Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Health Care
Durbin Statement On Failed Cloture Vote On The Women's Health Protection Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after voting to proceed to the Women's Health Protection Act, which would codify the right to provide and obtain an abortion free from medically unnecessary restrictions. The measure failed to garner the 60 votes needed to advance. "Today's results, while not surprising, are still deeply disappointing. In a matter of weeks, a half-century guarantee that th… Continue Reading
05.10.22
Durbin Meets With 'I Am ALS' Founders
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with 'I Am ALS' founders and Illinois constituents Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya to discuss increased federal funding for ALS research and the latest developments regarding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) implementation of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act (ACT for ALS). ACT for ALS directs the NIH and FDA to make grants to clinical trial… Continue Reading
05.10.22
Durbin Urges Colleagues To Support The Women's Health Protection Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor on the future of Roe v. Wade following the leak of the Supreme Court's draft majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. "Last week, Americans woke up to the news that was perhaps not unexpected but still stunning. It appears that in a matter of weeks, we may soon live in a country where women have fewer constitutional rights than their pare… Continue Reading
05.03.22
Durbin Statement On The Future Of Roe v. Wade
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke to the alleged leak of the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights hearing entitled, "An Ethical Judiciary: Transparency and Accountability for 21st Century Courts." "I don't condone the leaking of internal Supreme Court documents… I don't know who lea… Continue Reading
04.26.22
Durbin, Braun Introduce Legislation To Improve Safety And Ensure Transparency Of Dietary Supplement Industry
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) introduced the Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2022, bipartisan legislation to require dietary supplement manufacturers to list their products with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which provided FDA with authorities to regulate dietary supplements. However, DSHEA did not require dietary supplement companies to r… Continue Reading
04.26.22
Durbin: Americans Should Know What Is In Dietary Supplements
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor to highlight the Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2022, bipartisan legislation he will introduce this week with Senator Mike Braun (R-IN). The legislation will require dietary supplement manufacturers to list their products with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as provide basic, common-sense information about ingredients and labels. This information would then be made available to the public. … Continue Reading
04.26.22
Durbin Meets With Illinois Health And Hospital Association To Discuss Workforce Shortages, COVID-19 Recovery
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) President AJ Wilhelmi and several Illinois hospital representatives to discuss workforce shortages and additional support for hospitals recovering from the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. During their conversation, Durbin received an update about how hospitals have coped with increased financial strains while maintaining quality care and access for patients. Congress has p… Continue Reading
04.13.22
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $3 Million In American Rescue Plan Funding To Support Rural Health Care Services In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, six health care providers in rural Illinois will receive a total of $3,190,300 to increase access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, food assistance programs, and other services to improve community health outcomes. The funding comes from a new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program created by the American Rescue Plan. "Across Illinois, rural hospitals and … Continue Reading
03.30.22
Durbin Urges Republicans To Join Democrats To Provide New COVID Funds, Stay Ahead Of Virus
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor on the need to pass a bipartisan COVID-19 supplemental funding package. New COVID-19 funds are necessary now to procure additional vaccine booster doses, oral antivirals, and other therapeutics to treat patients who contact a serious case, maintain testing infrastructure at hospitals and health clinics, and more. Durbin said, "We cannot continue this cycle of neglect-and-panic. These pendulum swings harm our … Continue Reading
03.14.22
Durbin Delivers Floor Speech On The First Anniversary Of The American Rescue Plan
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke about the importance of the American Rescue Plan one year after Democrats passed the legislation-without a single Republican vote. The American Rescue Plan provided a critical lifeline to low-income families, and it helped stabilize middle-class families by providing enhanced child tax credits, expanded unemployment insurance, and housing relief. It also expanded the availability of affordable health coverage - including expan… Continue Reading
02.17.22
Durbin, Portman Introduce Bill To Expand Mental Health Support For Survivors, First Responders After Emergencies & Disasters
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC), introduced the Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act, bipartisan legislation that would expand eligibility for FEMA's Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP). CCP provides short-term mental health and trauma support resources for survivors and first responders. Currently, support through thi… Continue Reading
02.16.22
Durbin Speaks With Acting NIH Director Dr. Tabak, Discusses Medical Research Funding, ACT for ALS Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dr. Larry Tabak, who has served in the position since December 2021 when former director Dr. Francis Collins stepped down. During their meeting, Durbin urged Dr. Tabak to begin implementing the new grant programs and partnerships authorized under ACT for ALS, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden late last year. The legislatio… Continue Reading
02.09.22
Durbin: Dr. Fauci Deserves To Be Listed Alongside World's Greatest Scientific Minds
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to express his support for Dr. Anthony Fauci-Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-and praised him for using his expertise to see the United States through numerous public health crises like HIV/AIDS, SARS, avian flu, swine flu, Zika, Ebola, and COVID-19. In his speech, Durbin called out Dr. Fauci's Republican detractors for … Continue Reading
02.09.22
Durbin Meets With Rural Illinois Health Care Providers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois members of the National Rural Health Association to discuss the challenges hospitals and health care providers are facing with COVID-19, behavioral health challenges, and delivering maternal health care services in rural Illinois. During their conversation, Durbin received an update on workforce shortages, the burnout health professionals are experiencing, and how federal programs and funding are helping to ensure … Continue Reading
02.09.22
Durbin: Johnson & Johnson Is Avoiding Accountability To Customers Who Got Cancer
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered remarks at the Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights hearing on "Abusing Chapter 11: Corporate Efforts to Side-Step Accountability Through Bankruptcy." During his remarks, Durbin called out Johnson & Johnson for using a corporate bankruptcy shell game known as the "Texas Two-Step" to avoid facing claims from cancer-stricken customers. If Johns… Continue Reading
01.20.22
Durbin, Bipartisan Colleagues Urge President Biden To Include Funding For Emergency International Food Aid In Any Supplemental Request To Congress
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) led 17 of his Senate colleagues today in a bipartisan letter to President Biden urging him to include funding for emergency international food aid in any upcoming supplemental request to Congress. Recently, the Biden Administration provided an additional $308 million in aid and eased procedures for humanitarian groups. However, the Senators noted in their letter that both the United Nations and World Food Programme (WFP) indicate far mo… Continue Reading
12.22.21
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $4.3 Million For COVID-19 Telehealth Program
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $4.3 million in federal funding to several Illinois health care providers for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, building on an initiative established as part of the CARES Act. The funding, awarded by the Federal Communications Commission, supports the efforts of health care providers to continue serving their patients by providing reimbursement for telecommunications services, information services, and connec… Continue Reading
12.15.21
In Speech On The Senate Floor, Durbin Thanks Dr. Francis Collins For His Dedication As NIH Director
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor to honor Dr. Francis Collins as he prepares to step down from his position as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to return to his lab at NIH's Human Genome Research Institute. "He has led the NIH for 12 years, under three presidents - Democrat and Republican - making him the longest-tenured head of the agency since presidents began selecting NIH directors 50 years ago. What distinguishes F… Continue Reading
12.14.21
In Speech On The Senate Floor, Durbin Highlights Lower Prices For Insulin Through The Build Back Better Act
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor to deliver a speech criticizing the pharmaceutical industry's price gouging for insulin, and highlighting how the Build Back Better Act would cap the cost to patients of insulin at $35 per month and dramatically lower the cost of other life-saving prescription drugs, despite opposition from Senate Republicans. Durbin referenced a USA Today article to describe how the price of insulin has increased to $300… Continue Reading
12.09.21
Durbin To Acting FDA Commissioner: Agency Is Three Months Past Court-Ordered Deadline To Regulate E-Cigarettes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock urging the FDA to complete its review of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for the millions of e-cigarette products that have fueled the youth vaping epidemic. In the letter, Durbin reiterated that the deadline for FDA's review was three months ago as mandated by a U.S. District Court Judge for Maryland. E-cigarette manufactur… Continue Reading