Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Jobs and the Economy
Durbin Meets With Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, to discuss the threat that fast-growing student loan debt poses to the economy and the importance of finding more solutions to help alleviate the burden on Illinois families and borrowers. Durbin and Powell also discussed affordable housing, the lack of competition in the credit and debit card market, and the state of the U.S. economy. "Chairman Powell and I agree that we must take a… Continue Reading
01.30.19
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $31 Million For Illinois Community Health Centers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that nine health centers throughout Illinois have been awarded a total of $31,402,178 in federal funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program. Community health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that deliver comprehensive, culturally competent, high-quality primary health care services. Community health centers also often integrate… Continue Reading
01.25.19
Durbin Statement On Agreement To Reopen The Government
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after President Donald Trump announced an agreement to reopen the government that he closed 35 days ago: Finally, President Trump has ended his disastrous government shutdown. One of the results of this embarrassing, destructive, and unnecessary government shutdown should be a new bipartisan rule which guarantees we will never face this again -30-… Continue Reading
01.25.19
Durbin, Schakowsky, Brown Introduce Bill To Reward U.S. Companies That Invest In American Workers
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-11) introduced the Patriot Employer Tax Credit Act, which would provide a tax credit to companies that provide fair wages and good benefits to workers. This is the first bill introduced by Durbin in the 116th Congress. "In America, if you work full-time you should be able to support your family-you should be paid a living wage, have access to quality health insurance and paid le… Continue Reading
01.25.19
Durbin Calls On President Trump To End Government Shutdown, Discusses Impact On Air Traffic Controllers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today in a speech on the Senate floor urged President Trump to end his senseless shutdown over his unrealistic campaign promise of a border wall. Today, the FAA delayed flights at LaGuardia Airport in New York due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. Durbin shared his experience meeting with air traffic controllers who continue to work six days a week for 10 hour shifts without pay, and how the President's shutdown has added unneeded stress to an… Continue Reading
01.24.19
Durbin Statement On Senate Votes To End President Trump's Shutdown
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after voting for a two week Continuing Resolution (CR) to reopen the government while Congress debates smart and effective border security. The vote was defeated 52-44, with all Senate Democrats voting to reopen the government. Durbin voted against the White House's proposed legislation to end President Trump's government shutdown in exchange for $5.7 billion for President Trump's border wall and o… Continue Reading
01.24.19
Durbin: Federal Employees Don't Deserve To Be Punished While We Debate Border Security
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Republicans to put their constituents ahead of President Trump's unrealistic campaign promise of a border wall, and reopen the government by supporting a short-term spending bill. Over the past month, Durbin has traveled throughout Illinois to meet with federal employees who are reeling as President Trump's shutdown has forced them to work without pay. In a speech on the Senate f… Continue Reading
01.22.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Illinois Representatives Question Corporation For National & Community Service's Reorganization Plan
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Chuy Garcia (D-IL-04), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), sent a letter to the Corporation for National & Community S… Continue Reading
01.22.19
Durbin On White House Legislation To End Trump Shutdown: Even Worse Than Advertised
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Senate Republicans published text of the White House's proposed legislation to end President Trump's government shutdown in exchange for $5.7 billion for President Trump's border wall, temporary protection for some DACA and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, and significant new restrictions in asylum law: "The President's proposal last Saturday was reduced to writing and shared with… Continue Reading
01.17.19
Durbin And Duckworth Back Bill To Raise Federal Minimum Wage
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined fellow Senate Democrats in introducing a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024 to help more families make ends meet, expand economic opportunity, and help build an economy that works for all families, not just the wealthiest few. The Raise The Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 in 2024, index future minimum wage increases to median wage growth, and ensure all workers are paid at least the fu… Continue Reading
01.16.19
Durbin: President Trump Holding 250,000 Veterans' Paychecks Hostage For His Border Wall
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Republicans to reopen the government by passing the House-passed bipartisan bills - bills that earned the support of Senate Republicans just a few months ago. In his speech on the Senate floor, Durbin noted how veterans are some of the hardest hit by President Trump's shutdown. Today, as many as 250,000 veterans across the country - direct hire federal workers and contractors a… Continue Reading
01.08.19
Durbin Highlights Effects of Government Shutdown on TSA Employees
CHICAGO - As the government shutdown continues, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed how the shutdown is affecting the federal workers of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). More than 1,600 TSA employees at O'Hare Airport and more than 400 TSA employees work at Midway Airport are currently working without pay. "TSA workers are here to make sure we are safe while we travel, but because of President Trump's shutdown, thousands of TSA officers, air traffic controllers, an… Continue Reading
10.18.18
Durbin, Murray, Senators Urge Social Security Administration To Provide Data Needed For Gainful Employment
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today pressed the Social Security Administration (SSA) to enter into a new data sharing agreement with the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to allow the development of debt-to-earnings (D/E) rates under the gainful employment rule. Under the rule, ED is required to use mean and median earnings data generated by SSA to calculate D/E rates. The previou… Continue Reading
09.25.18
Durbin, Duckworth Submit Testimony At Hearing On Cairo Public Housing Crisis
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today submitted joint testimony to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance for the committee's hearing on the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Inspector General (IG) report released this July on HUD's oversight of Alexander County Housing Authority (ACHA). In May 2017, Durbin and Duckworth requested the IG to conduct an evaluation of HUD's oversight of ACHA. Following the report's… Continue Reading
08.09.18
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 of… Continue Reading
06.27.18
Durbin Statement On Janus V. AFSCME Supreme Court Decision
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): In Illinois, Governor Bruce Rauner has made it clear that he favors corporations and special interests over Illinois workers and their families. He has repeatedly pushed an agenda of hostility to unions. This agenda is hurting workers across Illinois. And now, Governor Rauner has s… Continue Reading
06.21.18
Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Ruling On Internet Tax Loophole
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to overturn a 1992 ruling that had given internet-only retailers an unfair advantage over Main Street businesses by prohibiting states from requiring remote retailers to collect taxes already owed the same way local businesses do. "This is good news for main street businesses in Illinois and across America. This ruling clears the way for our retailers to compete on a… Continue Reading
04.17.18
Durbin On Tax Day: GOP Tax Bill Exploded Nation's Deficit To Provide Benefits To Large Corporations & Millionaires
WASHINGTON-On Tax Day, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called out the Trump Administration and congressional Republicans for pushing through their partisan tax bill last year outside of regular order and without committee hearings or the ordinary amendment and vote process. Last week, a new, non-partisan analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stated that the Republican tax bill will add over $300 billion more to the deficit than the disastrous $1.5 trillion ori… Continue Reading
04.16.18
Durbin Warns Trump Administration Against Newsprint Tariffs
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the U.S. Department of Commerce to consider the impact on local newspapers of a preliminary plan to impose tariffs on newsprint paper imported from Canada. "I support the Administration's efforts to combat illegal trade practices and ensure American companies are able to operate on a level playing field with their international competitors. However, I am concerned that tariffs on uncoated groundwood paper from Canada ha… Continue Reading
04.16.18
Durbin Questions FCC On Sinclair Dictating Content To Local News Stations While It Weighs Proposed Mega-Merger With Tribune
CHICAGO-Following reports that Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair) required local news anchors at Sinclair-owned television stations across the country to deliver a scripted promotional message on-air, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to carefully consider Sinclair's conduct and the significant harm it poses to the public interest as he weighs the proposed merger between Sinclair and Tribune Media Company (Trib… Continue Reading