Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Jobs and the Economy
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $3 Million In Federal Funding For Firefighter Resources
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded a total of $3,122,417 to sixteen communities across Illinois through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The AFG Program provides first-responder organizations with the ability to obtain much-needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles and training in an effort to strengthen t… Continue Reading
06.27.17
Durbin Invites Labor Secretary To Chicago To See Job Training Programs Cut By Trump Budget
WASHINGTON - At a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) questioned U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta about the forty-percent cut to job training programs proposed in the President's fiscal year 2018 budget. Durbin invited Secretary Acosta to visit Chicago and see firsthand what the Trump budget cuts would mean for the city's efforts to reduce gun violence. "If we c… Continue Reading
06.27.17
Durbin Seeks To Expand Important Tax Credit To Put Money Back In Pockets Of Workers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), introduced legislation that would help expand two anti-poverty tax credits that help put money back in the pockets of working Illinoisans and families. The Working Families Tax Relief Act would expand access to and the value of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), and ensure that no worker can be taxed into poverty by the federal tax system. "Strengthening thes… Continue Reading
06.02.17
Durbin, Duckworth to Mondelez: Invest in the U.S. by Reversing Course on Corporate Offshoring
CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) are pressing Mondelez International - a confectionery, food, and beverage company based in Deerfield, Illinois - to end its ongoing corporate practice of shifting production from the company's U.S. bakeries to its bakeries in Mexico. Their letter to Mondelez's CEO, Irene Rosenfeld, follows Mondelez's move to close the Oreo cookie production line and cut 600 jobs from its iconic Chicago bakery, which has been a major economic … Continue Reading
05.24.17
Durbin: Trump's Budget Pulls Rug Out From Under Our Nation's Most Vulnerable
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, chastised President Trump's fiscal year 2018 budget request to Congress. "For all the talk on the campaign trail of standing up for the forgotten Americans in this country, the President's budget takes aim at the exact programs that many rely on. From healthcare and food stamps to student loans and disability, President Trump's budget is nothing less th… Continue Reading
05.22.17
Senators to Trump Admin: Cutting Off Funding for Public Transit Projects Threatens Jobs & Stifles Economy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Tom Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and… Continue Reading
04.27.17
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Legislation to Address Youth Unemployment in High Poverty Areas
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced two pieces of legislation to expand and increase access to employment opportunities for at-risk youth. The Helping to Encourage Real Opportunity (HERO) for At-Risk Youth Act and the Creating Pathways for Youth Employment Act will increase federal resources for communities seeking to create or grow employment programs and provide tax incentives to businesses and employers to hire and retain youth from econo… Continue Reading
04.18.17
Durbin, Kelly Introduce Legislation to Address Youth Unemployment in High Poverty Areas
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today unveiled two pieces of legislation they will introduce when Congress is back in session next week to expand and increase access to employment opportunities for at-risk youth. The Helping to Encourage Real Opportunity (HERO) for At-Risk Youth Act and the Creating Pathways for Youth Employment Act will increase federal resources for communities seeking to create or grow employment programs and provide tax… Continue Reading
03.21.17
Durbin: Gorsuch Has A Troubling Record Of Ruling Against Workers And Families
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today raised concerns about the selection process and record of President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, during the first day of his confirmation hearings. In his remarks to the committee, Durbin recalled rulings in which Judge Gorsuch sided with corporations over people, including the case of truck driver Alphonse Madden, who was fired after refusing to stay with his broke… Continue Reading
03.14.17
Durbin, Murray, Warren Lead Group Of Senators Calling On Education Department To Explain Delay Of Gainful Employment Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to explain the Department's decision to delay the implementation of the Gainful Employment (GE) rule, which requires career training programs to provide students with reasonable return on their educational investment - good-paying jobs that allow them to repay their student debt. Last week, the Department of Education announced it would postpone the deadline f… Continue Reading
03.03.17
Durbin Calls Out President Trump’s Failure To Put American Workers First
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, is calling out President Donald Trump for failing to deliver on his campaign promise to put American workers first by cracking down on H-1B visa abuse. In a letter to President Trump, Senator Durbin slammed the Administration's decision to pursue "cruel and un-American policies that harm our economy, do not make us safer, and are inconsistent with our heritage as a nation of immigr… Continue Reading
03.03.17
Durbin Calls Out President Trump's Failure to Put America Workers First
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, is calling out President Donald Trump for failing to deliver on his campaign promise to put American workers first by cracking down on H-1B visa abuse. In a letter to President Trump, Senator Durbin slammed the Administration's decision to pursue "cruel and un-American policies that harm our economy, do not make us safer, and are inconsistent with our heritage as a nation of immigr… Continue Reading
03.02.17
Durbin And Duckworth Host First Illinois Constituent Coffee Of 115th Congress
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted the first Illinois Constituent Coffee of the 115th Congress is Washington, D.C. The tradition was started by U.S. Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) in 1985 and has continued with Senator Durbin hosting with then-Senators Carol Moseley Braun, Peter Fitzgerald, Barack Obama, Roland Burris, and Mark Kirk. "In 1985, my mentor, Senator Paul Simon, launched the Illinois Hospitality Breakfast series. For one hour, every Thu… Continue Reading
02.28.17
Durbin Statement on Trump Address to Congress
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Trump's address to a Joint Session of Congress: Tonight, President Trump continued to make big promises but didn't offer any real plans to achieve them. He has yet to propose a concrete strategy to create jobs in America, which jeopardizes the historic job growth of the past eight years. The policies he has put forward have already had tragic human costs-tearing families apart and threateni… Continue Reading
02.15.17
Durbin Opposes OMB Nominee Rep. Mulvaney
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor in opposition to President Trump's nominee to lead The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. "As a member of the House, Mick Mulvaney prided himself on taking the most radical budget positions-raising the retirement age for Social Security to 70 and privatizing Medicare. The head of OMB requires better judgement. I will vot… Continue Reading
02.13.17
Durbin To Oppose Labor Secretary Nominee Puzder
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Labor, restaurant mogul Andrew Puzder: "Andrew Puzder has a long record of short-changing his employees and ignoring health and safety dangers in his businesses. The working families of Illinois would not want Andrew Puzder as their boss, and America deserves a better person to serve as its Labor Secretary."… Continue Reading
02.13.17
Durbin To Oppose Treasury Secretary Nominee Steven Mnuchin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, the former Chairman and CEO of OneWest, a bank known in the industry as a "foreclosure machine." "Mr. Mnuchin's business record tells us he was directly engaged in the predatory practices that led to our financial recession and destroyed the life savings of countless American working families. He's the wrong man to be America's Treasu… Continue Reading
01.10.17
Durbin And Duckworth Meet To Discuss Legislative Priorities For Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met to discuss priority issues for the state of Illinois. During the meeting, Durbin and Duckworth discussed short- and long-term goals and priorities for Illinois, including ways to create jobs, invest in infrastructure and grow the state's economy. "Senator Duckworth's journey to the Senate is an inspiration to me and people across America. She brings new energy, ideas and a unique experience in public service to address … Continue Reading
01.09.17
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Require President And Vice President To Fully Divest Personal Financial Conflicts Of Interest
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Democratic members of Congress, introduced the Presidential Conflicts of Interest Act of 2017 in the United States Senate and House that would require the President and Vice President to disclose and divest any potential financial conflicts of interest. It also would require presidential appointees to recuse themselves from any specific matters involving the President's financial conflicts of interest tha… Continue Reading
05.28.14
Senators Urge Transportation Department to Improve Federal Oversight of Pipelines
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) today urged the Department of Transportation to quickly implement the policy recommendations made in the agency's internal audit to improve federal oversight of the nation's pipeline system. Following a 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended an audit of how the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) oversees state insp… Continue Reading