Press Releases
Durbin Statement On New White House War On Drugs
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: We cannot arrest our way out of the opioid epidemic-we tried that and ended up with an even bigger addiction problem and the world's largest prison population. Everyone from doctors to law enforcement understands that addiction is a disease, not a moral failing that can be beaten simply by getting 'tough on crime.' The war on drugs didn't work in the 80's, and it won't work now by reviving failed … Continue Reading
March 19, 2018
For Second Year In A Row, Durbin Duckworth, LaHood & Bustos Call On President Trump To Support Peoria Ag Lab And Scrap Plans To Shut Its Doors
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL-18) and Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today to call on President Donald Trump to once again scrap plans to close the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR) in Peoria, Illinois - also known as the Peoria Ag Lab. The Trump Administration's fiscal year 2019 budget proposed closing 12 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service (ARS) … Continue Reading
March 15, 2018
Durbin Joins Colleagues In Calling On Key Senate Committee To Take Action On Legislation To Fund Gun Violence Research At CDC
CHICAGO-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and 25 other Senators in calling on leaders of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to immediately act on legislation to fund gun violence prevention research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A Republican appropriations rider, first authorized by then-Congressman Jay Dickey (R-AR) in 1996, prohibits the CDC from using federal funds to advocate or promote gun … Continue Reading
March 15, 2018
Durbin Meets With CDC, Continues To Press For Swift Action At IVH Quincy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Anne Schuchat, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to get an update on the Legionnaires' disease outbreak at the Illinois Veterans Home (IVH) Quincy. Given the failure by the Rauner Administration to adequately address this ongoing crisis, Durbin, along with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), pressed CDC to take a greater leadership role in helping to address the public health crisis at IVH Quincy … Continue Reading
March 15, 2018
Durbin, Hassan Call On Ashford University To Halt New GI Bill Enrollments Amid Questions Of Eligibility
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today called on Bridgepoint Education - Ashford University's parent company - to immediately halt new GI Bill enrollments at Ashford until their eligibility is resolved with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). With its future GI Bill eligibility in doubt, Ashford University announced on November 14, 2017, that it would voluntarily "suspend new enrollment of veteran students utilizing GI Bill benefits." Stunningly, … Continue Reading
March 14, 2018
Durbin: President Trump And Congressional Republicans Should Listen To Students, Majority Of Americans And Finally Act To Help Prevent Gun Violence
WASHINGTON-As thousands of students across the United States walked out of their classrooms to demand action on gun violence, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to finally stand up to the gun sales lobby and act to help prevent gun violence and mass shootings in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The hearing was held in response to the February 14, 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in … Continue Reading
March 13, 2018
Durbin: With Dreamers' Future Uncertain, Senate Must Pass Dream Act Now
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today again came to the Senate floor to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act now. As of March 5, 2018 - the arbitrary deadline that President Trump set for expiration of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program - hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as children, known as Dreamers, faced losing their work permits and being deported to countries they barely … Continue Reading
March 12, 2018
Durbin. Kennedy, Feinstein, Grassley Introduce Opioid Quota Reform Bill To Strengthen DEA's Ability To Prevent Opioid Diversion And Abuse
WASHINGTON - In the midst of a prescription opioid, heroin, and fentanyl crisis that is devastating communities of all sizes in every state, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Kennedy (R-LA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Opioid Quota Reform Act of 2018. This narrow, bipartisan legislation will enhance the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) existing opioid quota-setting authority by improving … Continue Reading
March 08, 2018
Durbin, Duckworth Press Canadian National Railway For Update On Implementation Of Positive Train Control Safety Technology
WASHINGTON-Following reports that Canadian National (CN) Railway may not meet the statutory deadline to implement positive train control (PTC) safety technology, which could force Amtrak to shut down operations on CN's tracks, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed for an update on CN's current progress on implementing PTC in Illinois as well as an update on what efforts CN is making to improve Amtrak's on-time performance in the state. Shutting down Amtrak … Continue Reading
March 08, 2018
Durbin Statement On Trump Tariffs On Steel And Aluminum
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminum: President Trump wants to put China on notice for their abusive trade practices that hurt American workers and industries. I support that. The sweeping tariffs announced today are like dropping a bomb on a flea. Launching an all-out trade war will alienate the allies we need to actually solve the problem of steel dumping, and … Continue Reading
March 08, 2018
Durbin, Dem Senators Push For Student Loan Measures In Banking Bill
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced an amendment to the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155) that would improve consumer protections for federal and private student loans. Included in Durbin's amendment is a Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights to improve federal and private student loan servicing, restoration of private student loan dischargeability in bankruptcy, protections for service members and veterans, and … Continue Reading
March 08, 2018
Durbin: Why Hasn't The Gun Violence Debate Reached The Senate Floor?
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Republican leaders to bring the debate over gun violence to the floor of the U.S. Senate. "97% of the American people believe in universal comprehensive background checks to keep guns out of the hands of those who would misuse them: convicted felons, mentally unstable people," Durbin said. "97%. The overwhelming majority of gun owners feel exactly the same way. So why-why in God's name have we not taken that up since … Continue Reading
March 07, 2018
Durbin Meets With Utah Wilderness Coalition About Trump's Plans To Shrink Bears Ears & Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments
WASHINGTON-Following a recent New York Times article that highlighted internal U.S. Department of Interior documents showing that efforts to reduce the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah were motivated by a desire to increase oil and natural gas development in the region and to allow additional coal and mineral mines, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Utah Wilderness Coalition to express his continued support for maintaining the … Continue Reading
March 07, 2018
Durbin, Duckworth To Rauner: We Need More Than Vague Assurances That Next Steps Are Coming At IVH Quincy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today once again urgently requested Governor Bruce Rauner's detailed plan of action for ensuring the safety of residents, family, and staff at the Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) Quincy. They also pressed Rauner's Administration to accept the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) offer of technical assistance-including a site visit to IVH Quincy-in tandem with ongoing VA financial support as well as expert assistance … Continue Reading
March 07, 2018
Durbin Urges Wells Fargo To Halt Any Plans To Expand Presence On College Campuses
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan that urged the bank to halt any plans it may have to expand its financial footprint on college campuses until the Federal Reserve lifts its recently announced sanctions on the bank. In February, the Federal Reserve announced it would takes steps to stop the growth of Wells Fargo and hold the bank accountable for years of "pervasive and persistent misconduct" until it "sufficiently improves … Continue Reading
March 07, 2018
Durbin Urges Dreamers To Renew Their DACA
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to immediately file applications to renew their DACA status, which is permitted by two nationwide federal court injunctions blocking the Trump Administration's repeal of DACA. This morning, Durbin spoke with Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, who personally assured him that Dreamers with pending DACA renewal applications will NOT be deported, even if … Continue Reading
March 06, 2018
Durbin Meets With MWRD To Express Continued Support For McCook Reservoir, Brandon Road Project
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) to express his continued support for the construction and funding of the McCook Reservoir Project. Last month, Durbin, along with Senator Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Peter Roskam (R-IL-06), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), and Bobby … Continue Reading
March 06, 2018
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Nominations For U.S. Marshal For Central And Southern Districts Of Illinois
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Donald Trump announced his nominees for the United States Marshal for the Central District of Illinois, Brendan O. Heffner, and the United States Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois, Bradley A. Maxwell. "Through many years of service to Illinois, Brendan Heffner and Bradley Maxwell have demonstrated strong qualifications to serve as United States Marshals. … Continue Reading
March 05, 2018
Durbin: Trump Created The DACA Crisis Six Months Ago Today. What Happens Next Is Up To Republican Congressional Leaders
WASHINGTON-Six months to the day after the Trump Administration terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and called on Congress to solve the crisis, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again called on the Republicans who control Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act. "What's at stake? 780,000 young people protected by DACA, which officially by President Trump's order ends today," said Durbin. "They have one ray of hope, perhaps two. Two courts have … Continue Reading
March 01, 2018
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Make Community And Technical School More Affordable
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to introduce America's College Promise Act. This legislation would create a new federal-state partnership to provide two years of tuition-free access to community or technical college programs that lead to a degree or industry-recognized credential. "Community colleges provide a springboard for students who wish to continue their education and a foundation for students to find … Continue Reading