Durbin, Cohen, Colleagues: Congress Should End Loophole That Encourages For-Profit Colleges To Target Veterans And Service Members

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) were joined by U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) today to introduce bicameral legislation that would help put an end to the for-profit college industry's aggressive recruiting of veterans, service members, and their families. The Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act would prohibit for-profit colleges and universities … Continue Reading

Durbin Blasts GOP Hypocrisy On Obstruction Of Judicial Nominees

WASHINGTON-In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today argued against Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) complaint of what he calls Democratic obstruction of President Trump's judicial nominees. So far this year, the Senate has confirmed four of President Trump's circuit court nominees and four of his district court nominees. At this same point in his first year, President Obama had one circuit court nominee and three district court nominees co… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth To Rauner: GOP Tax Plan Will Raise Taxes On Hardworking Illinois Families

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to publicly oppose congressional Republican's proposed elimination of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction as part of their tax plan-a move that would increase taxes on nearly one-third of all taxpayers in Illinois. The state and local tax deduction is used by 44 million people nationwide, including by nearly two million Illinoisans, to avoid being taxed twice on their hard-ea… Continue Reading

Durbin: Sinclair-Tribune Mega-Merger Is Not In The Interest Of The American People

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today warned that if the proposed acquisition of the Tribune Media Company (Tribune) by the Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair) is approved, it would threaten diversity and localism in broadcasting, ignore the unique concerns and interests of local audiences, and harm competition. If approved, the merged Sinclair-Tribune company would own or operate 233 stations nationwide and reach 72 percent of U.S. TV households-making it the nation's largest televis… Continue Reading

Durbin Promotes November 1 Health Insurance Open Enrollment, Releases Report On Trump's Health Care Sabotage Efforts

BELLEVILLE - With health insurance open enrollment for 2018 less than a week away, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged those in need of individual market health plans for next year to sign up for insurance between November 1 and December 15. Last week, Durbin released a report - "1,000 Cuts: A Report on the Trump Administration's Health Care Sabotage" - which outlines the Trump administration's deliberate efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including cutting the open enro… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senate Democrats To EPA: Show Your Work On Clean Power Plan Repeal

COLLINSVILLE-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and 17 Senate Democrats in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt asking for more information on the agency's decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan. The proposal, released by the agency earlier this month, relies heavily on skewed scientific and mathematical data in order to justify repealing the Clean Power Plan. The senators wrote, "Our review of the 2017 Repeal proposal revea… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Background Check Expansion Act To Reduce Gun Violence

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and 26 of their Senate colleagues to announce the introduction of the Background Check Expansion Act, which will expand federal background checks to the sale or transfer of all firearms by private sellers, with certain reasonable exceptions. Under current law, unlicensed or private sellers are not required to conduct a background check prior to transferring a firearm. Research in… Continue Reading

Durbin: Republicans, Wells Fargo, Equifax, And Big Banks Teamed Up To Rig The System Against American Consumers

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) called out Senate Republicans for voting to repeal a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule that holds big banks and financial institutions accountable for fraud and other misdeeds. The CFPB mandatory arbitration rule, which was set to take full effect next March, would stop financial services companies from using forced arbitration clauses to block consumer class action suits. It also requires… Continue Reading

Durbin: Congress Has A Responsibility To Do Its Job And Make Dream Act The Law Of The Land

WASHINGTON-Following the Trump Administration's announcement on September 5, 2017 that it will rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) came to the Senate floor today to call on Republican leaders in Congress to bring the bipartisan Dream Act to the floor for a vote. During his speech, Durbin shared the story of one Dreamer - William Medeiros, who was only six years old when his family moved to the United States from Braz… Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Landmark Environmental Justice Bill

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz (D-CA) to introduce a landmark bill that represents a major step toward eliminating environmental injustice. The Environmental Justice Act of 2017 requires federal agencies to address environmental justice through agency actions and permitting decisions, and strengthens legal protections against environmental injustice for communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With VA Secretary, Continues To Press For Reforms At Marion VA

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin to discuss the steps being taken to ensure accountability at Marion VA Medical Center following reports of alleged incidents of prohibited personnel practices. Durbin also noted Marion VA Medical Center Director Jo-Ann Ginsberg's effort to address concerns among the top leadership team at Marion VA, but urged Secretary Shulkin to look into the concern that the middle managemen… Continue Reading

Durbin Presses VA Secretary To Protect Veterans From Predatory For-Profit Colleges

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin to discuss recent VA proposals related to the financial relationships of its employees with for-profit colleges and the for-profit college industry's shameful record of preying on veterans. In 2016, for-profit colleges received 34 percent of all VA GI Bill education funds or $1.7 billion - often using aggressive recruiting and misleading marketing to target veterans. "For-pr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Call For $300 Million For Great Lakes Restoration Initiative In Next Year's Budget

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined a bipartisan letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney calling for $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to be included in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget request. The letter was signed by Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), along with Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Todd Young (R-IN), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), A… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Request Update On Drug Enforcement Law

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Ed Markey (D-MA) led a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requesting information on the impact of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 highlighted in a recent report from The Washington Post and "60 Minutes." The letter also calls upon the agencies to submit a long-overdue report to Congress providing both an overvie… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Press President Trump To Protect Utah National Monuments

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led 15 of his Senate colleagues in urging President Trump to maintain the current boundaries and management plans for the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments in Utah. Durbin and his colleagues wrote President Trump today following reports by both The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal that Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke recommended modifying certain national monuments, including shrinking the boundaries of… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $3.8 Million In HUD funding To Support Northern Illinois Housing And Community Development

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Northern Illinois communities will receive $3,880,550 in federal grant funding through three programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In total, Northern Illinois communities were awarded $2,957,019 through the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program, $182,521 through the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program, and $741,010 through the HOME Investment P… Continue Reading

Durbin Releases Report on Trump's ACA Sabotage Efforts, Promotes November 1 Open Enrollment

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released a new report which details the Trump Administration's deliberate, year-long efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the impact of this sabotage on patients and families in Illinois. "1,000 Cuts: A Report on the Trump Administration's Health Care Sabotage" highlights the steps President Trump has taken since Inauguration Day to undermine and create uncertainty in our health care system, including last week's executive order a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $2.5 Million In HUD Funding To Support Peoria Area Housing And Community Development

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Peoria area communities will receive $2,575,764 in federal grant funding through three programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In total, Peoria area communities were awarded $1,932,441 through the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program, $137,451 through the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program, and $505,872 through the HOME Investment Partnerships p… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $3.4 Million In HUD funding To Support Central Illinois Housing And Community Development

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Central Illinois communities will receive $3,436,353 in federal grant funding through two programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In total, Central Illinois communities were awarded $2,679,744 through the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program and $756,609 through the HOME Investment Partnerships program. In addition to this funding, the Illinois Hou… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $7.4 Million In HUD Funding To Support Metro East Housing And Community Development

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Metro East communities will receive $7,429,063 in federal grant funding through two programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In total, Metro East communities were awarded $5,895,762 through the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program and $1,533,301 through the HOME Investment Partnerships program. In addition to this funding, the Illinois Housing Devel… Continue Reading