Durbin: Justice Department Must Take Over Investigation Of Missing Text Messages From Trump's Homeland Security Leadership And Secret Service In Lead Up To January 6 Insurrection

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, continued his calls for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the missing text messages from former President Donald Trump's Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, as well as Secret Service officials, in the lead up to the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Last Friday, Durbin sent a letter to A… Continue Reading

Durbin: Al-Zawahiri Is Dead And The World Is Safer Because Of It

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the death of al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who was targeted by a U.S. drone strike. Al-Zawahiri, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, helped orchestrate the September 11th, 2001, attack that claimed the lives of 3,000 Americans. Al-Zawahiri had been the head of al-Qaeda since President Obama's similarly successful targeting of Bin Laden 11 years ago. He had been rumored variousl… Continue Reading

Senate Unanimously Passes Critical Law Enforcement Legislation

WASHINGTON - Last night, the Senate unanimously passed six bills that will support law enforcement officers and their families by providing additional support for mental health needs and ensuring that officers have the necessary resources and training to provide safe and effective community policing. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement commending the bills' passage: "With every disturbance call, every domestic … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Secure More Than $178 Million In Senate Appropriations Bills For Illinois Projects

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) secured more than $178 million through Congressionally-directed spending for Illinois projects in the Senate's draft Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations bills. The projects range from gun violence prevention, funding for Illinois' rural and agriculture communities, clean drinking water, education, small businesses, community health programs, and m… Continue Reading

Durbin, Colleagues Continue To Press ICE On Overuse Of Solitary Confinement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) today sent a second letter to Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tae D. Johnson regarding ICE's overuse of solitary confinement in detention facilities. Today's letter follows Acting Director Johnson's response to the Sena… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $23.8 Million For Variety Of Illinois Health Care Programs And Initiatives

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $23,826,881 for a variety of health care programs, initiatives, and community projects across the state. "The wide-range of health care initiatives and programs across Illinois are fundamental to the overall health and well-being of our state's residents," said Durbin. "Thanks to this substantial federal funding for these programs, we can do more to address everything from the state… Continue Reading

Durbin, Warnock, Senate Democrats Call On Biden Administration To Increase The Rate Of Refugee Admissions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) today led 28 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on the Biden Administration to work urgently to increase the rate of refugee admissions for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. In a letter to President Joe Biden, the Senators further urge the President to maintain or increase the target of 125,000 refugee admissions in FY 2023 and take meani… Continue Reading

Durbin Responds To MLB Commissioner Manfred

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement in response to today's letter from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred: "It is reasonable to question the premise that MLB is treating the Minor Leaguers fairly. Commissioner Manfred's response to our bipartisan request for information raises more questions than it answers, and the discrepancies between today's letter and the reality that minor league players are e… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls For Justice Department To Investigate Missing Text Messages From Trump's Homeland Security Leadership And Secret Service In Lead Up To January 6 Insurrection

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding a report that text messages for former President Donald Trump's Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, as well as Secret Service officials, are missing for a key time period leading up to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The report also notes that the Office of Inspector General Josep… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $11 Million 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 $11,061,526 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) biomedical research grants for Illinois institutions. The funding will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, from mental health research to cancer biology research. "Federal funding towards medical research is key in advancing the field and ensuring the Unit… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Press Walgreens On Policy That Fails To Consider Patients' Medical Needs And Right-To-Privacy When Purchasing Reproductive Health Products

WASHINGTON - Following recent reports that a nationwide Walgreens policy allows employees to refuse to dispense contraceptives to customers based on their religious or moral beliefs without sufficient accommodations for the rights and privacy of customers, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer requesting that Walgreens revisit this policy to ensure their customers' p… Continue Reading

Durbin Secures Key Illinois Priorities In Water Resources Bill

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured several Illinois provisions in the Senate-passed Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). These provisions include an increase in the federal cost share for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project to 90 percent that will save Illinois tens of millions in project costs. The project will construct a new engineered channel at Joliet's Brandon Road Lock, which will be used to test and dep… Continue Reading

Durbin, Marshall Introduce Bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) introduced the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act of 2022, legislation that would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market, which is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly. Building off of debit card competition reforms enacted by Congress in 2010, the bill would direct the Federal Reserve to ensure that giant credit card-issuing banks offer a choice of … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $5.3 Million In Federal Funding To Support Maternal Health In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been awarded a total of $5,339,317 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This significant funding will support IDPH in identifying, reviewing, and characterizing maternal deaths, developing new treatments for pregnancy and postpartum complications, and identifying prevention opportuniti… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $519,000 In Funding For Rural EMS Agencies

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $518,916 in funding for several rural fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in Illinois. The funding, which was created through Durbin's Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, will go toward supporting EMS agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting certification courses, and purchasing equipment. "Across Illinois, rural EMS agencies are first o… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances One Circuit Court Nominees, Two U.S. Attorneys, And Legislation To Improve Competition And Innovation

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Roopali H. Desai, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; E. Martin Estrada, to be United States Attorney for the Central District of California; and Gregory J. Haanstad, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, by voice vote. The Committee also advanced S.4430, Interagency Patent Coordination and Improvement Act of 2022, by voice vote. This bill-co-led by U.S. Senate Major… Continue Reading

Durbin Tests Positive For COVID-19

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after testing positive for COVID-19: "This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and double boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms. Consistent with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine and follow advice from my doctor while I continue to work remotely." -30-… Continue Reading

Durbin: With The CHIPS And Science Act, We Can Kick-Start A New Generation Of Discovery

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the Senate passage of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, critical legislation for our economy and national security that provides billions to boost our domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. During his speech, Durbin highlighted the need to increase domestic microchip production, as microchips are used in everything from refrigerators to smartphones to cars. In 1990, America … Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Judicial Nominees In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Judge Dana Douglas, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit, and Bradley Garcia, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. Durbin focused his questions on differentiating between advocating for a client in private practice and the impartiality of a judge. "You ha… Continue Reading

Durbin: Women's Right To Contraception Is In Jeopardy In The Post-Roe America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today detailed how the conservative Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is threatening the constitutional right to contraception-which is protected under the Court's 1965 ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut. Justice Thomas's concurring opinion in Dobbs called for Griswold, among other cases, to be reconsidered because they were, in his view, "demonstrably errone… Continue Reading