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Richard Durbin, commonly known as Dick Durbin, is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Illinois since 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he has held various leadership roles, including Senate Majority Whip. Durbin has been a prominent advocate for issues such as healthcare reform, immigration policy, and gun control. He has also played a significant role in negotiations on budget and appropriations matters in the Senate.
time is running out for the Senate to act to save the Federal Perkins Loan Program. If we do nothing, this critical program that makes college affordable for 30,000 students per year in Illinois will expire at the end of the day. Perkins…
I would like to speak to the vote we are about to cast this morning at 10 o'clock. This is a vote to basically extend the authority and budget of the Federal Government until December 11. This September 30 is the end of our fiscal year…
in recent years we have faced a lot of difficulty filling positions for service to our Federal Government, not the least of which are critical diplomatic posts around the world. We have seen delays in confirming Federal judges, one of the…
I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Nominations
Wednesday night is the deadline. On Wednesday night, the authority of the government of the United States to do business ends. The funding for our government ends. It is a scary time. We don't want that to happen--most of us--because we…
I stand with the Senator from Mississippi. We may be from opposite political parties, but I certainly agree with him that the suggestion by the Senator from Ohio does not serve the best interests of this country. Imagine if his proposal…
reserving the right to object. I wish to have 1 minute in order to debate the matter that is before us. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? The Senator from Illinois.
No objection. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Cloture Motion Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state. The bill clerk read as follows…
I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Boxer) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cassidy). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 47, nays 52, as follows…
I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Boxer), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), and the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) are necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cruz). Are there any other Senators in the…
I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Boxer), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), and the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) are necessarily absent. The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 54, nays 42, as follows: [Rollcall…
I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
I respect my colleague from Texas, the majority whip. I disagree with his conclusion. I am vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. The chairman is Senator Cochran of Mississippi. The two of us and our staffs worked night…
I would like to address the issue before the Senate. It relates to the divisive and controversial issue of abortion. It comes at an unusual moment in the history of the Congress. This week, for the first time, the Pope will be addressing a…
I would like to take a moment to share a story with Members of the Senate and those following us this evening. It is an amazing story of the selfless courage of a young Illinois mother who many are calling--with good reason--a guardian…
how much time is remaining? The PRESIDING OFFICER. Four minutes for the minority, 1 minute for the majority.
we listened to the comments of Senator McConnell, the Republican leader. He has given us a ``litany of horribles'' when it comes to the conduct of the nation of Iran. He has given us fair warning that this is a country that we cannot trust…
my calculation is there are about 36 minutes remaining before the vote. I ask unanimous consent on the Democratic side that I be given 3 minutes, Senator Cardin 5 minutes, Senator Menendez of New Jersey 5 minutes, Senator Carper of…
on July 14, President Obama announced a landmark agreement between key world powers and Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, that removes Iran's path towards a nuclear weapon. This is a truly historic agreement that rolls…
Yes, 3 minutes for myself, 5 minutes for Senator Cardin of Maryland, 5 minutes for Senator Menendez of New Jersey, 3 minutes for Senator Carper, 2 minutes for Senator Kaine. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
I want to thank my colleague from Washington for taking the floor and supporting the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. She has been diligent in coming to Congress and explaining that this agency not only facilitates exports from…
on the floor we are going to return in a few minutes to the debate on the Iran agreement. This agreement, of course, has been in the works for a long time. President Obama set out to create a set of sanctions, punishment against Iran to…
how much time is remaining in morning business? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democrats have 9 minutes remaining.
the Senator from Tennessee is my friend. I respect him. I have said so on the floor and have said so privately among my colleagues. For the record, I want to make it clear, though, that Senator Reid and the Democrats said there will be no…
I wish to take a moment to thank an important member of our staff. Her name is Dena Morris, and she is with me on the floor today. Dena has worked for me for 12 years. The last 8 years she served as my legislative director, and she is…
Politicians like Dick Durbin
