Senate Passes Durbin-Grassley Amendment To Take On Big Pharma, Require Disclosure Of Drug Prices In Tv Ads

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Senate passed a bipartisan amendment introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to the Defense-Labor-HHS-Education appropriations "minibus" package that provides the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with $1 million to implement rules requiring pharmaceutical companies to list prices of their prescription drugs in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements. The amendment helps to empower patients, promote transparency, and… Continue Reading

Durbin, Dem Senators To DHS Secretary Nielsen: Under Your Leadership, Immigration Crisis Grows Worse By The Day

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Senate's Immigration Subcommittee, led 19 Senators today in sending a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen imploring her to reverse course on several anti-immigrant policies implemented by her agency, including by immediately reunifying all children separated at the border by the Trump Administration's zero-tolerance policy. The Senators also called on Secretary Nielsen to restore DACA, support the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Dem Senators Take Action To Stop Trump-Devos Elimination Of Student Borrower Protections

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with several of his Senate Democratic Colleagues, today introduced a pair of amendments to the Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill - part of the "minibus" appropriations package being considered this week by the Senate - to protect relief for student loan borrowers who have been defrauded by for-profit colleges and universities and hold institutions accountable. The amendments would prohibit Secretary of Educatio… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $33 Million In Federal Funding For Positive Train Control In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $33,224,233 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) safety technology on Chicago-area railroads. PTC is a federally mandated computerized system that prevents certain types of train-to-train collisions, helps avoid derailments and other accidents caused by excessive speed, and increases safety for rail workers. "Im… Continue Reading

Durbin: Judge Kavanaugh Should Be Held To The Same Standard Of Transparency As Prior Supreme Court Nominees

WASHINGTON- In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, discussed the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and how Republicans have embarked on an unprecedented effort to hide critical documents from Kavanaugh's tenure as a top White House aide to President George W. Bush. As of right now, just two percent of Kavanaugh's records from his time in the Bush White House have been made public, including none from h… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Bipartisan Passage Of Amendments Establishing Firefighters Cancer Registry

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded passage of a bipartisan amendment that will help fund and establish the Firefighter Cancer Registry, which is a specialized national cancer registry to improve collection and research activities related to monitoring and studying cancer incidence among firefighters. The amendment passed last night by a vote of 85-0 for inclusion in the Labor Health and Human Services FY19 appropriation bill being considered by the Senate… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kennedy Applaud DEA For Lowering Opioid Quotas For Third Year In A Row

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John Kennedy (R-LA) today praised the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) proposal to reduce production quotas for nearly all Schedule II prescription opioids by an average of 10 percent for next year. The DEA is responsible for establishing annual quotas determining the exact amount of each opioid drug that is permitted to be produced in the U.S. each year. After two decades of dramatic increases to the volume of opioids allowed to come to… Continue Reading

As Big Pharma Rakes In Profits At Patients' Expense, Durbin Calls For Action On Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Cost

CENTREVILLE - As the costs of prescription drugs continue to soar for patients under the Trump Administration, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called for action on several pieces of legislation that would hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable, curb price hikes, and bring much-needed transparency to price setting for prescription drugs in the U.S. Durbin was joined by officials from SIHF Healthcare, Touchette Regional Hospital, and a patient who has struggled with rising prescriptio… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Announcement of Kavanaugh Hearings

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee announced dates for the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh: "This is unprecedented and unfair to the American people. Senate Republicans want to wrap up Judge Kavanaugh's hearing before the National Archives releases documents--which Republicans themselves requested--about the work Kavanaugh did in the White House. These documents may… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Tribune Withdrawal From Sinclair Mega-Merger

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Tribune Media Company (Tribune) announced it was withdrawing from its $3.9 billion proposed mega-merger with Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair): From day one, the proposed acquisition of the Tribune Media Company by the Sinclair Broadcast Group was not in the interest of the American people. It threatened diversity and localism in broadcasting, it ignored the unique concerns and interests of… Continue Reading

In Central Illinois, Durbin Touts Legislation that will Support Rural EMS Agencies

FLANAGAN - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined officials at the Flanagan-Graymont Fire Protection District to discuss his bipartisan legislation, Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, which would reauthorize a federal grant program that directly supports rural emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting courses to satisfy certification requirements, and purchasing equipment, for everything from naloxone and first aid kits, to po… Continue Reading

Durbin Visits Olmsted Lock & Dam Project

OLMSTED-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited the Olmsted Lock and Dam project, which replaced 1920's-era infrastructure and will allow for much easier navigation of commerce on the Ohio River. The Olmsted Lock and Dam is one of the busiest stretches of Illinois' inland water system for commercial navigation. Durbin has helped secure federal funding for this project over the years. "The Olmsted Lock and Dam is critical to the flow of local commerce, and was in dire need of investment… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Senate Democrats To Condemn Trump Administration For Rescinding Civil Rights Guidance Promoting Diversity In Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and 17 other Senate Democrats in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos condemning their decision to rescind civil rights guidance promoting diversity in education. Last month, Attorney General Sessions and Secretary DeVos rescinded guidance that clarifies to schools how to promote diversity and open doors of oppo… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Cairo Public Housing Residents

CAIRO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Alexander County Housing Authority (ACHA) residents to discuss the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) response to the housing crisis that has forced hundreds of residents out of their housing units due to uninhabitable living conditions. Durbin was joined by Joseph Galvin, Regional Administrator of HUD's Midwest Regional Office, at Durbin's invitation. "Cairo is 'Exhibit A' for mismanagement in Washington and locally. HUD… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On President Trump's Decision To Re-Impose Sanctions On Iran

ST. LOUIS-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Trump announced that he will re-impose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran that were lifted in connection with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran Nuclear Agreement. In May 2018, President Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the Iran Nuclear Agreement. In 2015, Durbin led the effort in the Senate that ultimately allowed the Iran Nucle… Continue Reading

Durbin, Murray, Warren, Blumenthal, Brown, Duckworth Press Secretary Devos To Assist Students In The Wake Of National College Closures

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to take immediate steps to assist students harmed by the closing of colleges owned by Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH), including many of the Art Institutes (Ai), Argosy University, and South University campuses around the country. Specifically, the senators ur… Continue Reading

Durbin Host Bipartisan Senators, NATO & Non-NATO Partner Ambassadors, Reaffirms America's Support In Face Of Russian Aggression

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today hosted a group of bipartisan senators and Ambassadors from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and non-NATO partner nations to discuss U.S.-NATO relations and ongoing Russian aggression, as well as reaffirm America's commitment to our allies and to transatlantic cooperation. U.S. Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Jack Reed (D-RI) co-hosted the meeting with Durbin, and Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Susan C… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Completion Of Internal Investigation Of Heartland Alliance Into Allegations Of Physical & Emotional Abuse At Chicago Facility

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Heartland Alliance, an Illinois-based social services agency, announced that their internal investigation found no evidence to support reported allegations of physical and emotional abuse made by children who were recently cared for at Casa Guadalupe, a Chicago shelter run by Heartland: I'm pleased that Heartland Alliance took my call for a timely internal investigation seriously. The alleg… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen To Step Down In Wake Of Failure To Reunite "Deleted" Families

WASHINGTON-During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Trump Administration's incompetent family reunification efforts, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the architect of this humanitarian disaster, to resign. "Incredibly, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen claimed, 'We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period.' But it was on her watch and under her lea… Continue Reading

Durbin To E-Cigarette Industry: Gummy Bear-Flavored Liquid Nicotine Helps Adults Quit Smoking? Prove It

CHICAGO - As the use of e-cigarettes among youth continues to rise dramatically, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today unveiled bipartisan legislation to crack down on kid-friendly flavorings in highly-addictive e-cigarettes and cigars. Durbin's Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids (SAFE Kids) Act will place strong restrictions on e-cigarette flavorings and ban cigar flavorings altogether. "We have made great progress in convincing kids not to start smoking cigarettes. They know… Continue Reading