Durbin, Peters, Klobuchar, Murray, And Warner Call On Agencies To Prioritize Election Security In Advance Of The 2024 Presidential Election

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the Rules Committee; Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and Mark Warner (D-VA), Chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence, in calling on the Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Security, Director of the Federal Bureau … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Former Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson-Bush, Nominee To Chair Railroad Retirement Board

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with former Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson-Bush to discuss her nomination to serve as Chair of the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB).  During their conversation, Durbin and Halvorson-Bush spoke about her extensive experience in government and her vision for the RRB. “I recommended former Illinois Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson-Bush to serve as Chair of the Railroad Retirement Board because she has a long, impressive record in pub… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With National Guard Bureau Chief Nominee

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Lt. Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus to discuss his nomination to serve as the next National Guard Bureau Chief.  During their conversation, Durbin urged Lt. Gen. Nordhaus to work alongside him, if confirmed, to secure a flying mission for Springfield’s 183rd Wing, as well as consider Scott Air Force Base’s 126th Air Refueling Wing for the latest tranche of KC-46s and the 38th Infantry Division for the Army Guard’s new MQ-1C Gray Ea… Continue Reading

Durbin, Braun Introduce Protecting Patients From Deceptive Drug Ads Online Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) today introduced the Protecting Patients from Deceptive Drug Ads Online Act, bipartisan legislation that would protect public health and close regulatory loopholes by having the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) address false and misleading prescription drug promotions by social media influencers and telehealth companies.  The prevalence of online promotions and direct-to-consumer advertisements for pr… Continue Reading

Durbin Condemns Venezuelan President Maduro For Stealing Another Election From The Venezuelan People

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor condemning Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for falsely claiming that the nation’s election was called in his favor, despite refusing to release actual ballot data and detailed election observer data that showed a clear and overwhelming victory for opposition candidate Edmundo González.  In his remarks, Durbin also called on the region’s democracies to stand firm in not letting Maduro steal another Venez… Continue Reading

Durbin Celebrates Judges Confirmed To Dare During The Biden-Harris Administration

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, celebrated one of the most important accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration: the confirmation of highly-qualified, independent, and evenhanded judges to the federal bench. To date, the Senate has confirmed 208 judges to lifetime positions on the federal judiciary during Durbin’s time as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “We have stayed on pace w… Continue Reading

Durbin Advocates For His Bipartisan Quantum Computing Legislation In Energy & Natural Resources Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing to advocate for his legislation, the Department of Energy (DOE) Quantum Leadership Act, which was discussed in the hearing.  In his remarks, Durbin emphasized the benefits of his bipartisan bill, which would expand the United States’ capacity to invest in quantum information science and research and development (R&D) through DOE by authorizing $2.5 billion in fu… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senate Democrats Push Ten Largest Bitcoin ATM Operators To Curb Fraud Against Elderly Americans

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led a group of seven Senate Democrats in pressing the ten largest Bitcoin ATM (BTM) operators to curb fraud against elderly Americans. Reporting in the Illinois Times and New York Times outlines egregious examples of criminals contacting elderly Americans and using threats and other forms of intimidation to coerce them into depositing large sums of money in the criminals’ crypto wallets via local … Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Remarks As He Receives 2024 Fueling Growth Award

Republicans Continue To Block Durbin's Attempt To Confirm U.S. Attorney Nominations On The Senate Floor

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today on the Senate floor requested unanimous consent (UC) to confirm four U.S. Attorney nominations being held by U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH)—Matthew Gannon, nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa; Rebecca Lutzko, nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio; Joshua Levy, nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachuset… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Klobuchar, Colleagues To Urge DOJ, FTC To Investigate Generative AI Products For Potential Antitrust Violations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Tina Smith (D-MN) in sending a letter to Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan to highlight the risks that new generative artificial intelligence (AI) featur… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out House Republicans For Playing Politics And Attaching SAVE Act To Government Funding Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today called out U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) for playing partisan politics and attaching the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, to the government funding bill, which is essential to avoid an unnecessary shutdown that will harm millions of Americans.  During his speech, Durbin praised Senate App… Continue Reading

Durbin: 9/11 Attack Will Forever Be Imprinted On Our Nation's Collective Memory

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor recognizing the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.  During his speech, Durbin recalled the sobering day and honored the innocent lives lost during the horrendous attacks. “Today marks the 23rd year since one of the darkest days in our country’s history – the attacks of September 11, 2001.  I can vividly recall that day.  I was in this building, just a few feet away … Continue Reading

At Policy Roundtable Event, Durbin Shares Updates On Anti-Trafficking And Exploitation Legislation

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke before an Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIP) Policy Roundtable event, a biannual gathering sponsored by Street Grace that brings together leaders from influential anti-trafficking organizations, law firms, survivor advocates, and key Congressional representatives who have demonstrated their commitment to this cause and advancing anti-trafficking policy. Durbin provided updates on his… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois State University President

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Aondover Tarhule, President of Illinois State University, to discuss the university’s plans to build a new STEM facility to house modern laboratories and teaching spaces to support student enrollment and workforce development in engineering, nursing, data science, biology, chemistry, pre-medicine, and ecological sciences.  Once complete, the building will provide teaching space for 800 students daily and help foster eco… Continue Reading

Durbin: An Enforceable Code Of Conduct Is Absolutely Essential To Restoring Public Confidence In The Supreme Court

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor on the need for Supreme Court ethics reform, including a clear, enforceable code of conduct for Supreme Court justices.  The floor speech comes after Durbin called for Justice Clarence Thomas’s recusal from any case involving First Liberty Institute followingProPublica reporting that Ginni Thomas praised the conservative legal organization for “fill[ing] the sails o… Continue Reading

Durbin Touts Reduced Prescription Costs Made Possible By Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement last month that Medicare has reduced the costs of 10 of the most expensive and frequently-dispensed prescription drugs for seniors.  In his remarks today, Durbin spoke about his support for Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, which provided the Biden-Harris Administration with the authority to negotiate the drug prices with Big Pharma,… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Cook County Board President Preckwinkle, Cook County Health Leadership

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sat down with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Health and Hospital System Acting CEO Dr. Erik Mikaitis in his Washington office to discuss the County’s health priorities.  In their discussion, Durbin and the Cook County leaders spoke about the need to prevent cuts scheduled for December 31 to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital funding, which Chicago-area hospitals rely on to fulfill their safety… Continue Reading

Durbin Honors Hersh Goldberg-Polin On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor to honor Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had been held hostage by Hamas since the October 7th attacks.  During his speech, Durbin reflected on the life and legacy of Mr. Goldberg-Polin, who had ties to Illinois, and commended his parents for doing everything they could to bring him home before he was murdered by Hamas. “He [Goldberg-Polin] was one of the young people at the music festival on Oct… Continue Reading

Durbin Backs Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus As Interim Leader Of Bangladesh

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today took to the Senate floor to express his support for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who was recently selected to lead the Bangladeshi caretaker government following the resignation of former authoritarian Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  In his remarks, Durbin detailed Dr. Yunus’ life-long work of developing microloan programs that allow low-income families in developing countries make a living. Durbin began his remark… Continue Reading