Press Releases
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $14 Million In Grant Funding For Head Start Projects
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois Head Start programs will receive $14,026,810 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant funding. The federal funding will support Head Start’s mission to offer services for children under the age of five in receiving wrap-around support in early learning and development. “Providing a strong education is one of the greatest gifts we can give the next … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Durbin Questions SEC, CFTC Chairs On Crypto At An Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today participated in a Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget, where he questioned U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler and U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Rostin Behnam about the risks of cryptocurrency. “Eighty-eight percent of people have … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Durbin Reveals Omissions Of Gifted Private Travel To Justice Clarence Thomas From Harlan Crow
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released exclusively obtained information from Harlan Crow on his gifts of free luxury travel to Justice Clarence Thomas, which was omitted from Justice Thomas’ financial disclosure, despite last week’s amendment to his 2019 financial disclosure report. A report on the Senate Judiciary Committee Majority’s Supreme Court ethics investigation will be released later this summer. In documents … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Durbin, Reed, And DeLauro Introduce American Business For American Companies Act
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) reintroduced the bicameral American Business for American Companies Act, legislation that would extend the year-to-year government wide ban on federal contracts for inverted corporations by moving it out of the annual appropriations process and into permanent law. Corporate inversions allow U.S. companies to shift their corporate citizenship from … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Durbin Delivers Floor Speech Calling On His Colleagues To Protect IVF Access Ahead Of Right To IVF Act Vote
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the Right to IVF Act vote, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to vote for this crucial legislation. The legislation, which Durbin is a cosponsor of, establishes a clear and enforceable nationwide right to receive, provide, or cover in vitro fertilization (IVF) services and other assisted reproductive technologies. It also expands insurance coverage for such care. During … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Durbin Statement On Senate Republicans Voting Against The Right To IVF Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted against the Right to IVF Act. The legislation, which Durbin is a cosponsor of, establishes a clear and enforceable nationwide right to receive, provide, or cover in vitro fertilization (IVF) services and other assisted reproductive technologies. It also expands insurance coverage for such care. “Whether, when, and how to … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Durbin Meets With Director Of DARPA
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to discuss Illinois’ role in research and development (R&D) in the defense industry. During their meeting, Durbin reiterated that Illinois is a strong candidate for continued investment in emerging technologies such as quantum computing. Illinois has proven to be an environment conducive to innovation, research, and economic … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Durbin Statement On The Supreme Court's Decision On FDA v. Alliance For Hippocratic Medicine
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision on Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which held that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) actions regarding the regulation of the abortion pill mifepristone: “In acknowledging that a group of anti-abortion activists has no standing to … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Durbin Meets With Braven And First-Generation College Students
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Aimée Eubanks-Davis, CEO of Braven, an organization that works with colleges and employers to help underserved students complete college and obtain quality jobs by offering students a class on workforce readiness skills, support in securing paid internships, and holding networking, mentoring, and job skill sessions. First-generation college students from Chicago State University, National Louis University, and Northern … Continue Reading
June 13, 2024
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Bipartisan Bill To Authorize Dozens Of New District Court Judgeships
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act, which would authorize 63 new permanent district court judgeships and three new temporary district court judgeships. “As dockets become overburdened, it’s important that Congress uses its authority to ensure the federal judiciary remains efficient. These new district court judgeships will help alleviate the caseloads for overburdened districts and ensure … Continue Reading
June 12, 2024
Senate Republican Blocks Durbin's Attempt To Tackle Nonconsensual, Sexually-Explicit Deepfakes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, requested unanimous consent (UC) today on the Senate floor to pass his bipartisan Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (DEFIANCE Act), legislation that would hold accountable those responsible for the proliferation of nonconsensual, sexually-explicit “deepfake” images and videos. Despite broad support for the legislation, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) … Continue Reading
June 12, 2024
Senate Republicans Block Durbin, Senate Judiciary Democrats' Unanimous Consent Request To Pass Supreme Court Ethics Legislation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today led Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in asking unanimous consent (UC) for the Senate to pass the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, objected to Durbin’s UC request, which comes amid a myriad of apparent ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices demonstrating the need for … Continue Reading
June 12, 2024
Durbin Talks Public Transit With Amalgamated Transit Union
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) to discuss Illinois’ transit priorities. During the meeting, Durbin and the ATU members spoke about ensuring Illinois’ public transit systems remain fully funded and continue to expand service and connect communities. They also discussed keeping transit workers safe on the job. “A strong public transit system is necessary to keep our communities thriving. … Continue Reading
June 12, 2024
Durbin Questions FDA, DOJ On Allowing Sale Of Unauthorized Vaping Products During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Prevalence Of Youth E-Cigarette Use
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Combatting the Youth Vaping Epidemic by Enhancing Enforcement Against Illegal E-Cigarettes.” The hearing underscored the alarming level of youth e-cigarette use—including the role of the tobacco industry in flooding the market with kid-friendly, flavored vaping devices —and examined how federal agencies have failed … Continue Reading
June 12, 2024
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Prevalence Of Youth E-Cigarette Use
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Combatting the Youth Vaping Epidemic by Enhancing Enforcement Against Illegal E-Cigarettes.” The hearing underscored the alarming level of youth e-cigarette use and examined how federal agencies have failed to enforce laws designed to protect children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction. In his opening … Continue Reading
June 12, 2024
Durbin Statement On Passing Of Judge Harry Leinenweber
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement on the passing of U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber: “Judge Harry Leinenweber was respected for his knowledge of the law and his reputation for fairness. I always knew that he would bring that reputation to every assignment. He never disappointed. “To his wife, Lynn Martin—my former House colleague—and his family, Loretta and I extend our thanks for … Continue Reading
June 11, 2024
Durbin, Shaheen, Welch Meet With Head Of Belarusian Opposition Leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and member of the Free Belarus Caucus; U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation and Co-Founder of the Free Belarus Caucus; and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) today met with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to discuss her efforts to push back against Belarusia’s strongman leadership by … Continue Reading
June 11, 2024
Durbin, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Shore Up Funding For Crime Victims Fund
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today introduced a bill to shore up funding for the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), which supports state victim compensation and assistance programs. The proposal would divert surplus funds collected through the False Claims Act (FCA) that currently go to the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury to the CVF. “The Crime Victims Fund is a lifeline for survivors and … Continue Reading
June 11, 2024
Durbin Celebrates Upcoming 12th Anniversary Of DACA, Calls On Congress To Finally Pass The DREAM Act
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead author of the Dream Act, celebrated the upcoming 12th anniversary of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and called on Congress to finally pass the Dream Act to give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship. More than 20 years ago, Durbin first introduced the Dream Act—bipartisan legislation that would give undocumented immigrants who grew up in this … Continue Reading
June 11, 2024