Press Releases
Durbin Attends National Association of Convenience Stores Day on the Hill to Discuss Credit Card Competition Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today attended the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Day on the Hill to discuss his Credit Card Competition Act, bipartisan legislation he introduced that if enacted, will help convenience stores and small businesses across the United States. The bill he introduced with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market, which is currently dominated by the … Continue Reading
March 12, 2024
Senate Confirms Judge Sunil Harjani To Serve As Federal District Court Judge In The Northern District Of Illinois Eastern Division
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 U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Judge Sunil Harjani to serve as a Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division: “We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed Judge Sunil Harjani to serve as a District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern … Continue Reading
March 12, 2024
Durbin Discusses Air Mobility Command’s Mission With General Minihan
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today met with Commander of Air Mobility Command (AMC) General Mike Minihan to discuss U.S. Air Force operations related to airlift, air refueling, and air mobility support. During their meeting, Durbin and General Minihan spoke about AMC’s role in providing humanitarian support to Gaza and the delivery of weaponry to Ukraine, as well as discussed a proposal for a new … Continue Reading
March 12, 2024
Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Voting Rights
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “The Right Side of History: Protecting Voting Rights in America.” Durbin first questioned Sophia Lin Lakin, Director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, about voter ID requirements, and how these laws disproportionally impact people of color. During his questioning, Durbin referenced a study the Brennan Center … Continue Reading
March 12, 2024
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Protecting Voting Rights
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 “The Right Side of History: Protecting Voting Rights in America.” The hearing will feature testimony from two panels: a member panel featuring U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), as well as an expert panel featuring voting rights advocates and litigators. The hearing follows reintroduction of the John R. … Continue Reading
March 11, 2024
Durbin Statement on President Biden's FY2025 Budget Proposal
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after President Joe Biden unveiled an outline of his Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget proposal: “Following the momentum from President Biden’s strong State of the Union Address last week, he once again has laid out a vision for the American people that we can all get behind. The President’s budget will lower costs for working families, reduce … Continue Reading
March 11, 2024
Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues to Voice Concerns Over FASFA Form Error Harming Students in Mixed-Status Families
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and 22 additional Senators in urging U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to address the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form error that is preventing students with contributors, including parents and spouses, who do not have a Social Security number (SSN) from completing the new FAFSA form. With the passage … Continue Reading
March 09, 2024
Senate Advances "Minibus" Spending Bills with Illinois Priorities Secured by Durbin, Duckworth
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the United States Senate passed six funding bills known as a “minibus” for Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and … Continue Reading
March 08, 2024
Durbin Statement on Passage of "Minibus" of Six Government Funding Bills
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after the Senate passed six funding bills, known as a “minibus,” for Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban … Continue Reading
March 08, 2024
Durbin Defends Adeel Mangi Amid Baseless, Islamophobic Attacks by Senate Republicans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, took to the Senate floor to defend Adeel Mangi, nominee to be a U.S. Circuit Court Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, amid baseless, Islamophobic attacks by Senate Republicans throughout his nomination process. Durbin began by highlighting the unprecedented nature of the attacks on Mr. Mangi, which are inconsistent with his record and reality. “Mr. Mangi is a highly qualified … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Durbin Statement on President Biden's State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Biden’s State of the Union Address: “With President Biden at the helm, we have seen tremendous progress in our country. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is building new infrastructure and pushing our transportation industry forward. Belvidere, Illinois, has its Stellantis operation up and running again and is awaiting a new battery plant because of the deal struck by UAW … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Durbin Meets with His State of the Union Guest, MedGlobal President and Illinoisan, Dr. Zaher Sahloul
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with his guest for President Biden’s State of the Union address, Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President of MedGlobal, a nonprofit that provides critical medical services in areas of crisis. Through MedGlobal, Dr. Sahloul has been coordinating humanitarian and medical relief services for innocent people in Gaza caught in the crossfire spurred by the horrific October 7 Hamas attacks. Gaza hospitals have been in desperate need of medical … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Durbin Statement on Google Endorsement of Stop CSAM Act, Package of Kids' Online Safety Bills
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after Google announced its endorsement of the STOP CSAM Act and other bills aimed to protect children online: “For too long, Big Tech used every trick in the book to halt legislation holding social media companies accountable, while still trying to win the PR game. I’m glad to see that some tech companies are beginning to make good on their word to work with … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Durbin, Wyden, Sanders, Brown, Blumenthal Urge Convenience Stores, Wholesalers to Follow the Law and Remove Unauthorized E-Cigarettes from their Shelves
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee; Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent letters to 22 major convenience … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nine Nominations to the Full Senate
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced nine nominations to the full Senate, continuing the Committee’s work to bring balance to the federal judiciary. The nominations advanced include five judicial nominees, two U.S. Attorney nominees, one U.S. Marshal nominee, and one nominee to the U.S. Parole Commission. “We continued our work to advance highly qualified, diverse nominees to help ensure a fair system of justice today. Notably, we advanced the nomination of Rebecca … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nomination of Judge Sunil Harjani to be Federal District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division
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 Judge Sunil Harjani to a Federal District Court Judge vacancy in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division: “We are pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced the nomination of Judge Sunil Harjani to fill a judicial vacancy … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Durbin Outlines Strong Momentum for His Stop CSAM Act, The Need for Action on Children's Online Safety on the Senate Floor
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, took to the Senate floor to outline the strong momentum for his STOP CSAM Act and the need for action on children’s online safety. Durbin began by recapping the Senate Judiciary Committee’s historic hearing on January 31st on Big Tech’s failures to protect kids from sexual exploitation online, as well as the remarkable bipartisan note struck in the committee on this issue. “That hearing … Continue Reading
March 06, 2024
Durbin Announces Chicago's Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President of MedGlobal, As State of the Union in Guest in Senate Floor Speech
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor to announce his guest forthe State of the Union, Dr. Zaher Sahloul. A resident of Chicago, Dr. Sahloul, who currently serves as a critical care specialist, an associate professor, and the president of MedGlobal, has an extensive resume and a long history offering humanitarian and medical aid to war-torn areas. “I’m hosting an extraordinary resident of my state, Dr. Zaher Sahloul. Dr. … Continue Reading
March 06, 2024
Durbin, Collins Introduce Resolution Establishing National Social and Emotional Learning Week
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced a resolution designating the week of March 4, 2024, as National Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Week. SEL is centered on developing the self-awareness, ability to manage emotions, and interpersonal skills necessary for school, the workplace, and life. Research shows that SEL promotes student academic outcomes, self-efficacy, and positive mental health, especially for students … Continue Reading
March 06, 2024
Durbin, Duckworth Meet with Quad Cities Chamber
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with the Quad Cities Chamber (QCC) and local leaders from the Quad Cities region to discuss local priorities for economic development. During their meeting, the Senators and QCC members spoke about the Chicago to Quad Cities Passenger Rail Project, for which Durbin has secured more than $177 million in federal funding. The meeting also focused on how the federal government can support … Continue Reading