Durbin Questions Witnesses During Senate Judiciary Committee On Supreme Court Ruling In Donald Trump Immunity Case

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 “‘When the President Does It, that Means It’s Not Illegal’: The Supreme Court’s Unprecedented Immunity Decision.”  The hearing explored the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States.  Durbin began by questioning Mary McCord, Executive Director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and… Continue Reading

Durbin, Wicker Introduce Resolution Commemorating the 30th Anniversary Of the Eradication Of Polio In The Americas

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) today introduced a resolution commemorating the 30th anniversary of the eradication of polio in the Americas, in which the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the region as being “polio-free” on September 29, 1994.  Nearly 60,000 children in the United States were reported to have polio in 1952, with more than 20,000 cases of paralysis.  The polio vaccine was discovered at the University of Pitts… Continue Reading

Durbin, Padilla Engage In Refugee Consultation With Biden-Harris Administration

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, today participated in the statutorily-required refugee consultation between the Biden-Harris Administration and House and Senate Judiciary Committee leadership. The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the U.S. is on track to welcome 100,000 arrivals this fiscal ye… Continue Reading

Durbin, Marshall Statement On DOJ Lawsuit Alleging Visa Debit Card Practices Violate Federal Antitrust Law

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), lead sponsors of the Credit Card Competition Act, today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Visa alleging that the company illegally maintains a monopoly over debit network markets through anticompetitive practices that violate federal antitrust law: “According to DOJ’s lawsuit, Visa made… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Supreme Court Ruling In Donald Trump Immunity Case

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 “‘When the President Does It, that Means It’s Not Illegal’: The Supreme Court’s Unprecedented Immunity Decision.”  The hearing will explore the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States. Key Quotes: “Nearly two decades ago, then-Judge John Roberts came before this Committee for h… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $11 Million In Federal Funding For Health Care Research In Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $10,906,668 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) medical research grants for Illinois institutions. The federal funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from lung diseases to mental health research.   “Federal investments in medical research… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Urge Supreme Court To Maintain Strength Of Landmark Criminal Justice Reform Provision in HEWITT V. U.S.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led fellow Senate Judiciary Committee colleagues U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mike Lee (R-UT) in submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in Hewitt v. United States. The brief deals with the Senators’ landmark 2018 bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation—the First Step Act (FSA)—and provisions reducing the length of mandatory minimums and modifying min… Continue Reading

Following Their Letter, Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Biden Administration For Approving Illinois Disaster Declaration Following Summer Tornadoes, Extreme Weather

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) applauded the Biden Administration for approving Governor JB Pritzker’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the State of Illinois, to support seven Illinois counties in recovering from severe storms in which more than 40 tornadoes spun through Central and Northern Illinois and downstate Illinois flooded between July 13 and July 16, 2024.  … Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights The Urgent Need To Protect Dreamers And Pass The Dream Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor highlighting the urgent need for Congress to pass legal protections for noncitizens who were brought to the United States as children, known as Dreamers.   More than 20 years ago, Durbin first introduced the Dream Act.  In 2010, Durbin sent a letter, joined by the late Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), asking then-President Obama to stop the deportation of Dreamers.  Nearly … Continue Reading

Durbin: We Must Work In Good Faith To Fund The Government. Time Is Of The Essence.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to offer his support for the bipartisan funding agreement that was reached over the weekend to fund the government through December 20, preventing a shutdown from occurring on October 1.  In his speech, Durbin expressed his frustration at the broken funding process, which has led to repeated threats of a shutdown every year. “We’re one week away from the deadline to fund the government.  It is an embarrassm… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley, Announce More Than $300 Million In Federal Funding For Transportation Infrastructure Improvements In Chicago

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Quigley (D-IL-05) today announced $305,467,517 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Mega Program. With this federal funding, the Illinois Department of Transportation will receive $209,877,984 for the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program and $95,589,533 for the I-290/IL171 (1st Avenue) Interchange Project. Th… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty To Discuss Ongoing Conflict In Gaza

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and Iranian-sponsored instability.  During the meeting, they also discussed a path for post-war Gaza.  In addition to Durbin, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) also joined the meeting. “Egypt is an important voice in the Middle East and remains a critical voice in helping humanitarian aid enter Gaza and assisting negotiations toward a ceas… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces America's Clean Future Fund Act To Invest In A Clean Future And Spur Job Creation

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the America’s Clean Future Fund Act, a bill that would spur job creation by investing in a clean energy economy.  The bill seeks to drive significant carbon emissions reductions to combat the climate crisis; provide transition assistance to environmental justice (EJ) communities, farmers, and fossil fuel-reliant communities; and provide financing for climate resilience and clean energy projects.  “We are already seeing … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Legislation To Create National Historic Park In Honor Of Julius Rosenwald

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Julius Rosenwald and Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Act, legislation to establish a Rosenwald Schools National Historic Park network with locations in both Chicago and Maryland in honor of Julius Rosenwald.  The legislation would also require the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) to provide information on the life and legacy of Rosenwald at his boyhood home in Springfield, Illinois, which is already part of… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Four Judicial Nominations, Two Marshal Nominations To Full Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced four district court judicial nominations and two U.S. Marshal nominations to the full Senate, continuing the Committee’s work to bring balance to the federal judiciary and keep our communities safe. “Confirming judges is a top priority for the remainder of this Congress. These even-handed arbiters of justice will bring balance to the federal judiciary, and Senate Democrats are in a strong position to make judicial confirmations a … Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances April Perry, Jonathan Hawley To Serve As United States District Court Judges In 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 nominations of April Perry to serve as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois and U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley to serve as a United States District Judge for the Central District of Illinois: “We are pleased that the Sen… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senate Democrats Urge USPTO, Drug Companies To Address Errors In Patent Term Adjustment To Prevent Unwarranted Pharma Monopolies

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led a group of five Senate Democrats in sending a letter to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director Kathi Vidal regarding recent research that found pharmaceutical companies may be benefitting from errors in USPTO’s calculation of patent term adjustment (PTA).  Those errors can extend the lives of drug patents held by the companies beyond the expiration dates dictated by statute.  As… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Sorensen Announce $8 Million In Federal Funding For New Battery-Electric Ferry On Mississippi River

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) today announced $8 million in federal funding for Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK) through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). This grant will be used to make land-side improvements along the Mississippi Riverfront and for a new, zero-emissions, battery-electric ferry and charging equipment. “MetroLINK’s passeng… Continue Reading

Durbin Speaks In Support Of Haitian Immigrants Amid Ongoing Lies From Republican Presidential & Vice-Presidential Candidate

WASHINGTON –  In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today addressed the particularly vile lie being circulated by former President Trump, his Vice-Presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, and their supporters, and the real-life consequences of spreading this lie—that the Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, are abducting, killing, and eating people’s pets. “This claim is not only outrageous, and patently f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Collins Celebrate Their Bipartisan SIREN Reauthorization Act Heading To President's Desk

ASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), applauded passage of their bipartisan SIREN Reauthorization Act by the House of Representatives, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk for signature.  Once signed by President Biden, the legislation will extend funding for five additional years for SIREN Act grants to rural fire and EMS agencies nationw… Continue Reading