WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Rep. Sean Casten, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Casten, Warren, Escobar, 23 Lawmakers Urge Biden Administration to Finalize Climate Risk Disclosure Rule for Federal Contractors Text of Letter (PDF) - Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-Ill.), co-chair of the Congressional Sustainable Investment Caucus, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) led their colleagues in a letter to the Federal Acquisition Re  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) introduced the bicameral Welcome Back to the Health Care Workforce Act, legislation that will address the dramatic shortages plaguing the health care sector. Of the two million college-educated immigrants currently living in the U.S., roughly 14 percent hold health-related degrees. These talented individuals are not working in the field, contributing to t  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Today, Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Adam B. Schiff (D-CA) introduced the Commission on Youth Homelessness Act, legislation which would create a commission to report on how state and federal laws have negatively impacted youth at risk of homelessness. Due to an increased presence of asylum-seeking individuals, 22 percent of all people under the age of 25 experiencing homelessness are una  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement applauding President Biden's new plan to cancel student loan debt for millions of Americans: "Higher education should be a ticket to the middle class, not the barrier to opportunity that mountains of student debt have made it for millions of hardworking Americans. I'm pleased President Biden is continuing to deliver on his promise to el  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, today participated in a Subcommittee hearing entitled "A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the U.S. Agency for International Development." During the hearing, Durbin questioned the witness, U.S. Agency for International Aid (USAID) A  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Small Print, Big Impact: Examining the Effects of Forced Arbitration." The hearing examined the use of forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts, consumer agreements, and other areas, as well as the injustices faced by workers, consu  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor in response to the death of seven aid workers in Gaza earlier this month. The aid workers, employees of World Central Kitchen, had been part of efforts to feed innocent civilians in Gaza caught in the crossfire of Israel's military response following the horrendous Hamas attack on October 7. Since the October 7 attack   more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after footage was released showing the fatal police shooting of 26-year-old Dexter Reed in Chicago, Illinois, on March 21: "The violence in this video is shocking. My heart goes out to Dexter's family and friends, who are grieving the loss of his young life." "Our law enforcement o  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the passing of Karen Yarbrough, Cook County Clerk: "I am honored to call Karen a friend. From Maywood to Springfield and back to Cook County, Karen made a tremendous impact on the lives she touched. She had a long list of legislative accomplishments, including bans on the death penalty and indoor smoking. In pol  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his colleagues to dismiss the smear campaign against Mr. Adeel Mangi and to support his nomination to serve as a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in New Jersey. During his speech, Durbin highlighted how Mr. Mangi is eminently qualified to be a federal appellate court judge. He gr  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), today sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army Michael Connor and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young expressing their support for federal funding to support St. Clair and Madison counties in correcting chronic flooding issues in the Metr  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Following the one-year anniversary of the arbitrary arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, along with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), introduced a resolution condemning the Russian government for their arrests of several American citizens and calling for their immediate and u  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17), along with U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), today introduced bipartisan legislation to establish a minimum workload requirement at U.S. Army arsenals, including Rock Island Arsenal. The Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act would also incentivize private industry to partner with arsenals b  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, issued the following news release: Following sustained efforts from U.S. Senator Jon Tester, the U.S. Air Force announced that the Montana Air National Guard Base (MANG) in Great Falls will officially be the first of four selected military bases to receive delivery of new C-130J aircraft. Tester applied pressure on Air Force leadership resulting in MANG being selected for delivery ahead of the Connecticut, Minnesota, and Illinois Air National   more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today spoke on the Senate floor condemning the Russian government for the unjust detainment of American citizens in Russia and called fortheir immediate release. Specifically, Durbin cited the dubious arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was charged on fraudulent charges of espionage one year ago. "  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Illinois, issued the following news release on April 9, 2024: Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation to make it easier for veterans to access the benefits they've earned. The Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act would require the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) to eliminate overcomplicated language from written communications with veterans. Budzinski introduced the legislation   more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on April 9, 2024: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Small Print, Big Impact: Examining the Effects of Forced Arbitration." The hearing will examine the use of forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts, consum  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on April 9, 2024: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his colleagues to dismiss the smear campaign against Mr. Adeel Mangi and to support his nomination to serve as a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in New Jersey. During his speech, Durbin highlighted how Mr. Mangi   more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on April 9, 2024: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today sent a letter to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director (USCIS), Ur M. Jaddou, calling for USCIS to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Ar  more