Open Congress : News Articles for Sen. Richard J. Durbin [D, IL]

Immigration Reform Amendment For Gay Couples Withdrawn

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...-- Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had to make what the New York senator called an "excruciating" decision on Tuesday to come out against including LGBT couple provisions in their immigration reform bill, citing the need to keep th

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Reid to delay Senate votes on most Obama nominees until July

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...by August, the panel would lose its ability to function. “Unless we start seeing a more cooperative atmosphere around here … there’s going to continue to be speculation about changing the rules,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democra

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Leahy withdraws gay couples amendment in immigration bill

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...Schumer, D-N.Y., explained how he has been a co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act, or UAFA, for years. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., discussed his opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act, which affirms the power of states to decide whether to a

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Leahy withholds amendment to include LGBT couples in immigration reform

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...of marriage would be a bridge too far," he said. Before Leahy announced the withdrawal of the amendment, Gang of Eight members Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer, both Democrats with strong records of supporting gay rights, each expressed anguish at the pros

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Officials: Senators reach deal on high-tech visas

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...also members of the so-called Gang of Eight, which negotiated the main features of the legislation. That includes Schumer and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. Durbin has told outside groups he will back the change if it is offered. Schumer hasn't said whic

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Sen. Kirk Uncertain on Pritzker's Confirmation

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...owns the Hyatt Hotel empire, and she's provided crucial fundraising support for not only Obama's campaigns, but also Sen. Dick Durbin's, who says he will support her nomination. Pritzker has been visiting with various lawmakers in an attempt to drum up

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Sen. Kirk decides to back Pritzker for Commerce

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...Penny Pritzker's nomination for Commerce Secretary, a spokesman for the Illinois Republican said Tuesday. Along with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the senator plans to introduce Ms. Pritzker at her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday. Mr. Kirk "believes th

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Sen. Mark Kirk: Backs Penny Pritzker for Commerce

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...Obama. As I reported here Monday, Kirk will help introduce Pritzker at her Thursday confirmation hearing, joining Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in a traditional role for home state senators. Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) also announced his support, wi

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Kirk undecided on Pritzker for Commerce Secretary

2013-05-21T01:00:00Z

...billionaire Penny Pritzker has Sen. Dick Durbin’s support to become Commerce Secretary, but Sen. Mark Kirk is on the fence. Kirk, an Illinois Republican, told the Tribune on Monday that while he had met recently with Pritzker, whose confirmation heari

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EXCLUSIVE: Major union comes out against President Obama's pick for commerce secretary

2013-05-20T01:00:00Z

...and legal use of offshore tax havens, would inspire questions. Far less attention has been paid to relations with unions. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate hierarchy, has strongly supported her selection. The Commerce post has

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Think Tank Shreds Elizabeth Warren's Student Loan Reform Plan As A 'Cheap Political Gimmick'

2013-05-20T01:00:00Z

...in July, leaving room for reform. The House Republicans, The President's Office, Democratic Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) all have their own plans on the table. Think tank The Brookings Inst

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Senator Needs Racial Profiling Explained To Him During Immigration Debate

2013-05-20T01:00:00Z

...amendment by asking, “what does country of origin have anything to do with profiling?” In response, Gang Of Eight member Sen. Dick Durbin (D-ILL) tore down Grassley’s definition of racial profiling, explaining that the language in the bill is a ne

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Student Debt Is a Women’s Issue

2013-05-20T01:00:00Z

...student loan interest rates to 0.75 percent, on par with the interest rate banks pay on some of their Federal Reserve loans. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) advocates a more conservative measure of capping student loan interest rates so that they do not skyrock

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Senators working on immigration bill tighten controls on asylum program

2013-05-20T01:00:00Z

...them. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, seen as a swing vote on the committee, is on the side of the high-tech industry, while Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is championing the labor position. Lawmakers and lobbyists have been trying to find a compromise that could

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Sen. Hatch: No deal yet on tech-backed H-1B visa amendments

2013-05-20T01:00:00Z

...an H-1B. "We're making some headway, but we're not there yet," Hatch told reporters. The amendments have faced pushback from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a member of the both the Judiciary Committee and the Gang of Eight who has argued that they would chi

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Video: May 19: Pfeiffer, Cornyn, Chaffetz & Pruitt

2013-05-19T01:00:00Z

...and CBS News Political Director John Dickerson. The latest on the Benghazi hearings with Ambassador Thomas Pickering, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. Plus, a perspective on that and many other issues, with former Secretary of Def

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Congress rethinks 9/11 law on military force

2013-05-17T01:00:00Z

...and the president's use of unmanned drone strikes, have raised questions about the relevance of a law nearly 12 years later. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, summed up the frustration of many in Congress who backed the law in 2001 but now

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US Congress rethinks 9/11 law

2013-05-17T01:00:00Z

...the president’s use of unmanned drone strikes, have raised questions about the relevance of a law nearly 12 years later. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, summed up the frustration of many in Congress who backed the law in 2001 but now wo

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Schumer, Senate Democrats Under Pressure on Gay-Inclusive Immigration Reform

2013-05-17T01:00:00Z

...the amendment until the floor debate, where it’s unlikely to pass. “He is working behind the scenes,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a Gang of Eight member, told POLITICO when asked whether Democrats wanted Obama to get involved, altho

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Congress rethinks 9/11 law on military force

2013-05-16T01:00:00Z

...said. Several senators, including McCain, Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., met privately recently to discuss revising the law. McCain indicated at the hearing Th

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