Durbin Urges Congress To Pass The Supplemental Funding Package To Aid Ukraine

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to pass the supplemental funding package, which includes aid for Ukraine to combat Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war.  Later this week, Ukraine President Zelensky will visit Congress and the United Nations General Assembly. Durbin began his speech by highlighting Putin’s desperate pleas to restore Russia’s so-called “lost glory.”  Durbin said, “It is … Continue Reading

Following Their Letter, Durbin, Duckworth Commend Biden Administration For Approving Federal Assistance For Illinois Following Severe Summer Storms Across The State

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today commended the Biden Administration for approving Governor JB Pritzker’s request for Public Assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the State of Illinois, to support 19 Central Illinois counties to recover from storm damage.  From late June to early July, severe storms passed through Central Illinois, producing heavy rainfall, flash flooding, hail, tornadoes, and strai… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On U.S. Steel’s Decision To Temporarily Idle Granite City Works

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding U.S. Steel’s announcement to temporarily idle blast furnace ‘B’ at the Granite City Works plant: “Steel production is a key component of our nation's economic health.  It is also a major source of employment throughout the country and in the State of Illinois, where the steel industry supports thousands of jobs.  Idling blast furnace ‘B’ at Granite City Works—even temporarily—will have a s… Continue Reading

Durbin Secures $250,000 For Green Era’s Efforts To Combat Food Waste

CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited the Green Era Campus to view their food digester and urban farm project that he secured $250,000 in federal funding for through Congressionally Directed Spending—more commonly known as an earmark—in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) omnibus appropriations bill. “The work happening at Green Era’s Campus exemplifies the power of collective action and the difference that passionate individuals can make when they come together with a common purpose,… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins USDA Under Secretary Dr. Homer Wilkes To Announce $23 Million For Illinois To Expand Green Spaces

CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Natural Resources Dr. Homer Wilkes to announce Illinois received a $23 million federal investment through the Urban and Community Forests Program (UCF) from the Inflation Reduction Act to expand and improve tree canopy forcommunities across the state. “The USDA’s Urban and Community Forests Program not only mitigates the scorching heatwaves we endured this summer, but also b… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Votes To Advance Twelve Judicial And Executive Nominees To The Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced twelve judicial and executive nominations to the full Senate, continuing the Committee’s work filling judicial and executive vacancies with highly qualified, diverse candidates who help ensure the fair and impartial administration of the American justice system. “We voted to advance nine highly qualified, diverse nominees for lifetime positions on our federal district courts, and we will continue to advance them at an efficient pa… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On UAW Strike

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the news that the United Auto Workers (UAW) has announced a targeted strike against the Big Three auto manufacturers—General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford: “Since it was founded nearly 90 years ago, UAW has fought for—and won—victories that have helped to strengthen America’s working families, including better pay for its members, employer-funded pensions, health insurance, educational benefits—and more.  … Continue Reading

Durbin, Murkowski Introduce The Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) yesterday introduced bipartisan legislation to address the pay gap between clinical and faculty nursing positions—which is the primary economic disincentive fueling the nursing shortage crisis across the country.  The Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act is a bipartisan bill that would provide a federal wage differential for the salary gap between clinical nursing and nurse faculty roles—to help fill… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nomination of April Perry to Serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance the nomination of April Perry to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois: “We are pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced the nomination of April Perry to serve as the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  S… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Krishnamoorthi Lead Illinois Colleagues In Inquiry To Federal Agencies On Potential Risks Of Toxic Lead-Sheathed Telecommunications Cables

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, along with U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), led nine members of the Illinois Congressional delegation in requesting information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the General Services Administration (GSA) regarding their knowledge of the lead-sheathed cables and next steps, such as the agencies’ coordination and cooperation to… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Advance Twelve Judicial and Executive Nominees to the Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced twelve judicial and executive nominations to the full Senate, continuing the Committee’s work filling judicial and executive vacancies with highly qualified, diverse candidates who help ensure the fair and impartial administration of the American justice system. “We voted to advance nine highly qualified, diverse nominees for lifetime positions on our federal district courts, and we will continue to advance them at an efficient pa… Continue Reading

Durbin & Blumenthal Request Review Of FDA’s Efforts To Protect The Nation’s Food Supply & Prevent Outbreaks Of Foodborne Illness

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a review of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) efforts to address and prevent foodborne illness outbreaks.  The Senators expressed the importance of ensuring the agency helps farmers, food manufacturers, importers, and others prevent contamination from production to sale.  “We remain concerned that FDA’s oversight of our n… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Home Depot CEO to Discuss Swipe Fees

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Ted Decker, Chair, President, & CEO of The Home Depot, to discuss the impact of credit card swipe fees.  Earlier this year, Durbin and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) introduced their Credit Card Competition Act, bipartisan legislation that would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market, which is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly. The … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Federal Judge Again Declaring DACA Unlawful

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead author of the Dream Act, released the following statement regarding Judge Andrew Hanen, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas, again declaring the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program illegal.  Judge Hanen’s decision struck down a Biden Administration effort to codify the policy into a federal regulation, though he refrained from ordering the termina… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges The Senate To Bring His Credit Card Competition Act To The Floor For A Vote

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged the Senate to bring his Credit Card Competition Act, bipartisan legislation he introduced with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) to the Senate floor for a vote.  The bill would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market, which is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly.  “We're fighting inflation in America, and … Continue Reading

Durbin Leads Colleagues In Urging Census Bureau To Open Appeals Process For Formerly Joint Urban Areas Now In Jeopardy Of Losing Needed Federal Funding

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in sending a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Santos urging him to open an appeals process for the change in maximum jump distance, which is the distance of undeveloped land between two cities that allows the municipalities to qualify as a joint urban area, following the 2020 Census.  For more… Continue Reading

Following Annual Bureau Of Prisons Oversight Hearing, Durbin Meets With Federal Corrections Union Leaders

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with union leaders from the National Council of Prison Locals (CPL), including Brandy White, who was elected CPL’s National President in August and is the first woman to hold this position. The meeting follows today’s annual Bureau of Prisons (BOP) oversight hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Among other topics, Durbin, White, and the group discussed the need to improve BOP staff pay … Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley, Cohen, Armstrong Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Prohibiting Punishment Of Acquitted Conduct Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), former Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND-At-Large), today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2023.  This legislation would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defe… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Bop Director Peters During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Bureau Of Prisons Oversight

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Colette Peters, Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”  Today’s oversight hearing was the third BOP oversight hearing in as many years under Chair Durbin’s leadership of the Committee. Durbin began by asking Director Peters about the First Step Act’s proven track record of reducing re… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Bureau Of Prisons Oversight

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 “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”  Today’s oversight hearing is the third BOP oversight hearing in as many years under Chair Durbin’s leadership of the Committee. Key Quotes: “Director Peters, you have now led the Bureau for a little over a year.  We have seen some significant changes.” “In Feb… Continue Reading