WASHINGTON, June 5 -- Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) released the following statement: "Extreme Republicans are happy to starve the Department of Veterans' Affairs because a healthy VA is committed to providing robust social services, health care, education, and housing for ALL. But there are Members of Congress who believe in politics of exclusion. They believe some members of our communities should not have e  more

WASHINGTON, June 6 -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) yesterday met with Dr. Adam Hamawy, one of 19 doctors and members of the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) who recently returned home after being trapped in Gaza where they were providing humanitarian medical assistance. Duckworth also hosted a briefing with several of her Senate colleagues with Dr. Hamawy to hear directly about his experience and the experienc  more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) slammed Senate Republicans for blocking the Right to Contraception Act on the Senate floor today. The legislation, which is co-led by Duckworth and U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI), would guarantee the right for people to obtain and use contraceptives and for health providers to prescribe contraceptives as well as give information related to contracepti  more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Martin O'Malley to discuss the agency's service performance and budget. During their meeting, Durbin and Commissioner O'Malley spoke about the President's Fiscal Year 2025 budget request, and how the SSA's budget has not kept pace with the increase in beneficiaries served--which can pose challenges f  more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- 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 Senate Republicans voted against the Right to Contraception Act. This bill, which Durbin is a cosponsor of, would protect the rights of patients to access and use contraception and of health care providers to provide contraception and information about contraception. It would co  more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: The Second Chance Reauthorization Act would build on the successes of Durbin's landmark First Step Act to support formerly incarcerated people Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2024 t  more

WASHINGTON, June 5 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: In a response to threats of closing four mail processing centers in Illinois, Durbin introduced the bipartisan Postal Processing Protection Act Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) today introduced legislation that would require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to protect mail processing centers in rural communities by mandating a study on the consequences of downsi  more

WASHINGTON, June 7 -- The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security released the following written testimony by Mike Casper, president and CEO of Jo-Carroll Energy Inc., on behalf of the American Public Gas Association, from a hearing dated May 22, 2024, entitled "Green Building Policies: Jeopardizing the American Dream of Homeownership": * * * Good morning, Chairman Duncan, Ranking Member DeGette, and members of the Subcommittee. My name is Mike Casper, and I  more

WASHINGTON, June 7 -- Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Illinois, chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, issued the following news release: In the wake of the fraud and improper payments that characterized the unemployment insurance (UI) program during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has the opportunity to prevent a repeat and reform the UI program to support American workers and businesses. According to the Government Accountability Office, an estimated $100-$135 billion was  more

WASHINGTON, June 7 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on June 5, 2024: * * * U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted against the Right to Contraception Act. This bill, which Durbin is a cosponsor of, would protect the rights of patients to access and use contraception and of health care providers to p  more

WASHINGTON, June 7 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on June 5, 2024: Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2024 to reauthorize critical reentry grant programs from the Second Chance Act of 2008, wh  more