Saturday - April 19, 2025
U.S. Congressional Tipoffs Involving Illinois Newsletter for Friday February 28, 2025 ( 28 items )  

As Republicans Attempt to Undermine Social Security, Schakowsky, Hoyle, Sanders, Warren Introduce Legislation to Expand Social Security
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * As Republicans Attempt to Undermine Social Security, Schakowsky, Hoyle, Sanders, Warren Introduce Legislation to Expand Social Security Full Text of Bill (PDF) WASHINGTON - As Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress attempt to advance legislation to give massive tax breaks to billionaires and undermine Social Security, Reps. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the House Democrati  more

Budzinski Reintroduces Bill to Support Apprenticeship & Pre-Apprenticeship Programs
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Illinois, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2025: * * * Budzinski Reintroduces Bill to Support Apprenticeship & Pre-Apprenticeship Programs WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Congressman Mike Carey (OH-15), Congresswoman Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) re-introduced the Leveraging and Energizing America's Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act, a bipartisan bill to expand workfo  more

Casten, Lee Reintroduce Bill to Index Pell Grant to Inflation
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Sean Casten, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Casten, Lee Reintroduce Bill to Index Pell Grant to Inflation Washington, D.C. -- Today, Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06) and Susie Lee (NV-03) reintroduced the Pell Grant Sustainability Act to help students access the resources they need to attend college by indexing the Pell Grant to inflation. "The Pell Grant has made major inroads in helping Americans of all backgrounds earn their degrees,"   more

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Reintroduces Bipartisan LEAP Act to Boost Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship Programs
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Reintroduces Bipartisan LEAP Act to Boost Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship Programs WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Mike Carey (R-OH), and Val Hoyle (D-OR) in reintroducing the Leveraging and Energizing America's Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide fed  more

Congresswoman Ramirez: 'I am not voting for bills of hypocrisy.'
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Congresswoman Ramirez: 'I am not voting for bills of hypocrisy.' Congresswoman Ramirez calls out Republican hypocrisy in the Homeland Security Committee Hearing on the cybersecurity workforce Washington, DC -- Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, released the following statements after an impassioned exchange during the committee hearing, whe  more

Duckworth Rips Trump for Firing More Veterans Than Any Other President, Uplifts Impacted Veterans' Personal Stories During National VoteVets Town Hall
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Duckworth Rips Trump for Firing More Veterans Than Any Other President, Uplifts Impacted Veterans' Personal Stories During National VoteVets Town Hall Today at an emergency national town hall hosted by VoteVets, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)--a member of the U.S. Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC) who still receives her own health care services through the U.S. Dep  more

Duckworth, Durbin Join Pritzker and Illinois Congressional Delegation in Pressing White House on Withholding $1.8 Billion from Taxpayers
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Duckworth, Durbin Join Pritzker and Illinois Congressional Delegation in Pressing White House on Withholding $1.8 Billion from Taxpayers WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and members of the Illinois congressional delegation in issuing a joint letter to White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director  more

Durbin Announces Murkowski As New Cosponsor Of Bill To Grant Ukrainians Already In The U.S. Temporary Guest Status
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Announces Murkowski As New Cosponsor Of Bill To Grant Ukrainians Already In The U.S. Temporary Guest Status WASHINGTON - Following the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, announced U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is a cos  more

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing For Justice Department Executive Nominees
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing For Justice Department Executive Nominees Today's hearing features Harmeet Dhillon, nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; Aaron Reitz, nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy; and D. John Sauer, nominated to be Solicitor General of the United States   more

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing For Justice Department Executive Nominees
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2025: * * * Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing For Justice Department Executive Nominees Today's hearing features Harmeet Dhillon, nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; Aaron Reitz, nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy; and D. J  more

Durbin Discusses Illinois' Leadership In Quantum Computing With IBM
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Discusses Illinois' Leadership In Quantum Computing With IBM WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Jay Gambetta, Vice President of IBM Quantum, to discuss Illinois' position as a leader in quantum computing. During their meeting, Durbin received an update on IBM's plans to join the Illinois Quantum Microelectronics Park (IQMP) on the South Side of  more

Durbin Exposes Trump's Phony "Energy Emergency," Which Will Only Cut American Jobs And Enrich Big Oil Billionaires
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Exposes Trump's Phony "Energy Emergency," Which Will Only Cut American Jobs And Enrich Big Oil Billionaires In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin urges his colleagues to vote for Senator Kaine's measure that will end President Trump's fabricated "energy emergency"  WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) disparaged the Trump   more

Durbin Joins All Agriculture Committee Democrats To Press USDA On Indiscriminate Layoffs
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Joins All Agriculture Committee Democrats To Press USDA On Indiscriminate Layoffs WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, this week joined U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in leading all Committee Democrats in pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to explain recent mass layoffs at the   more

Durbin Meets With Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Nominee For NIH Director
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Meets With Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Nominee For NIH Director WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate NIH Caucus, today met with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President Trump's pick to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During the meeting, Durbin questioned Dr. Bhattacharya about President Trum  more

Durbin Questions Department Executive Nominees At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2025: * * * Durbin Questions Department Executive Nominees At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Durbin pressed Aaron Reitz, nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy; and D. John Sauer, nominated to be Solicitor General of the United States if an elected official may defy a federal court order WASHINGTON -   more

Durbin Questions Justice Department Executive Nominees At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Questions Justice Department Executive Nominees At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Durbin pressed Aaron Reitz, nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy; and D. John Sauer, nominated to be Solicitor General of the United States if an elected official may defy a federal court order  WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking M  more

Durbin Statement On Senate Judiciary Committee Vote on The Nomination Of Todd Blanche To Be Deputy Attorney General
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Statement On Senate Judiciary Committee Vote on The Nomination Of Todd Blanche To Be Deputy Attorney General WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Committee advanced Todd Blanche to be Deputy Attorney General on a party-line 12-10 vote:  "Far too many of President Trump's  more

Durbin Statement On Senate Judiciary Committee Vote On The Nomination Of Todd Blanche To Be Deputy Attorney General
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Statement On Senate Judiciary Committee Vote On The Nomination Of Todd Blanche To Be Deputy Attorney General WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Committee advanced Todd Blanche to be Deputy Attorney General on a party-line  more

Durbin Talks Transformers, Clean Energy With IMEA/IMUA
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Talks Transformers, Clean Energy With IMEA/IMUA WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Illinois Municipal Electric/Utilities Association (IMEA/IMUA) to discuss clean energy tax credits and addressing the supply chain issues that have led to a shortage of transformers, which are an essential component of electrical infrastructure that adj  more

Durbin To Trump: Whose Side Are You On? The Police Or The January 6 Rioters?
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin To Trump: Whose Side Are You On? The Police Or The January 6 Rioters? In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin detailed the list of crimes committed by January 6 rioters President Trump pardoned, which keeps growing longer  WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, detailed the list of   more

Durbin To Trump: Whose Side Are You On? The Police Or The January 6 Rioters?
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2025: * * * Durbin To Trump: Whose Side Are You On? The Police Or The January 6 Rioters? In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin detailed the list of crimes committed by January 6 rioters President Trump pardoned, which keeps growing longer WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rankin  more

Durbin, King, Smith, Wyden Introduce Legislation To Help Make College Textbooks More Affordable
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin, King, Smith, Wyden Introduce Legislation To Help Make College Textbooks More Affordable WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) today introduced legislation designed to help students manage costs by making high quality textbooks easily accessible to students, professors, and the public for f  more

Durbin: President Trump Is Testing The Limits Of Our Constitution Like They Have Never Been Tested In My Lifetime
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin: President Trump Is Testing The Limits Of Our Constitution Like They Have Never Been Tested In My Lifetime At today's Judiciary Committee executive business meeting, Durbin urged members of both sides to realize that their obligation is to the Constitution, not a political party  WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committ  more

Durbin: President Trump Is Testing The Limits Of Our Constitution Like They Have Never Been Tested In My Lifetime
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2025: * * * Durbin: President Trump Is Testing The Limits Of Our Constitution Like They Have Never Been Tested In My Lifetime At today's Judiciary Committee executive business meeting, Durbin urged members of both sides to realize that their obligation is to the Constitution, not a political party WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip D  more

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Unanimously Passes Congressman Krishnamoorthi's Bipartisan Legislation to Level Playing Field for American Manufacturers of Compressed Gas Cylinders
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Unanimously Passes Congressman Krishnamoorthi's Bipartisan Legislation to Level Playing Field for American Manufacturers of Compressed Gas Cylinders WASHINGTON - Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi's (D-IL) H.R. 1182, the Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety and Oversight Improvement  more

LaHood Introduces Bill to Promote Access to Diabetic Shoes
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * LaHood Introduces Bill to Promote Access to Diabetic Shoes Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16) introduced the Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act alongside Congresswoman Nanette Barragan (CA-44). This piece of legislation will allow physician assistants and nurse practitioners to fulfill requirements for therapeutic shoes for individuals with diabetes. "The United States   more

Schakowsky, Buchanan Lead Legislation to Ban Horse Slaughter
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Schakowsky, Buchanan Lead Legislation to Ban Horse Slaughter Lawmakers Hope to Include SAFE Act in Upcoming Farm Bill Full Text of Bill (PDF) WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16) introduced legislation to permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption, the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act. The bill would also p  more

Sorensen Invites Local Veteran and Laid-Off Federal Worker as Guest to State of the Union
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Sorensen Invites Local Veteran and Laid-Off Federal Worker as Guest to State of the Union WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Eric Sorensen announced today that his guest for the State of the Union address will be James Diaz, a resident of Monmouth, Illinois. Diaz, a disabled veteran who served overseas during the Gulf conflicts of the 1980s and 1990s, was unexpectedly laid off in February 2025 as a resul  more