Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Military and Veterans
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
07.11.19
Durbin, Collins, Wenstrup, Rice Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill To Make The VA Smoke-Free
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Susan Collins (R-ME), along with U.S. Representatives Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M. (R-OH-02) and Kathleen Rice (D-NY-04), today introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to prohibit smoking at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The legislation would repeal an antiquated 1992 law that requires the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to furnish and maintain designated indoor or outdoor smoking areas. Supported by the VA, the bill would br… Continue Reading
06.28.19
Durbin Statement On Senate Vote To Prohibit Funds For Military Operation Against Iran
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 a bipartisan measure to prohibit funds from being used for military operations against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress. Durbin is a cosponsor of this measure. It failed to pass the Senate by a final vote of 50-40. "President Trump's policy, at the direction of Mr. Bolton and Secretary Pompeo, se… Continue Reading
06.28.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Davis, Bustos, LaHood, Bost Urge Air National Guard To Assign Flying Mission To 183d Wing In Springfield
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Rodney Davis (R-IL-13), Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), Darin LaHood (R-IL-18), and Mike Bost (R-IL-12), today sent a letter to the National Guard urging for a flying mission for the 183d Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard in Springfield. In their letter, the members stated that transitioning the 183d back to flying status could be a key component towards reaching the Air Force's goals of incr… Continue Reading
06.27.19
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 included a Durbin amendment to speed up the long process that the U.S. Department of Defense has for developing and fielding new weapons systems, as well as proposals to extend lease authorities at Arsenal's, and a streamlining of the honorary… Continue Reading
06.27.19
Durbin Warns Against Another Reckless War In The Middle East
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today warned the Trump Administration against another reckless war in the Middle East. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that the U.S. Constitution is clear that the power to declare war is an explicit power of the Congress. Durbin is a cosponsor of a bipartisan amendment to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which would prohibit … Continue Reading
06.25.19
Durbin Meets With Officials From Springfield & Sangamon County in Washington
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met today with officials from Springfield, Illinois, and Sangamon County to discuss local priorities including the Illinois Air National Guard's 183rd Wing and transportation and infrastructure improvements. Durbin discussed progress on the Springfield Rail Improvement Program (SRIP) and various road and highway improvement projects the city is hoping to get federal support for. "Springfield is my hometown, and it's always great to welcome Mayor La… Continue Reading
06.10.19
Durbin, Cohen: Congress Must Close Loophole That Encourages For-Profit Colleges To Target Veterans & Service Members
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) today introduced bicameral legislation that would help put an end to the for-profit college industry's aggressive recruiting of veterans, service members, and their families. The Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act would prohibit for-profit colleges and universities from receiving more than 85 percent of their revenue from the federal government and change the calculation of federal revenue t… Continue Reading