Durbin, Duckworth Send Recommendations for Federal District Court Judge in the Central District of Illinois to the White House

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 sent a list of names for the White House to consider for a forthcoming Peoria-based federal district court judicial vacancy in the Central District of Illinois.  Based on recommendations made by the screening committee the Senators established in the Central District, Durbin and Duckworth have forwarded the names of the following individuals to Preside… Continue Reading

Durbin, Thune Urge Biden Administration to Prioritize E15 Fuel, Leverage American Agriculture

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in urging the Biden Administration to permit the summertime sale of E15 fuel.  The Senators note that American biofuels are a clean and reliable energy solution that will help drive down fuel costs forconsumers. “[W]e must pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy, which inclu… Continue Reading

Durbin Talks Illinois Water Infrastructure Projects with Rock Island Army Corps District Commander

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Chicago District Commander Colonel Kenneth P. Rockwell to receive an update on several northern Illinois infrastructure projects, including the Chicago Shoreline Storm Damage Reduction Project to restore the Chicago shoreline after coastal storm damage.  Durbin secured $1.5 million in funding for the project in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in addition to securing lan… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement Following the Joint Session of Congress with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after today’s Joint Session of Congress with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.   Before the Joint Session of Congress, Durbin met with his guest, Ross Harano, former Managing Director of the Illinois Office of Trade and Investment and former Chair of the Commission of Asian American Affairs for the City of Chicago.  Mr. Harano was born in an “Assembly Center” in California’s Fresno County Fairgrounds … Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Six Nominations to the Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced six nominations to the full Senate, continuing the Committee’s work to bring balance to the federal judiciary. The nominations advanced include four judicial nominees and two U.S. Marshal nominees. “We’ve reported over 200 lifetime judicial nominations to the full Senate, and we’re quickly approaching 200 judicial confirmations under President Biden. Today’s votes continue our effort to bring balance to the federal judiciary by ad… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Drug Overdose Crisis with DEA Administrator Milgram

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram.  During their meeting, they discussed the need to address the unacceptable, growing rate of drug overdose deaths across the United States, driven primarily by fentanyl and illicit drug distribution on social media platforms. “DEA is tasked with the serious responsibility of stopping the opioid crisis,” said Durbin. “… Continue Reading

Durbin, Peters, and Wyden Introduce Legislation to Crack Down on Fraud, Recover Stolen Pandemic Funds, and Protect Taxpayer Dollars

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senators Gary Peters?(D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced legislation to address historic levels of fraud within federal funds that were passed to help Americans through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fraud Prevention and Recovery Act includes key resources and programs t… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions COPS Office Director During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Oversight of the COPS Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) Director Hugh T. Clements during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Oversight of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant Program.”  Today’s hearing, the first full Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the COPS Program since its creation in 1994, examined the COPS Program and its ef… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Oversight of the COPS Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Oversight of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Grant Program,” which will examine the COPS program and its efforts to promote community-oriented policing practices at law enforcement agencies across the country.  Today’s hearing is the first full Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversigh… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions USAID Administrator Powers on Delivery of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, today participated in a Subcommittee hearing entitled “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the U.S. Agency for International Development.”  During the hearing, Durbin questioned the witness, U.S. Agency for International Aid (USAID) Administrator Samantha Powers, about U.S. efforts to bring aid to Gaza as inn… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges OMB, Army Corps to Include Federal Funding to Address Chronic Flooding in Metro-East in Army Corps of Engineers FY24 Work Plan

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), today sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army Michael Connor and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young expressing their support for federal funding to support St. Clair and Madison counties in correcting chronic flooding issues in the Metro-East region. “We are writing in support of a General Reevaluation Report (… Continue Reading

Durbin to Senate Colleagues: Dismiss the Smear Campaign Against Adeel Mangi & Support His Federal Circuit Court Nomination

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his colleagues to dismiss the smear campaign against Mr. Adeel Mangi and to support his nomination to serve as a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in New Jersey.  During his speech, Durbin highlighted how Mr. Mangi is eminently qualified to be a federal appellate court judge.  He graduated from Oxford and Harvard Law School and has spent more than 20 years … Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on the Effects of Forced Arbitration

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 “Small Print, Big Impact: Examining the Effects of Forced Arbitration.”  The hearing examined the use of forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts, consumer agreements, and other areas, as well as the injustices faced by workers, consumers, and others who are denied their days in court by forced arbitration cl… Continue Reading

Durbin, Sorensen Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Sustain Workload at Rock Island Arsenal

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17), along with U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), today introduced bipartisan legislation to establish a minimum workload requirement at U.S. Army arsenals, including Rock Island Arsenal.  The Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act would also incentivize private industry to partner with arsenals by giving preference to public-private partnerships in Army contracting.  As … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Release of Video of Fatal Police Shooting of Dexter Reed

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after footage was released showing the fatal police shooting of 26-year-old Dexter Reed in Chicago, Illinois, on March 21: “The violence in this video is shocking.  My heart goes out to Dexter’s family and friends, who are grieving the loss of his young life.” “Our law enforcement officers protect and serve their communities with honor and courage and face … Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on the Effects of Forced Arbitration

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Small Print, Big Impact: Examining the Effects of Forced Arbitration.”  The hearing will examine the use of forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts, consumer agreements, and other areas, as well as the injustices faced by workers, consumers, and others who are denied their days in court by forced … Continue Reading

Durbin, Kaine, Fetterman Introduce Resolution Condemning the Arbitrary Arrest of American Citizens by the Russian Government & Calling for their Immediate Release

WASHINGTON – Following the one-year anniversary of the arbitrary arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, along with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), introduced a resolution condemning the Russian government for their arrests of several American citizens and calling for their immediate and unconditioned release. Mr. Gershkovich was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Se… Continue Reading

In a Speech on the Senate Floor, Durbin Demands the Release of American Citizens Held by the Russian Government

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today spoke on the Senate floor condemning the Russian government for the unjust detainment of American citizens in Russia and called fortheir immediate release.  Specifically, Durbin cited the dubious arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was charged on fraudulent charges of espionage one year ago. “He [Gershkovich] has spent more than a year in pretrial detention in a notor… Continue Reading

Durbin Reiterates Ceasefire Call Following the Death of Seven Humanitarian Aid Workers in Gaza

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor in response to the death of seven aid workers in Gaza earlier this month.  The aid workers, employees of World Central Kitchen, had been part of efforts to feed innocent civilians in Gaza caught in the crossfire of Israel’s military response following the horrendous Hamas attack on October 7.  Since the October 7 attack on Israel, more than 33,000 people, mostly women and children, having been … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on the Passing of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the passing of Karen Yarbrough, Cook County Clerk: “I am honored to call Karen a friend. From Maywood to Springfield and back to Cook County, Karen made a tremendous impact on the lives she touched. She had a long list of legislative accomplishments, including bans on the death penalty and indoor smoking. In politics, she was a consensus builder who earned the trust of her peers and rose to be a party lea… Continue Reading