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

Durbin, Crapo Celebrate Senate Passage of Resolution to Designate February as American Heart Month

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Heart and Stroke Caucus, celebrated Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution to designate February 2024 as American Heart Month.  The resolution reaffirms the government’s commitment to fighting cardiovascular disease by supporting research; improving access to affordable, quality care to reduce long-term disability and mortality; and recognizing and championing efforts… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Senate Passage of the National Security Supplemental

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, released the following statement on Senate passage of the national security supplemental, which provides aid for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Taiwan: “Today, we proved to the world that the United States Senate can come together in a bipartisan way to deliver critical security and humanitarian aid.  And we sent an important message to the Ukrainian people fighting for their freedom: we will not walk … Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on CEOs of Visa, Mastercard, United Airlines to Testify Before the Judiciary Committee Regarding Credit Card Competition

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent letters to the CEOs of Visa, Mastercard, United Airlines, and American Airlines inviting them to testify at a public hearing regarding competition in the credit card market. Durbin said, “Visa and Mastercard have aggressively opposed efforts to bring competition to the credit card market in order to protect the dominant market position they share.  Visa, Mastercard, and its allies have… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams Republicans on their Inability to Support Meaningful Immigration Reform, Address Urgent National Security Needs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor condemning his Republican colleagues for their failure to help secure the border and provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Taiwan to meet urgent national security and humanitarian needs.  Durbin began his speech by highlighting the Senate’s bipartisan national security supplemental agreement that was announc… Continue Reading

Durbin Files Dream Act Amendment to the National Security Supplemental

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced on the Senate floor that he has filed the Dream Act as an amendment to the National Security Supplemental.  The legislation would allow noncitizens without lawful status who were brought to the United States as children and meet certain education or work requirements to earn lawful permanent residence.  These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard Major General Richard Neely to discuss continued opportunities and support for our Illinois National Guard.  Durbin and General Neely spoke about the Air Force’s September selection of Peoria’s 182nd Airlift Wing as a basing location for new C-130J aircraft and Durbin’s successful effort to secure $350 million in Fiscal Year 2023 funding for 12 new MQ-1C Gray eagle aircraft fo… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out Senate Republicans for Abandoning Border Deal, Delaying Aid to Ukraine at Trump's Whim

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and 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.  Durbin’s speech comes after nearly 20 Republican Senators supported a procedural vote to consider a national security supplemental that provides urgently-needed security and humanitarian assista… Continue Reading

Alongside Biden Administration, Durbin, Van Hollen Announce National Security Memorandum to Ensure U.S. Security Assistance is Used in Line with International Law

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced alongside the Biden Administration a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) aimed at ensuring all U.S. security assistance is used in line with international law, including international humanitarian law.  The NSM—which Durbin and Van Hollen worked closely with the Administration to develop following the release of his amendment—will for the first time require that, prior to the tr… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Report from Special Counsel Hur on Classified Documents

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report following his investigation into the reported discovery of classified documents at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C. and the Bidens’ personal residence in Wilmington, Delaware: “I appreciate the thorough investigation conducted by Special Counsel Hur, a former Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney. This investigation e… Continue Reading