Durbin Asks CDC To Assist With Ethylene Oxide Emissions In Illinois

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today asked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield to assist in efforts to protect residents of Illinois from ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions-a known carcinogen-especially those that live near the Sterigenics medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook. Currently, Sterigenics is under a seal order from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for unacceptably high EtO emissions. Director Redfield said he had been … Continue Reading

Durbin: Pharma Fleece From Drug Vial Waste Must End

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today on the Senate floor, as part of his new "Pharma Fleece Awards" series of floor speeches highlighting egregious cases of pharmaceutical greed, slammed Takeda, Eisai, Merck, and Genentech, four pharmaceutical companies that sell cancer drugs in excessively large vials that contain dramatically more medicine than the average patient needs. As a result of these pharmaceutical industry decisions, billions of dollars are spent each year on medications… Continue Reading

Durbin Votes For Bipartisan Resolution To Halt Unauthorized U.S. Military Involvement In Yemen

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today voted for the bipartisan joint war powers resolution, of which he is a cosponsor, to end unauthorized U.S. military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The resolution passed the Senate 54-46. It will go back to the House of Representatives for a vote before heading to the White House. The White House had issued a veto threat ahead of today's Senate vote. "Not only was this war never authorized by the elected representativ… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Foster, McMorris Rodgers Introduce Bicameral Bill To Support Military Families By Fixing Inconsistency In GI Bill Benefit

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-05), today introduced bicameral legislation - the GI Education Benefits Fairness Act - that would support military families by extending Post-911 GI Bill education benefits to foster children and legal wards. "The Post-9/11 GI Bill gives service members the ability to transfer some or all of their unused benefits to family members, but… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Willowbrook Residents To Discuss Ethylene Oxide Emissions At Sterigenics

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with residents of Willowbrook, Illinois, who have been impacted by ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from the Sterigenics medical sterilization facility in their community. Currently, Sterigenics is under a seal order from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for unacceptably high EtO emissions. "Ethylene oxide emissions are a cause for serious concern in Willowbrook, and today I heard directly from residents who have had enough with the… Continue Reading

Durbin: Congress Must Halt Unauthorized U.S. Military Involvement In Yemen

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Senate to once again pass a bipartisan joint war powers resolution to end unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Yemen. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter this afternoon. In February, the Democratic-led House of Representatives passed a joint war powers resolution to end U.S. involvement in Yemen by a vote of 248-177. The White House has issued a veto threat ahead of today's Senate vote. "Our Founding … Continue Reading

Durbin & Senators Reintroduce Bill To Protect Children's Online Privacy

WASHINGTON - As the collection of personal information by internet companies is encroaching more and more on the privacy of every American, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today reintroduced legislation to strengthen online privacy protections for children when websites collect their personally identifiable information. The Clean Slate for Kids Online Act would give every American an enforceable leg… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With President Trump's Nominee To Be U.S. Ambassador To Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON - As the Senate votes once again on the Yemen War Powers Resolution to end U.S.-support for the Saudi-led conflict, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with General John Abizaid, USA (Ret.), President Donald Trump's nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, one of many key Ambassador positions that have inexplicably been left vacant under the Trump Administration. In the meeting, Durbin pressed General Abizaid on the need for accountability following t… Continue Reading

Durbin: President Trump's Budget Request Undermines Our Farmers & Rural America

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee, today released the following statement regarding cuts to farmers, livestock producers, and rural towns across America in President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2020 budget request: "After signing the Farm Bill in December and saying 'we have to take care of our farmers …and we will,' President Trump is abandoning them in order to fulfill his campaign promise of buil… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Press EPA Administrator Wheeler For Stronger Standards On Ethylene Oxide Emissions

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler on their concerns about ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions at the Medline and Vantage facilities in Lake County and Sterigenics facility in DuPage County. The Senators pressed Administrator Wheeler for answers as to why the EPA has not yet implemented new standards for EtO emissions, and discussed the data released last week from outside of the … Continue Reading

Durbin Testifies At House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing On Oversight of For-Profit College Industry

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today testified at the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing entitled "Oversight of For-Profit Colleges: Protecting Students and Taxpayer Dollars." Durbin testified about the continued risk that for-profit colleges pose to students and taxpayers and the need for Congress to finally uphold its oversight responsibilities of this predatory industry.… Continue Reading

Durbin: Public Deserves Transparency From The FAA On Safety Of Boeing 737 Max 8 Series Aircraft

WASHINGTON-Following the two devastating plane crashes involving Boeing's new 737 Max 8 series aircraft, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to immediately provide the public with clear answers about the current safety of this aircraft and to work with both the manufacturer and the airlines to perform a thorough investigation of the aircraft to find and remedy any potential vulnerabilities. In a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Kelly Introduce Bicameral Bill To Study Effects Of Petroleum Coke

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), along with Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13), today introduced bicameral legislation that would address the concerns of petroleum coke and pave the way for federal environmental safety regulations on the fuel. The Petroleum Coke Transparency and Public Health Act of 2019 would require the federal government to study the potential health risk… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Talks Legionnaires' At Illinois Veterans' Homes & Ethylene Oxide Emissions With New Illinois Directors Of Veterans' Affairs & Public Health

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today discussed both Legionnaires' disease at Illinois Veterans' Homes (IVH) and ethylene oxide emissions from medical device sterilization facilities in Illinois with Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) Director Linda Chapa LaVia and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. This was the Senators' first call with the newly appointed directors under Governor J.B. Pritzker's Administra… Continue Reading

Durbin, Leahy, Schatz, Senators Demand Answers From DOD On Its Plans To Defund Military Projects To Pay For President Trump's Wall

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, today led a group of Democratic appropriators calling on the Department of Defense to provide Congress with a list of military projects it intends to defund to pay for President Do… Continue Reading

Durbin, Deutch Introduce Bill To Create Bond Program To Fund Efforts Combating Climate Change

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL-22) today introduced the Climate Change Resiliency Fund for America Act, a bicameral bill that would authorize the U.S. Department of Treasury to issue from $200 million up to $1 billion in state and local tax-exempt "climate bonds" annually for any American to purchase and contribute to the government's efforts to combat the impacts of climate change. The legislation would set up a system similar to the war bo… Continue Reading

Durbin: President Trump's Budget Request Asks Congress To Choose - Border Wall Or Medical Research

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump submitted his fiscal year 2020 budget request to Congress: "After a disastrous 35 day government shutdown, and with the Senate slated to reject his national emergency declaration this week, the fact that President Trump would request $8.6 billion for his beloved border wall - while cutting $5 billion in medical research f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Leahy, Schatz, Ask Gao For Legal Opinion On President Trump's Transfer Of DOD Funds To Build A Wall

WASHINGTON-As the Senate prepares to vote on President Trump's national emergency declaration this week, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for a legal opinion on the authori… Continue Reading

Durbin Works with Chicago Public Schools to Ensure Access to Life-Saving EpiPens

CHICAGO - In the midst of nationwide shortages of EpiPens, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to discuss his recent role in ensuring that CPS obtained a much-needed new supply of the life-saving medication. CPS had a supply of 1,200 EpiPens that were expiring on February 28, but due to drug shortages, schools were told the EpiPens would not be replaced in a timely manner. After Senator Durbin's office-working with CPS-engaged directly and repeatedly with t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Continue To Press For Back Pay For Contractors Who Lost Wages During Trump Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and a bipartisan group of 36 Senators, sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging the inclusion of back pay for federal contract workers impacted by President Trump's government shutdown within the upcoming disaster relief package. While federal workers harmed by the government shutdown have since been compensated for their lost wages, federal contract employees -… Continue Reading