Dick Durbin

Durbin receives award in honor of his decades of supporting Illinois hospitals and working to expand Americans’ access to health care CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) for his longstanding efforts to support hospitals and expand access to health care. Durbin spoke before receiving the award, highlighting his efforts to protect rural hospitals, bolster the health care workforce, and reinstate Medicaid funding after congressional Republicans slashed $1 trillion from the program. Durbin also offered his gratitude to the IHA and hospital leaders who worked with him to launch the Chicago HEAL Initiative, a collaboration between hospitals and community partners to address the root causes of gun violence through economic, health, and community projects in Chicago neighborhoods with the highest rates of violence, poverty, and health disparities. “Instead of building on the success of the Chicago HEAL Initiative and improving our nation’s health care system, Republicans in Washington have enacted some of the most drastic cuts to Americans’ health coverage by slashing funding for the ACA and Medicaid. Not only are Illinoisans losing their coverage, but hospitals are being forced to navigate mountains of new administrative red tape created by this Administration just to provide care for their patients,” Durbin said. “But IHA and our hospital leaders are doing all they can to continue to provide quality service to Illinoisans. And it’s been an honor to be their partner in that effort.” Photos of Durbin receiving the award can be found here. Congressional Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which passed last year, cut $1 trillion from Medicaid and $300 billion from Affordable Care Act coverage over the next decade in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires. Following passage of OBBBA, Durbin sent a letter to every hospital in Illinois to survey the projected impact on hospitals. Across the 129 responses Durbin received, hospitals across Illinois, especially those in rural areas, detailed fears about pending cuts to services and staff while emergency room wait times increase. In response to rural hospitals’ concerns about potential cuts or forced closures, Durbin has advanced his bipartisan Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act. The legislation would update Medicare’s “Critical Access Hospital” (CAH) designation so more rural hospitals can qualify for this financial lifeline and continue to serve their communities with quality, affordable health care services. To address the health care workforce shortage, Durbin has worked across the aisle to introduce legislation that would bring more health care professionals to rural areas, support health care educators, and build up the health care workforce. In March, Durbin reintroduced the bipartisan Rural America Health Corps Act, legislation that would incentivize more health professionals to serve and plant roots in rural communities by creating a new program under the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to test whether an increased loan repayment amount would improve the retention of health providers in rural areas. In January, Durbin reintroduced the bipartisan Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act to address the critical nursing faculty shortage by creating a pilot grant program to help nursing schools increase wages for nurse educators. In 2025, Durbin introduced the bipartisan Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, which would allow for the recapture of 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas for physicians that Congress has previously authorized—providing a desperately needed boost to our health care system in rural and urban areas. -30-

I’m honored to receive the Distinguished Service Award from @IHAhospitals today. IHA and our hospital leaders are doing all they can to provide quality care to Illinoisans, and it’s been a privilege to be their partner in that effort. https://t.co/eX91mx4GYu

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and five of their Senate colleagues in demanding the Trump Administration abandon a plan that would prevent up to 700,000 Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and other tax-paying immigrants from claiming tax credits they are eligible for. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Treasury are proposing a rule change that would prevent hundreds of thousands of taxpayers from claiming the Adoption Tax Credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. DACA and TPS recipients have been lawfully claiming these taxes for decades. “According to your own estimates, the proposed rule change could affect up to 700,000 taxpayers,” the Senators wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano. “This would include more than 300,000 individuals living in households with a DACA recipient, two-thirds of whom are U.S. citizens and who have, on average, lived in the United States for over 28 years. The practical effect of these new regulations would be to deny tax credits to immigrants who are legally eligible for them and lawfully present in our country, and to create a byzantine and unworkable system for both tax preparers and taxpayers.” “The Administration has no legal authority to change congressionally enacted tax law via regulation,” they continued. “Since the passage of PRWORA in 1996, no federal agency has interpreted refundable tax credits as federal public benefits restricted to qualified immigrants. If Congress intended for refundable tax credits to be treated as federal public benefits, it has had over 30 years to clarify the statute.” “The proposed rule is clear regulatory overreach that would have disastrous impacts for lawfully present immigrants and their families who are legally eligible for refundable tax credits,” they concluded. In addition to Senators Durbin, Duckworth, Cortez Masto, and Wyden, the letter was signed by Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Patty Murray (D-WA). The full text of the letter is available here. -30-

Nearly 3 million Americans have been stripped of health insurance, health premiums have skyrocketed, and Republicans were behind every step of it through their cuts to the ACA. Sending $500 to just a fraction of ACA enrollees is far too little a solution to the damage this Admin has done to America’s health care.

I joined @SenDuckworth & @RepNikkiB to urge the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to add language in the FY27 NDAA that pauses any plans to deactivate the 183rd Wing’s CRF mission without a deployable replacement mission. A suitable replacement mission is critical to ensuring the 183rd Wing’s continued legacy of service to our nation.

The Trump grift continues. Could his corruption be any more obvious?

The Administration that commits a Watergate-level scandal nearly every day is looking to further absolve President Nixon of his Watergate crimes.

Why would ICE hide the medical reports of people who died in its custody? Because they show that many of those who died were medically neglected by the agency responsible for their care. These damning reports display the extent of ICE’s callous cruelty.

I joined @SenDuckworth, @SenAlexPadilla, & @SenAdamSchiff to introduce the National Archives Protection Act, a new bill that would ensure archival records, and the history they preserve, remain an accessible resource.

Dreamers are our neighbors, our friends, our coworkers—they are American in every way but their immigration status. It has been one of the great privileges of my life to fight for their protection under the Dream Act, and it was my honor to join @UNITEDWEDREAM last night to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its introduction.

How many more failed executions must take place before this cruel practice is consigned to the dustbin of history? To paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun: we must no longer tinker with the machinery of death.

Under the Trump Administration, nearly three people are dying each month in ICE custody—demonstrating just how dangerous immigration detention has become under this Admin. There must be accountability.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Congressional Democratic leaders to release the following joint statement regarding Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte’s unlawful move to shut down the FHFA Inspector General through severe, unnecessary budget cuts. Along with Durbin, the statement is signed by: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY); Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC); Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee; Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee; and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “Bill Pulte is shutting down the independent watchdog that is responsible for investigating his misconduct—like his efforts to weaponize private mortgage data in sham investigations against the President’s perceived political enemies. Apparently it wasn’t enough for President Trump to remove the acting inspector general last November—now Pulte wants to dismantle the office entirely. Pulte’s corrupt crusade to protect himself and President Trump from accountability will likely result in the firing of approximately 40 law enforcement personnel who protect families from mortgage fraud. Bill Pulte should resign, and if he does not, Congress must hold him accountable.” Last night, FHFA put out a press release claiming it was “right-sizing” its Inspector General Budget. But the OIG communicated to bipartisan Senate and House committee staff that Pulte’s budget cuts would require the OIG to wind down its operations and cut nearly its entire staff. In addition to its role in providing oversight on FHFA mismanagement, the FHFA OIG fulfills a unique and critical oversight function of the integrity of the US mortgage market alongside partners at HUD and DOJ, including by stamping out real threats of mortgage fraud. -30-

Durbin questioned Judge Lee Philip Rudofsky and Jesus Osete about their views on the Voting Rights Act WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned judicial nominees during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Durbin began by questioning Lee Philip Rudofsky, nominated to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit, about his view on the Voting Rights Act. “For 60 years, under the Voting Rights Act, individuals could bring [private] causes of action under that Act. I imagine the theory behind it, and I think I am right, is that that’s the only way for an individual to have a voice questioning government action which denies or limits a person’s right to vote. Is that your understanding?” Durbin asked. Judge Rudofsky replied that he believes that the Voting Rights Act did not write an express right of action. Despite precedent, Judge Rudofsky previously ruled in a 2022 case that the Voting Rights Act does not have an implied right of action, and as a result, he diluted the voting power of the Black Arkansans who brought the case. “In 2022, and you referred to the case, you presided over a case that challenged Arkansas’ House of Representatives redistricting map for diluting the voting power of Black Americans. In your own words, there was a ‘strong merits case that at least some of the districts…are unlawful under [Section] 2 of the Voting Rights Act.’ Yet, you claimed you could not reach the merits of the case and instead ruled that private citizens have no private right of action to enforce Section 2,” Durbin said. “For 60 years before your decision, courts recognized private plaintiffs, individuals for example, who may have lived in those districts that were being contested, were able to bring cases under Section 2 challenging the policies and practices that made it more difficult for people to vote. To the detriment of voters of color in Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, a divided panel of the Eighth Circuit embraced your fringe reasoning. The Eighth Circuit is the only appeals court in the nation to adopt your extreme position. Even the conservative Fifth Circuit declined to stray from precedent. That means state and local politicians can now freely violate the voting rights of their constituents, knowing they will go unchallenged by private citizens and without a doubt be ignored by this Department of Justice,” Durbin continued. “As you reflect on the practical impact of denying to individuals, in all the states that I’ve mentioned, an opportunity to use the Voting Rights Act to assert the protection of their right to vote, do you have any misgivings about your ruling?” Durbin asked Judge Rudofsky. Despite harming Americans’ right to vote, Judge Rudofsky defended his ruling. Durbin replied, “I have to say that for 60 years, individuals could protect their own right to vote through the Voting Rights Act. Your position is a deviation from that precedent to the detriment of the voters and their rights in the future. I think that is significant.” Durbin then questioned Mr. Jesus Osete, who has been nominated to be a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Missouri, about his efforts to weaken voting rights legislation, especially because he now serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Justice Department. Notably, in 2016, Mr. Osete authored an article entitled “Voter Suppression Rears Its Ugly Head,” in which he criticized the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder for opening the floodgates to voter suppression. “Now at the Justice Department, you have advocated to further change, and I believe, lessen the Voting Rights Act, building on the first major blow that came over a decade ago in Shelby County v. Holder. The Administration also continues to attack voting rights and undermine confidence in our elections, often under the guise of preventing voter fraud or ensuring so-called election integrity. Where do you stand today as a person working at the Justice Department, having made very clear in your statements in 2016 your feeling about voter suppression?” Durbin asked Mr. Osete. Mr. Osete distanced himself from his 2016 article, instead claiming that he has upheld the law while touting his efforts to defend voter ID laws. Durbin pushed back, “There is a genuine concern by many on my side of the aisle, and even some others that do not have a partisan identification, that there’s going to be an attempt to undermine the voting in the next election in November, just a few weeks away. At the Justice Department, can you give me your assurance that you have done nothing and will do nothing to inhibit the right of legal Americans to legitimately and fairly vote?” Mr. Osete said he will enforce voting rights laws. “When we hear from one of the assistant attorneys general that she’s going to send 1,000 observers into the [voting] precincts, what are we to make of that?” Durbin asked. Mr. Osete replied that these observers will ensure election laws are complied with. Notably, in 2022 while at the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, Mr. Osete objected to the Biden Justice Department’s planned efforts to deploy officials to monitor Americans with Disabilities Act compliance on Election Day, claiming that their presence would be “disruptive” and “only undermine confidence in our elections and deter Missourians from casting their votes.” Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here. Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here. Footage of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations. -30-

During his opening remarks, Durbin also reflected on yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing featuring testimony from former Special Counsel Jack Smith WASHINGTON – During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement in which he outlined the extreme judicial nominees the Trump Administration has nominated, including the nominees before the Committee today. Today’s Committee hearing considered the nominations of: Lee Rudofsky, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; Robert Long, to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida; Peter Mansfield, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; and Jesus Osete, to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. After commenting on today’s judicial nominees, Durbin reflected on yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing featuring testimony from former Special Counsel Jack Smith. Key Quotes: “President Trump has made it clear he believes judges appointed by him should be reliable votes for the MAGA agenda. He said, ‘it’s really OK for them to be loyal to the person that appointed them’… When judges don’t rule his way, President Trump attacks them, calling them ‘rogue judges that are criminals,’ and demanding that Republicans pass a ‘tough crime bill that…cracks down on rogue judges.’ He has repeatedly attacked his own Supreme Court appointees, most recently saying, ‘they are merely a shell of their original selves.’” “For President Trump, it’s not enough that a judicial nominee be a principled conservative. Nominees must now demonstrate fealty to him and his MAGA agenda. So, President Trump has resorted to nominating ideologically extreme nominees in some cases—regardless of whether they have the qualifications to serve as a lifetime appointee.” “Look no further than today’s panel. One of the nominees has only been out of law school for a decade and has been practicing for a grand total of seven years. Why should litigants have faith in these nominees that they’ll have the knowledge and expertise to adjudicate the cases? That is not a matter of concern to the President. He only cares if they will be loyal.” “That loyalty is particularly important to President Trump at a time when jurists nominated during the first Trump Administration have been ruling against this President, including dozens who have ruled against this Administration’s illegal mandatory immigration detention.” “And judges across the country, nominated by Presidents of both parties, have found the Trump Administration is repeatedly defying court orders. As Judge Patrick Schiltz—a George W. Bush appointee who clerked for Justice Scalia—found, ICE violated hundreds of court orders in Minnesota alone.” “In rare interviews earlier this month, Judge Schiltz and other judges spoke out about the ‘grave threat to the rule of law’ posed by this Administration’s attacks. Last week, Chairman Grassley chastised Judge Schiltz and others, claiming that they violated the judicial canons by granting these interviews. In fact, the Advisory Opinion that the Chairman cited specifically permits ‘the measured defense of judicial colleagues from illegitimate forms of criticism and attacks that risk undermining judicial independence or the rule of law.’… Judges don’t give up their First Amendment rights when they assume the bench, particularly when it comes to preserving the rule of law.” Durbin then spoke about yesterday’s hearing, in which former Special Counsel Jack Smith testified before the Committee. “I’d like a minute to reflect on yesterday’s hearing. We have been trying for a year to get Mr. Jack Smith, the Special Counsel, to appear before this Committee under oath…Since October of last year, we have been waiting for the chance. Yesterday was that moment. Mr. Smith came before us, took the oath, and submitted himself to questioning from both sides of the aisle for a lengthy period of time.” “What I found curious was the underlying charges which he was investigating—the instigation of the January 6 attack on the Capitol of the United States, as well as questioning the results of the 2020 election, together with the disposition of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in Florida—was never raised on the Republican side of the aisle.” “Those substantive issues, which led to indictments, were not contested or questioned. Rather, it was Mr. Smith who was on trial for acting as a prosecutor in this case.” Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here. Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here. Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations. -30-

Senate Republicans put forward a stock trading bill that does NOT adequately ban Congressional stock trading. AND it includes a sweeping voter suppression measure. Senate Democrats just blocked both. The American people need real action, not meaningless messaging.

Congratulations to @UofIllinois Professor Kaiyu Guan and @UChicago Professor Vincenzo Vitelli, both of whom just received the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grant”! Illinois is a hub of scientific research, and this grant will allow these two talented individuals to continue to push the boundaries of discovery.

AI data centers should pay for the upgrades to the electric grid they need. Not ratepayers. Senate Republicans’ Ratepayer Protection Act does nothing to establish this requirement. Senate Democrats just blocked this Big Tech distraction. Americans need real action, not Republican messaging.

After reassigning FBI personnel from cybercrime to focus on the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda, the Bureau experienced a massive cybersecurity breach. Congress needs answers. What is the FBI doing to ensure a cyberattack like this never happens again?

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the Senate rejecting Republicans’ Ratepayer Protection Act and Stop Insider Trading Act: “In a last-minute gasp before the midterm election, Senate Republicans were hoping to pass a meaningless bill that does nothing to rein in data centers and a voter suppression bill masquerading as an inadequate congressional stock trading ban. Americans need real action, not Republican messaging.” -30-

The lawmakers introduced the legislation following the announced closure of Regional National Archives and Federal Records Centers in Chicago and San Bruno, California WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA), today introduced the National Archives Protection Act, legislation that would require congressional approval before the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) can close or significantly restrict access to existing regional facilities. In June 2026, NARA announced plans to close its regional archive facilities and co-located Federal Records Centers (FRC) in Chicago and San Bruno, California, as well as relocate all temporary records from its Seattle facility. The decision has raised concerns from archivists, researchers, and constituents about access to public records, many of which are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Chicago’s FRC houses more than 140,000 cubic feet of historical federal records from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, including federal court and naturalization records, immigration records, Native American and Bureau of Indian Affairs records, maritime records, and other materials documenting the history of the Great Lakes region. The closure of Chicago’s FRC eliminates a regional access point serving six states, making it more difficult for Midwesterners and federal agencies to access the records that have yet to be digitized. “Regional National Archives facilities, including Chicago’s Federal Record Center, ensure that Americans can access public and personal records without having to travel across the country. Closing these facilities without the oversight of Congress risks putting those records further out of reach for our communities,” Durbin said. “The National Archives Protection Act would ensure that these records, and the history they preserve, remain an accessible resource.” “Our National Archives make it possible for families, researchers and communities across the Midwest to access records that tell the story of who we are and where we come from,” Duckworth said. “This Administration has already shown how willing it is to erase American stories, and closing regional facilities like Chicago’s Federal Records Center would put even more of our history out of reach. Congress must have a say to protect the public’s access to these critical records and ensure our history is not lost.” “Our National Archives are home to the immigration journeys, military service, and family histories of people across the West and the Pacific,” said Padilla. “Closing Federal Records Centers would cut researchers and communities off from our own past. I’m proud to work with Senator Durbin to maintain the public’s access to our nation’s historic documents.” “The administration is threatening access to historical and irreplaceable records, including closing down one facility in California that is home to countless photos and family heirlooms. Congress must exercise its oversight power to save decades of regional and national history,” said Schiff. U.S. Representatives Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Judy Chu (D-CA-28), and Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL-04) introduced companion legislation in the House earlier this year. -30-

Nearly one year ago, Jack Smith volunteered to testify under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Finally, today, he will have that chance. Enough baseless conspiracy theories. Enough sham hearings. Time for answers about President Trump’s efforts to break the law. https://t.co/PWsDGVgOH7

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned former Special Counsel Jack Smith during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Durbin began his questions by asking about toll record requirements. “There is, I think, appropriate concern by members of this Committee and members of Congress as to your activities related to their telephone conversations, text messages, and records. Please explain to us what involvement you had with any information from members of Congress?” Durbin asked. He went on to ask, “Why were they relevant?” Mr. Smith responded by clarifying that toll records are metadata, not the content of phone calls or messages. He also stated that his office secured toll records from third party companies as part of the investigation, and before his office did that, he consulted with the Public Integrity Section (PIN) of the Department of Justice (DOJ) inquiring if those toll record subpoenas were “appropriate.” He went on to explain that the records were relevant for a number of reasons. He continued to say, “first, with respect to the toll records regarding the evening of January 6, those records corroborated evidence that we had that the President—President Donald Trump—and his co-conspirators were seeking to exploit the violence on January 6 in furtherance of their criminal scheme.” Mr. Smith stated the toll records were “an important part of our investigation—centrally relevant to the issue of criminal intent.” He stated that the toll records added to the evidence of Donald Trump’s “guilt”—inciting an insurrection to overturn the election results. Durbin asked if, during the events of January 6, if President Trump was in contact with some members of Congress. Mr. Smith confirmed President Trump was in contact with members of Congress. “This has been characterized by some as a ‘wiretap.’ Did you initiate any wiretaps relevant to members of Congress of either party?” Durbin asked. Mr. Smith responded, “no,” and again, verified that toll records are “noncontent records.” “My colleagues have spent an extensive amount of time discussing Timothy Thibault, who retired from the FBI in August 2022. According to our information, you were appointed Special Counsel three months after his retirement in November of 2022. Was Timothy Thibault a part of your Special Counsel team?” Durbin asked. Mr. Smith responded, “no.” “Did you ever meet him during your work as Special Counsel?” Durbin followed up. Mr. Smith responded, “no, not that I recall.” “Did Timothy Thibault or the work he had done—whatever it was—influence any of your decision making as Special Counsel?” Durbin asked. Mr. Smith responded, “no, we made our decisions based on the facts, based on the law, [and] based on the investigation that my team conducted.” Durbin concluded, “I would say to those who are following the hearing—after hearing all of these references of Timothy Thibault—he was gone… from the FBI by the time Mr. Smith was appointed and he never met him. And he was not a part of his team. Some of these conspiracy theories just keep mushrooming despite the evidence to the contrary.” Video of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here. Audio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here. Footage of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations. In November 2022, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Mr. Smith, a nonpartisan career prosecutor, as Special Counsel with authority to investigate President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s effort to illegally retain highly classified government documents. As a result of these investigations, Special Counsel Smith indicted Trump on four counts in the election interference case and 40 counts in the classified documents case. Mr. Smith has offered to testify publicly under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee for almost a year. Instead of allowing Mr. Smith to testify, Senate Judiciary Republicans held wasteful hearings to relitigate the 2020 presidential election, despite numerous other issues worth examining within the Committee’s jurisdiction. When Trump was re-elected president in November 2024, Special Counsel Smith moved to dismiss the cases against him based on the Department of Justice’s position that the Constitution forbids the federal indictment and prosecution of a sitting president. Following the dismissal, Special Counsel Smith provided Garland a two-volume report outlining his findings in both investigations. While Garland released Volume I, concerning the election interference case, Judge Aileen Cannon enjoined DOJ from releasing Volume II, concerning the classified documents case. In October 2025, and again in February 2026, Durbin led all Senate Judiciary Democrats in sending a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) calling on him to allow former Special Counsel Jack Smith to testify before the Committee. In their letters, the Senators also urged Chairman Grassley to request DOJ release Volume II of Special Counsel Smith’s report. -30-

Jack Smith deserves an apology for these baseless and FALSE accusations of perjury by my Republican colleague.

Durbin: “It doesn’t have to be this way. Americans are better people than that. We are not going to turn away innocent, hardworking people who are doing their best.” WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today co-hosted a spotlight forum entitled “The Economic and Community Impacts of the Trump Administration’s Haphazard TPS [Temporary Protection Status] Terminations and the Need for a New Path Forward” in conjunction with U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Alex Padilla (D-CA). Today’s forum examined the devastating impacts of TPS terminations on long-time immigrants, their families, and their communities. In June, the Supreme Court ruled in Mullin v. Doe that the TPS statute did not allow for judicial review of TPS decisions, paving the way for the Trump Administration to terminate TPS for countries that remain extremely dangerous and unsafe for return. The second Trump Administration has terminated TPS for 13 countries that have come up for review, including Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Additionally, the Trump Administration has yet to announce whether it will extend TPS for El Salvadorians after the country’s TPS designation expired in early September. In his opening statement, Durbin spoke about visiting Haiti and the need to continue offering support and safe haven for those fleeing violence in the country. Durbin has also been a vocal supporter and original co-sponsor of Van Hollen’s SECURE Act, legislation that would allow qualified TPS and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients a path to legal permanent residency. Key quotes: “I was serving in the Senate at the time with a fellow named Mike DeWine. Mike is the Governor of Ohio, and he and his wife, Fran, had become my friends. Different political parties, but we both agreed Haiti was worth visiting.” “Mike did more than visit. He and Fran went there regularly and adopted churches and groups to try to help them along. He still does it, so he invited me to join him. I took the trip with him and his wife, and we met some of his friends, particularly one Catholic priest named Father Tom Hagan.” “Father Tom Hagan runs an operation called Hands Together. They’ve got everything. They’ve got nursery schools. They’ve got daycare. They’ve got regular schools. They’ve got things for senior citizens, and they’re smack dab in the middle of Port-au-Prince. And it’s a pretty tough territory, gang infested. They’ve been through a lot, Father Hagan has with his charity.” “It brings to mind this conversation we’re having. TPS stands for Temporary Protected Status. When we look at it, I look at the word ‘protected.’ It’s the first thing I think of—protect the people who are the most vulnerable, refugees who leave countries and situations not of their own creation but are just trying to keep their children alive and keep themselves alive.” “Unfortunately, when the Trump Administration looks at TPS, they look at a different word—‘temporary.’ It’s all about time. How long have they been here? How long will they stay?” “We know the answer to the question as to whether or not America needs immigrants. I’m the son of an immigrant, proud of it. We still need immigrants to this day from countries like Haiti and all over the world to come to the United States. And if they come to this country and they’re willing to work, and they don’t cause any problems with crime, I believe they should be given a chance.” “They’re working hard and becoming part of their community and raising their families. Why would we turn them away? As Chris [Senator Van Hollen] said, Haiti is a place where we warn American citizens that it’s a ‘Level 4’ dangerous place—don’t ever travel there if you can avoid it. Now we’re saying to these people [Haitian immigrants], hundreds of them, go back into this dangerous situation.” “It doesn’t have to be this way. Americans are better people than that. We are not going to turn away innocent, hardworking people who are doing their best. That’s this immigrant story today, and it’s been the story from the beginning.” “We cannot let these people down, whether it’s El Salvador or Haiti, whatever their origin may be. If they’re working hard in the United States, I believe they should be protected.” Video of Durbin’s remarks is available here. Audio of Durbin’s remarks is available here. -30-