Following the Alabama IVF Ruling, Durbin Announces Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing to Examine the Continued Fallout Since the Supreme Court Overruled Roe v. Wade

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced the Committee will hold a full committee hearing this work period to examine the devastating fallout since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, including Alabama’s recent State Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos created during the IVF process are “children” under state law.  Durbin said, “Now, we live in the world of Dobbs—where Republica… Continue Reading

Durbin Talks Military Readiness with U.S. Transportation Command

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today spoke by phone with the Commander of U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) General Jacqueline D. Van Ovost.  TRANSCOM, headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, is tasked with providing air, land, and sea transportation around the world for the Department of Defense (DOD).  During their call, Durbin and General Van Ovost discussed military logistical operations and … Continue Reading

Durbin, Lee Introduce Bipartisan Inspector General Access Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct.  Currently, the DOJ Inspector General (IG) has no authority to investigate professional misconduct by DOJ lawyers.  DOJ is the only agency whose IG has such a jurisdictional carve-out. Th… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams Republicans for Continuing to Delay Reauthorization of PEPFAR

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling on his Republican colleagues to stop delaying the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan forAIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a Bush-era program that has saved more than 25 million lives worldwide in conjunction with its companion effort, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.  In his speech, Durbin spoke about the importance of programs built to support nations in Afr… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out House Republicans for Abandoning Aid to Ukraine Following Death of Alexei Navalny

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech emphasizing the necessity of delivering aid to Ukraine as it continues to fend off attacks from Vladimir Putin and following the tragic death of Russian opposition leader and anticorruption activist, Alexei Navalny. Durbin’s speech comes after the Senate passed the national security supplemental with strong bipartisan support, which provides aid for… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cassidy Introduce Bill to Rename Street Near the Russian Ambassador's Residence After Alexei Navalny

WASHINGTON – Following the tragic and inexcusable death of Alexei Navalny, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today introduced legislation to rename a section of the street near the Russian Ambassador to the United States’ residence as “Alexei Navalny Way.”  Mr. Navalny was an opposition leader and anticorruption activist who led the political opposition against Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than a decade. Putin tried to silence hi… Continue Reading

Durbin Leads Two Public Comments on Proposed Amendments to Federal Sentencing Guidelines

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led two groups of colleagues in submitting public comment letters to U.S. Sentencing Commission Chair Carlton Reeves regarding proposed amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Durbin’s letter addressing proposed amendments to limit consideration of acquitted conduct is joined by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism. Booker is… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Nominations of Judge Nancy Maldonado to the Seventh Circuit, Georgia Alexakis to Serve as United States District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois

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 released the following statement after the White House announced its intent to nominate Judge Nancy L. Maldonado to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, and Georgia Alexakis to be United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.  “We are pleased that President Biden is nominating Judge Nancy Maldonado to ser… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cassidy to Introduce Bill to Rename Street Near the Russian Ambassador's Residence After Alexei Navalny

WASHINGTON – Following the tragic and inexcusable death of Alexei Navalny, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today announced that they will introduce legislation to rename a section of the street near the Russian Ambassador to the United States’ residence as “Alexei Navalny Way.” Mr. Navalny was an opposition leader and anticorruption activist who led the political opposition against Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than a decade.  P… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $2 Million to Prevent Violence, Support Children Exposed to Trauma

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $1,944,811 has been awarded to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the University of Chicago through the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) Strategies to Support Children Exposed to Violence program.  Funding will be used by the two hospital systems to expand mental health … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Additional CBP & Former Loyal Source Whistleblowers Alleging Systemic Failures at Agency to Ensure Proper Oversight of Medical Care Contractor

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employee whistleblowers, as well as former Loyal Source—the agency’s medical care contractor—staff whistleblowers, alleging years of deficient medical care at CBP facilities and CBP’s failure to ensure proper oversight of Loyal Source.  In November, Durbin issued a statement after an initial report by… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on DOJ Inspector General Report on Deaths in BOP Custody

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General’s (IG) investigation into the non-medical deaths of those in Bureau of Prisons (BOP) care.  At the request of Durbin, DOJ IG Michael Horowitz previously agreed to review the reports of abuse and the deaths of seven incarcerated men at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Thomson in 2022 as part of… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues Urge Department of Education to Address FASFA Rollout Issues

WASHINGTON – As the traditional May 1st “college decision day” approaches, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Patty Murray (D-WA), along with more than 100 of their congressional colleagues, in writing to Secretary Miguel Cardona of the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to call on the Department to urgently address the operational issues with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Secure Over $44 Million for Chicago O'Hare, Crawford County, and St. Louis Airport Renovations

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a combined $44,250,000 million in federal funding for Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Crawford County Airport, and St. Louis Downtown Airport from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Airport Terminal Program (ATP)—which Durbin pushed to add to the bill. “Upgrading O’Hare, Crawford, and St. Louis Downtown airports means enhancing safety and creating a more efficient travel exp… Continue Reading

Durbin, Braun Urge FDA to Crack Down on Misleading Social Media Ads that Promote Prescription Drugs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take swift action to update its enforcement tools to reflect the current social media platforms and tactics used to promote prescription drugs, and to prioritize the protection of children from harmful and inaccurate medical advice.  With the dramatic rise in social media use—especially among youth—there has been an alarming proliferation of dangerous and m… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Biden Administration Decision to Authorize Deferred Enforced Departure for Palestinians in the U.S.

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today applauded the Biden Administration’s decision to authorize Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Palestinians present in the United States.  This authorization offers temporary relief from removal for eighteen months from today for eligible foreign nationals already in the United States who are unable to return safely to their home country.   There is no application required for DED, but Pa… Continue Reading

Durbin Attends Groundbreaking Ceremony for Starved Rock Breakwater Project

OTTAWA – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Starved Rock Breakwater Project, a habitat restoration effort led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed to restore submerged aquatic vegetation in the Starved Rock Pool of the Illinois River. This is the third project within the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP), which Durbin helped secure $829 million for in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). NESP is a long-te… Continue Reading

DURBIN, MARSHALL ANNOUNCE HAWLEY, REED AS NEW COSPONSORS, GROWING SUPPORT FOR CREDIT CARD COMPTITION ACT

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) announced two new cosponsors to their Credit Card Competition Act: U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Jack Reed (D-RI). The bipartisan pair joins U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and J.D. Vance (R-OH ) in support of the Durbin-Marshall legislation that would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market, which is currently dominated by th… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Booker, Colleagues in Calling for Swift Action to Aid American Citizens and Families Trapped in Gaza

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) in leading 13 colleagues in calling on Secretary Antony Blinken and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to expand assistance for relatives of U.S. citizens stranded in Gaza.  The Senators expressed concerns about the current limited eligibility criteria forState Department assistance, and advocated for the State Department to press all conflicting parties to include a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Urge Federal Approval of Illinois Application for Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter to U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Director Chiquita Brooks-LaSure expressing their support for Illinois’ application for a Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver.  If accepted, the waiver would accelerate efforts in Illinois to use the Medicaid program to address the opioid epidemic, maternal mortality, violence prevention, mental health challenges, homelessness… Continue Reading