominees to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, two U.S. Attorney nominees, and one U.S. Marshal nominee. “As we have since Senate Democrats took back the majority in 2021, we’re moving forward with strength to confirm highly qualified, diverse judicial nominees. No… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations of Judge Nancy Maldonado to the Seventh Circuit, Georgia Alexakis to Serve as United States District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance the nominations of Judge Nancy L. Maldonado to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, and Georgia Alexakis to be United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois: “We are pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanc… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill to Conduct Special Resources Study on Cahokia Mounds

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced the Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Culture Study Act to require the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a Special Resources Study (SRS) on Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and its satellite sites.  Durbin and Duckworth have long pushed for Cahokia Mounds to receive a National Historical Site designation from NPS, but in a congressional hearing last Congress, NPS indicated that a SRS m… Continue Reading