Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Military and Veterans
Durbin Discusses Detection Of PFAS Near Scott Air Force Base With Air Force Chief Of Staff
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today met with U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein to discuss the detection of the two main types of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - PFOS and PFOA - during site inspections at Scott Air Force Base (AFB), which may be impacting off-base water wells. The Air Force is now working to determine how many water wells might be impacted, whether people are consumin… Continue Reading
02.25.20
Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Illinois Director Of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) Director Linda Chapa LaVia to discuss Veterans issues in Illinois, including disability claims, mental health, and the needs of women Veterans. They also discussed supporting operations at Illinois Veterans' Homes (IVH) and progress in the construction of the Chicago Veterans Home project. "Senator Duckworth and I remain committed from the federal side to provi… Continue Reading
02.19.20
Durbin Meets With Vietnam Vet, Calls On Trump Administration To Stop Blocking Coverage For Agent Orange Diseases
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with a Vietnam Veteran who has battled bladder cancer and hypertension due to exposure to Agent Orange and called on the Trump Administration to stop stonewalling extending critical health benefits to Vietnam veterans whose service exposed them to Agent Orange. In recent years, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposed expanding the list of Agent Orange presumptive diseases to include bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, hypertension, and Par… Continue Reading
02.15.20
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Detection Of PFAS Near Scott Air Force Base
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, today released the following statement after the U.S. Air Force detected the two main types of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - PFOS and PFOA - during site inspections at Scott Air Force Base (AFB), which may be impacting off-base wat… Continue Reading
02.13.20
Durbin, Duckworth Slam Trump Administration For Stonewalling Veterans Suffering From Agent Orange
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), joined 39 other Democratic Senators in condemning the Trump Administration for stonewalling critical benefits to Veterans suffering from health conditions associated with their exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. In their letter, the Senators specifically called on the Administration to stop denying scientific evidence, and end the years-long dela… Continue Reading
02.12.20
Durbin, Schumer, Veterans Groups Urge Senate To Overturn DeVos Borrower Defense Rule
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and veterans organizations, held a press conference to urge Senate Republicans to support Durbin's Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution, (S.J.Res. 56) which would overturn the U.S. Department of Education's 2019 Borrower Defense rule that gutted essential protections for student borrowers and taxpayers. Durbin and Schumer were joined by Ohio Army veteran Tasha Berkhal… Continue Reading
02.12.20
Durbin: Senate Will Soon Have Chance To Stand Up For Defrauded Student Veterans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today, in a speech on the Senate floor, slammed Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' rewritten borrower defense rule that guts essential protections for student borrowers, taxpayers, and veterans. Durbin urged his Senate colleagues to support his Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution (S.J.Res. 56) of disapproval overturning the DeVos rule when it comes to the Senate floor for a vote. Durbin shared support from American … Continue Reading
01.15.20
Durbin, Duckworth Call On Army To Review Illinois Army Reserve's Handling Of Sexual Assault Claims
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today called on the U.S. Army to review reported mishandling by leaders of the Illinois-based Army Reserve unit, the 416th Theater Engineer Command, of multiple sexual assault claims. In a letter to U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Durbin and Duckworth called for a comprehensive review of the troubling charges brought to light by a recent Associated Press article into handling of sexual assault claims by the 416th. Durbin… Continue Reading
01.14.20
Durbin: The Power To Declare War Rests Solely With Congress
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today continued to caution President Donald Trump from plunging the United States into yet another endless war in the Middle East. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also urged his colleagues to support a war powers resolution, introduced by Durbin and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) earlier this month, to force a debate and vote in Congress to prevent a war with Iran with… Continue Reading
01.03.20
Durbin, Kaine File War Powers Resolution To Require Congressional Authorization For War With Iran
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), introduced a war powers resolution to force a debate and vote in Congress to prevent further escalation of hostilities with Iran. "The Senate must not let this President march into another war in the Middle East without authorization from Congress," Durbin said. "The Constitution is clear - only the Congress can declare war. And whether it does or not, we must ask critical questions of what led … Continue Reading
12.20.19
Congress Passes Bipartisan Spending Bills With Illinois Priorities Secured By Durbin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills yesterday. The bills are expected to be signed by President Donald Trump today. "These bills invest in Illinois' environment, transportation infrastructure, health, agriculture, service members, and security. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, bringing home federal dollars w… Continue Reading
12.20.19
Durbin, Takano: VA Must Protect Veteran Students In Wake Of FTC Settlements With For-Profit Colleges
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA-41), along with several of their colleagues, today sent a letter to Secretary of Veteran Affairs Robert Wilkie urging the Department of Veteran Affairs to protect veteran students in the wake of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlements with for-profit Career Education Corporation (CEC) and University of Phoenix (UOP) for unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices. In August, the FTC announced a $30 million s… Continue Reading
12.17.19
Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of NDAA
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today released the following statement after voting for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a proposal to extend lease authorities at arsenals such as Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois: "The Senate's passage of the NDAA shows that we are all committed to a strong national defense and to the protection of our women and men in … Continue Reading
12.17.19
Durbin, Duckworth Help Veteran Receive Benefits After Being Denied Assistance
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI-05), today announced that a Flint-native and decorated Navy veteran, retired Senior Chief Russell Dotson, will receive tens of thousands of dollars of G.I. Bill higher education benefits owed to his family after the U.S. Navy denied this assistance because of a bureaucratic paperwork mistake. The acting Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modly, has indicated to Durbin, Duckworth, Kildee, a… Continue Reading
11.05.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos, Loebsack Announce Addition Of 50 Jobs At Rock Island Arsenal
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA-02), today announced the addition of 50 new human resources professional positions at Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) through the U.S. Army's Civilian Human Resources Agency (CHRA) in order to support the Defense Health Agency (DHA). These positions are in addition to the approximately 160 positions added to CHRA's activity in Rock Island in 2018, an… Continue Reading
09.17.19
Durbin: Senate Must Stand Up Against President Trump's Continued Diversion Of Funds From The Military To His Ineffective Border Wall
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today spoke out against President Donald Trump's continued efforts to divert funding from our military in order to build his medieval border wall. Last week, Durbin did not support reporting to the floor the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee funding bill because … Continue Reading
08.02.19
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On GAO Report On VA Oversight Of State Veterans Homes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement today after a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) detailed recommendations for improved oversight by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of State Veterans Homes (SVH) across the country. In 2017, Durbin and Duckworth asked GAO to review VA oversight of SVH's after a deadly Legionnaires' outbreak at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy. "While SVHs are owned… Continue Reading
08.02.19
Durbin, Duckworth Urge VA Secretary To End Anti-Worker, Anti-Union Negotiation Tactics
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and a group of Democratic colleagues, sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie urging him to abandon the Department's current destructive approach to ongoing negotiations with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Despite VA and AFGE's history of engaging in good-faith negotiations that equally benefit employees, Veterans and the… Continue Reading
08.01.19
Durbin Pays Tribute To Illinois Service Member Killed In Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today paid tribute to Specialist Michael Isaiah Nance, of Chicago, Illinois, who was killed on July 29 in Afghanistan. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin expressed his condolences to Nance's family and friends. "The motto of the 82nd Airborne is, 'Airborne all the way!' Isaiah lived every bit of this motto in his faithful service to America, and with his family and friends," Durbin said. "Mr. President, every member of the Senate would be pro… Continue Reading
07.18.19
Durbin Meets With Defense Secretary Nominee, Dr. Mark Esper
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today met with Dr. Mark Esper, President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense. During today's meeting, Durbin asked Dr. Esper about the ongoing U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis at the border that President Trump created with his anti-immigrant policies. "Dr. Esper is a respected professional, who has devoted a maj… Continue Reading