Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Consumer and Financial Protection
Durbin & Senators To Juul: You Are More Interested In Profits Than Public Health
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 10 of his Senate Democratic colleagues, today launched an investigation into JUUL Labs, Inc. by sending a letter to CEO Kevin Burns slamming the company for its partnership with Big Tobacco giant Altria, and questioning its marketing tactics to hook children on nicotine with kid-appealing flavors. The Senators posed an extensive series of questions and made requests for documents pertaining to JUUL's secret business practices around … Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Join Bipartisan Group Of Senators To Urge Trump Admin To Withdraw Proposed SNAP Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in a bipartisan letter that opposed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's proposed rule to make harmful changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and urged Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to withdraw the draft regulation. The Trump Administration's proposal would restrict access to SNAP benefits for an estimated 400,000 people … Continue Reading
March 13, 2019
Durbin & Senators Reintroduce Bill To Protect Children's Online Privacy
WASHINGTON - As the collection of personal information by internet companies is encroaching more and more on the privacy of every American, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today reintroduced legislation to strengthen online privacy protections for children when websites collect their personally identifiable information. The Clean Slate for Kids Online Act would give every American an enforceable … Continue Reading
March 06, 2019
Following FDA Warning, Durbin Meets With Walgreens To Urge Pharmacy To Stop Selling Tobacco Products
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Walgreens Co-Chief Operating Officer Alex Gourlay to discuss tobacco sales to minors at their stores, and urge Walgreens to stop selling tobacco products. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that some of our nation's largest health pharmacies have been illegally selling tobacco products to minors. Walgreens was the top violator among pharmacies that sell tobacco products, with 22 percent of Walgreens stores … Continue Reading
March 05, 2019
Durbin, Murkowski, Degette, Raskin Introduce Bill To Restrict Kid-Friendly Flavors In E-Cigarettes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO-01) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to crack down on kid-friendly flavorings in highly-addictive e-cigarettes and cigars. The Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids (SAFE Kids) Act will place strong restrictions on e-cigarette flavorings and ban cigar flavorings altogether. "Ask any teacher, parent, or public … Continue Reading
February 15, 2019
Durbin & Duckworth Voice Concerns About Trump Administration Siding with Predatory Payday Loan Sharks Over Consumers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined a group of 47 Senators in opposing the latest attempt under Trump Administration leadership to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) payday lending rule. In a letter to CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger, Durbin and Duckworth outlined how eliminating the key protections of the rule will allow the payday lending industry to prey on vulnerable American consumers. The letter was signed by every member … Continue Reading
February 14, 2019
Following FDA Warning, Durbin, Whitehouse, Blumenthal, Brown, & Reed Once Again Urge Pharmacies To Stop Selling Tobacco Products
WASHINGTON - On the heels of an announcement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that some of our nation's largest health pharmacies have been illegally selling tobacco products to minors, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Jack Reed (D-RI), today sent letters to Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, and Dollar General urging them to stop selling tobacco products. Last week, the FDA announced that Walgreens was the … Continue Reading
February 07, 2019
Durbin Opposes Kraninger Plan To Gut CFPB Payday Lending Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, released the following statement today opposing the proposal by Director Kathleen Kraninger of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to eliminate key protections of the CFPB's payday lending rule. Director Kraninger's plan would eliminate the requirement that lenders first ensure that consumers can afford to pay back loans and … Continue Reading
December 07, 2018
Durbin, Murray, Markey, and Colleagues Keep Pressure On FDA To Go Further In Combatting Youth Tabacco Use
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, along with Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and 18 of their colleagues, sent a letter to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging him to act quickly to implement agency plans to ban flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes and follow FDA's recent efforts to address rising youth e-cigarette use with additional steps including ending marketing of all tobacco products to youth and removing from market … Continue Reading
November 29, 2018
Durbin Presses For Stronger Action On Kid-Friendly E-Cigarette Flavors In Meeting With FDA Commissioner
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to discuss recently announced regulations on e-cigarette flavorings, flavored cigars, and menthol cigarettes. Durbin thanked Gottlieb for his decision to implement stronger oversight on e-cigarette flavorings being sold to teenagers and kids, and urged him to take even stronger action moving forward. Photos of today's meeting are available here. "E-cigarette use … Continue Reading
November 15, 2018
Durbin, Murkowski Statement On New FDA E-Cigarette Regulations
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today released the following statement after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new regulations on e-cigarette flavorings and flavored cigars: E-cigarette use among children and teenagers is an epidemic, just ask our federal health agencies or any school teacher in America. The FDA is finally moving in the right direction by cracking down on the sale of kid-friendly flavors in e-cigarettes and cigars, … Continue Reading
October 02, 2018
Durbin, Murkowski Urge FDA To Immediately Ban Kid-Friendly E-Cigarette Flavors, Restrict Online Sales
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today, in a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urged the agency to immediately ban kid-friendly e-cigarette flavorings and restrict online sales of the addictive nicotine products. Durbin and Murkowski's letter comes on the heels of the FDA's announcement last month that-due to a public health "epidemic" of youth e-cigarette use-it would issue new enforcement actions on e-cigarette companies' use of … Continue Reading
August 09, 2018
Durbin Statement On Tribune Withdrawal From Sinclair Mega-Merger
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Tribune Media Company (Tribune) announced it was withdrawing from its $3.9 billion proposed mega-merger with Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair): From day one, the proposed acquisition of the Tribune Media Company by the Sinclair Broadcast Group was not in the interest of the American people. It threatened diversity and localism in broadcasting, it ignored the unique concerns and interests … Continue Reading
July 19, 2018
Durbin To FCC Chairman Pai: Sinclair's Troubling Conduct Deserves Utmost Scrutiny In Sinclair-Tribune Mega-Merger
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai regarding his recent decision to halt its review of the proposed merger between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media Company and refer it to heightened legal scrutiny. Durbin has sent multiple letters to the FCC about troubling aspects of Sinclair's conduct and has called into question the legality of the details in the proposed merger. … Continue Reading
June 28, 2018
Durbin & Senators Press FDA To Protect Children From Addictive Vaping Products
WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 13 of his Senate colleagues, sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about JUUL e-cigarette vaping products, and other e-cigarettes with flavors like gummy bear, cotton candy, peanut butter cup, and cookies 'n cream, urging the agency to take swift action against these products that are clearly being marketed to children and teens. The Senators urged the FDA to reconsider its decision to delay a review of … Continue Reading
June 07, 2018
Durbin, Duckworth, Senate Dem Caucus Press Speaker Ryan To Immediately Schedule Vote To Restore Net Neutrality
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and the entire Senate Democratic Caucus today urged House Speaker Paul Ryan to schedule a vote on the Senate Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) disastrous decision to repeal the agency's 2015 net neutrality rules. Despite the resolution's bipartisan passage in the Senate 21 days ago, Speaker Ryan has failed to bring the resolution to the House floor for a … Continue Reading
June 04, 2018
Durbin Leads Call To Reduce Smoking In Movies Geared Toward Children & Teens
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to take action to reduce depictions of smoking, including e-cigarette depictions, in youth-rated movies and ensure responsible and consistent practices. The U.S. Surgeon General has definitively concluded that exposure to smoking in movies leads to youth initiation, but enactment of certain public health policies could reduce youth smoking rates by nearly 20% and prevent … Continue Reading
June 04, 2018
Durbin & Markey Introduce New Legislation To Protect Children's Online Privacy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the collection of personal information by internet companies is encroaching more and more on the privacy of every American, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL)and Ed Markey (D-MA) today announced the introduction of new legislation to strengthen online privacy protections for children when websites collect their personally identifiable information. The Clean Slate for Kids Online Act would give every American the right to have internet companies delete all personal … Continue Reading
May 16, 2018
Durbin Calls On Republicans In Congress To Support Free & Open Internet
WASHINGTON-In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged his Republican colleagues to vote to undo President Trump and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai's repeal of net neutrality rules. Shortly after Durbin spoke, the Senate voted 52-47 to restore net neutrality. Three Republican senators joined with the entire Senate Democratic caucus in favor of the measure. Today's vote follows Senate Democrats' successful filing of a discharge … Continue Reading
May 10, 2018
Durbin Presses Trump Administration To Take Stronger Action To Protect Kids From E-Cigarette Addiction
WASHINGTON - Today, in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) FY19 budget request, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) pressed HHS Secretary Azar about how his agency plans to confront the rapid growth of e-cigarette and vaping use among youth in the United States. Durbin, while holding up e-cigarette packages and fruit- and candy-flavorings to show how the products are deliberately designed to appeal to children, criticized … Continue Reading