Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley Announce $93.6 Million to Modernize Chicago's Union Station

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) today announced $93,600,000 for the Chicago Hub Improvement Project (CHIP) through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal-State Partnerships forIntercity Passenger Rail grant program, which received funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. CHIP is Amtrak’s multi-phased project to revitalize Chicago Union Station (CUS) and revol… Continue Reading

Durbin Marks Fifth Anniversary of First Step Act by Meeting with Formerly Incarcerated Members of FAMM

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, today met with members of FAMM, including more than 20 individuals impacted by the First Step Act ahead of the legislation’s fifth anniversary.  During the meeting, Durbin heard stories from formerly incarcerated individuals about how the First Step Act impacted their experience with the… Continue Reading

Durbin Reintroduces Bill to Create Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), today reintroduced legislation to ensure struggling student loan borrowers are treated fairly and understand the full range of repayment options and resources available to them.  The Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights Act creates consistent servicing and disclosure standards across private and federal stud… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing with FBI Director Wray

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”  The hearing is the third oversight hearing of the FBI by the Senate Judiciary Committee since 2021, continuing Chair Durbin’s work to restore the tradition of regular agency oversight hearings. Key Quotes: “Today, we continue our work to restore the Com… Continue Reading

Durbin, Merkley Lead Bicameral Colleagues in Comment in Support of Biden Administration's Proposal to Codify Flores Settlement Agreement

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) led 14 colleagues in submitting a bicameral comment regarding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)’s proposed rule, “Unaccompanied Children Foundational Rule.”  In their comment, the lawmakers express their support for the Biden Administration’s proposal, which would codify provisions in the Flores Settlement… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Senate Confirmation of Irma Ramirez to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Irma Ramirez to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Judge Ramirez’s confirmation: “Judge Irma Ramirez is an accomplished litigator and jurist who has over 30 years of legal experience, including as a current magistrate judge for the Northern District of Texas. Her qualifications and dedication to equal justic… Continue Reading

Durbin to Republicans: Work With Democrats to Fix Our Broken Immigration System

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Republican colleagues to work with Democrats on comprehensive immigration reform that will help secure America’s border and address our nation’s shortage of workers.  During his speech, Durbin condemned Republicans’ attempt to attach punitive border policies to essential national security emergency funds for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, an… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud More Than $21.6 Million in Full-Service Community Schools Grants for Illinois Institutions

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today applauded the U.S. Department of Education for awarding $21,632,950 in Full-Service Community Schools grants to education institutions and community organizations in Illinois. Funding for full-service community schools has increased five-fold, from $25 million in 2020 to $150 million in 2023. The grant funding allows schools to partner with community organizations and institutions of higher educa… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kelly Lead Congressional Support for ATF Rule to Expand Background Checks

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) led letters signed by more than 160 Members of Congress in support of a proposed rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) titled "Definition of 'Engaged in the Business' as a Dealer in Firearms."  This proposal utilizes provisions in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), passed in 2022 and signed into law by P… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement on United, American Commitment to O'Hare Terminal Area Project

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, today released the following statement regarding a recent report that United Airlines and American Airlines want to “slow down, dramatically scale back, or indefinitely ground” the Chicago O’Hare International Airport Terminal Area Project (TAP), on which they signed an agreement with the City of Chicago. “Un… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Reopening Gaza Hospitals with UN Secretary General

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke by phone with United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss avenues to reopen key Gaza hospitals under the supervision of a credible, neutral third party in order to help innocent civilians caught in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.  “I had a productive conversation with Secretary General Guterres about efforts to alleviate suffering of innocents caught in the conflict in Gaza,” said Durbin.  “In particular, w… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on CBP Whistleblower Alleging Systemic Failures at Agency to Ensure Proper Oversight of Medical Care Contractor

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement regarding a report by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employee whistleblower alleging years of deficient medical care at CBP facilities and CBP’s failure to ensure proper oversight of Loyal Source, the agency’s medical care contractor: “The CBP employee whistleblower’s allegations raise serious concerns. As outlined in the report, it appears that CBP failed to… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Authorize Subpoenas for Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to authorize subpoenas for Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo relating to the Committee’s Supreme Court ethics investigation: “Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats’ goal all along has been to ensure that like all other federal judges, Supreme Court justices are bound by an enforceable code of conduct.  Today’s vote to issu… Continue Reading

Durbin, Graham Announce January 2024 Hearing with Five Big Tech CEOs on Their Failure to Protect Children Online

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that the Committee’s previously announced hearing on online child sexual exploitation has been rescheduled for January 31, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. and will feature testimony from the CEOs of Meta, X (formerly known as Twitter), TikTok, Snap, and Discord. The CEOs of X, Discord, and Snap will testify pursuant to subpoenas issue… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions District Court Nominees at Latest Judiciary Committee Nominations Hearing

WASHINGTON – During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Jacquelyn D. Austin, nominated to be United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina; Jacqueline Becerra, nominated to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida; Melissa Damian, nominated to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida; David Seymour Leibowit… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Committee Hearing on Six Judicial Nominations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Jacquelyn D. Austin, to be United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina; Jacqueline Becerra, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida; Melissa Damian, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida; David Seymour Leibowitz, … Continue Reading

Durbin, Collins Introduce Legislation to Address Uptick in Attacks on Letter Carriers on the Job

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today led 10 of their colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation to address the steep increase in armed robberies against postal workers, who are often targeted for their arrow keys.  The Postal Police Reform Act would ensure that Postal Police Officers may be assigned to duty outside of Postal Service real property to offer protection to letter carriers on their routes. The Postal Inspection S… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Grassley in Attempt to Pass Bipartisan Bill to Require Price Transparency in Prescription Drug Advertisements

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today on the Senate floor to request unanimous consent (UC) to pass their bipartisan Drug-price Transparency for Consumers (DTC) Act, a bill that would require price disclosures on advertisements for prescription drugs, in order to empower patients and reduce excess spending on medications.  U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) objected to the unanimous consent request. In 2018, Durbin and Grassley ask… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce CMS Funding to Address Physician Shortage in Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded new Medicare Graduate Medical Education funding to support an additional 23 residency slots for hospitals in Illinois. With this new federal funding, eight Illinois hospitals will be able to expand their medical training opportunities for new doctors, in order to help address the nation’s physician shortage.  “This federal funding is a … Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights New Medicare Coverage for Dental Care, Urges CMS to Expand Coverage for State Medicaid Programs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure urging her to notify states of recent Medicare changes in coverage and billing practices for oral health care services that were outlined in the 2024 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System final rule.  As states often model their Medicaid coverage and billi… Continue Reading