Press Releases
Durbin Votes to Proceed to Budget Resolution to Give Congress Tool to Pass COVID-19 Relief
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate voted to proceed to a budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2021 that gives Congress an additional legislative tool to pass the urgently-needed bipartisan COVID-19 relief legislation: "For months, our health care heroes, small businesses, state and local governments, schools, and unemployed Americans have pleaded with Congress to pass meaningful federal funding that can break the … Continue Reading
February 02, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth, Foster Introduce Legislation to Provide Relief for Unemployed Americans
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL-11), along with U.S. Representative Cindy Axne (D-IA-03), introduced legislation to provide tax relief for Americans who lost their jobs and utilized unemployment benefits last year - allowing millions of workers to focus their benefits on covering essentials during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and recession. The Coronavirus Unemployment … Continue Reading
January 27, 2021
Durbin, Colleagues Reintroduce Legislation to Help Developing Nations With Access to COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pandemic Economic Fallout
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), today introduced the Support for Global Financial Institution Pandemic Response Act. The legislation directs representatives from the United States to multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), to help developing countries as they fight COVID-19, ensuring … Continue Reading
January 26, 2021
Durbin, Rubio Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Health Care Workforce to Meet Nationwide Challenges Highlighted by COVID-19
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) today introduced bipartisan legislation to provide a historic investment in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Nurse Corps, and National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) programs to bolster health emergency surge capacity and restore the pipeline of physicians, nurses, and other health professionals to address health workforce shortages throughout our country. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed health workforce … Continue Reading
January 25, 2021
Durbin Discusses COVID-19, Trade, and Census with Gina Raimondo, Biden Nominee for Secretary of Commerce
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Governor Gina Raimondo (D-RI), President Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Commerce. During their Zoom call, Durbin and Raimondo discussed the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, trade policies that level the playing field for American workers and manufacturers, and ensuring an apolitical count of the 2020 Census. Durbin also spoke about his push for five percent real growth in science agencies for innovation-including … Continue Reading
January 25, 2021
Durbin, Sanders, Garcia, Colleagues Call on Treasury to Support IMF Assistance for Developing Nations Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), U.S. Representative Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-04), and ten of their Senate colleagues sent a letter to Treasury Secretary-designate Janet Yellen regarding the urgent importance of helping stem the devastating economic impact of the COVID pandemic on the world's developing countries and America's trading partners. The members also urged the Biden Administration to support the … Continue Reading
January 25, 2021
Durbin Statement on Bipartisan COVID-19 White House Meeting
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding today's bipartisan White House virtual meeting with Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council, and bipartisan members of the Senate where they discussed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package: "Today's meeting made clear that the Biden Administration's top legislative priority is passing the American Rescue Plan. It's refreshing and long overdue to have … Continue Reading
January 21, 2021
Durbin: Refreshing & Long Overdue Sight to Have the President Fully Engaged in Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today praised President Joe Biden for signing several important COVID-19-related executive actions on his first day in office, including instituting a mask mandate for all federal buildings, recommitting to the World Health Organization, and creating an office to coordinate a national response to the pandemic. Durbin also shared support for the national strategy President Biden is unveiling today in … Continue Reading
January 12, 2021
Durbin Discusses COVID-19 Pandemic, For-Profit Colleges with Dr. Miguel Cardona, Biden Nominee for Secretary of Education
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Miguel Cardona, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Education. During their Zoom call, Durbin and Cardona discussed how teacher shortages in Illinois and around the country have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and how Durbin's RETAIN Act would incentivize teacher retention by providing a fully refundable tax credit for teachers, paraprofessionals, mental health providers, and school leaders in Title I … Continue Reading
January 11, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $843 Million to Support Expanded Testing and Vaccine Distribution in Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $843,870,238 in federal funding to support COVID-19 testing and vaccination distribution in Illinois. The funding is being awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as directed by the recently enacted Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. "This federal funding for COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution will provide essential support for our … Continue Reading
December 30, 2020
Durbin Calls on McConnell to Bring $2,000 Direct Payment Measure to the Floor for a Vote
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Republicans to support the House-passed CASH Act, a measure that would increase direct payments from $600 to $2,000 for individuals earning less than $75,000 per year. The measure passed the House yesterday by a vote of 275-134, with 44 House Republicans supporting the bill. Durbin also spoke about his frustration with President Donald Trump's delay in signing the final … Continue Reading
December 22, 2020
Durbin Votes for Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Legislation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after voting for the $900 billion, bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief legislation that includes funding for unemployment insurance, small businesses, vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing, health care providers, housing and education assistance, direct checks for American families, and more: "Last week, a group of Democrats and Republicans-including myself-came together and introduced … Continue Reading
December 21, 2020
Durbin Shares Support for Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Legislation
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke in support of the $900 billion bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief package that was announced last night. The compromise package was based off the $748 billion, bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief legislation that Durbin helped negotiate and introduce last week. The final package includes funding for unemployment insurance, small businesses, vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing, … Continue Reading
December 18, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $9 million to Support COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout in Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a total of $9.709 million in federal funding to Illinois to provide critical COVID-19 public health infrastructure support, such as data monitoring capabilities, for vaccination distribution and administration. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will receive $6,691,329 for vaccine distribution, laboratory support, and other … Continue Reading
December 18, 2020
Durbin: We Must Pass a Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Bill Before the Holidays
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Congress to pass a bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief package before leaving for the holidays. Congressional leadership is currently negotiating a package based off the $748 billion, bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief legislation that Durbin helped negotiate. The package includes funding for unemployment insurance, small businesses, vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing, … Continue Reading
December 17, 2020
Durbin Receives Briefing from Operation Warp Speed About COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today was briefed by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and officials from Operation Warp Speed and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the ongoing COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort. Durbin received an update from health officials on how they plan to improve transparency, predictability, and accountability on the allocations and shipments of vaccine doses to Illinois, following inconsistent … Continue Reading
December 17, 2020
Durbin: We Must Pass a Bipartisan COVID-19 Emergency Relief Bill Before the Holidays
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Congress to pass a bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief package before leaving for the holidays. Congressional leadership is currently negotiating a package based off the $748 billion, bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief legislation that Durbin helped negotiate. The package includes funding for unemployment insurance, small businesses, vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing, … Continue Reading
December 16, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $15 Million for Illinois Community Health Centers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $14.9 million in federal funding awarded to three Community Health Centers (CHC) throughout Illinois. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' health center cluster grant program. Every year, Illinois CHCs serve more than 1.4 million Illinoisans, regardless of their ability to pay. "Community Health Centers are a vital resource for so many Illinoisans … Continue Reading
December 15, 2020
Durbin Discusses COVID-19, Health Disparities with Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General Nominee
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the COVID-19 pandemic with Dr. Vivek Murthy, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee to be the next U.S. Surgeon General. Murthy previously held the position of Surgeon General during President Barack Obama's second term, and he is expected to take a leading role in Biden's COVID-19 response. Durbin and Murthy spoke about shared priorities for increasing uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, addressing health disparities, including … Continue Reading
December 15, 2020
Durbin to McConnell: Bring the Bipartisan Emergency COVID Relief Legislation to the Floor for a Vote this Week
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to bring the $748 billion, bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief legislation to the floor for a vote this week. Durbin was part of the bipartisan group that unveiled the emergency relief package yesterday, which includes funding for unemployment insurance, small businesses, vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing, health care providers, … Continue Reading