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US CONGRESS · SITTING

Richard J. Durbin

Senator for Illinois · Democratic · United States

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“But the fact of the matter is, there is scarcely a peep when Senator Curtis, a Republican Member of the Senate, made what is a perfectly reasonable suggestion--that Congress look into any possibility of corruption and self-dealing when a member of the President's family receives such a lavish gift from a Russian oligarch.”

Senate28 September 2026Source ↗

“He proceeded to also tell how he had turned down many opportunities for payment, salaries, fees, rewards that were available to former Presidents even in the early 1950s.”

Senate28 September 2026Source ↗

“Democrats fought for pocket rescission protection in the continuing resolution we passed earlier this year to prevent the White House from doing exactly what they have done. Not surprisingly, Republicans in the Senate and the House refused to stand for the law for fear that they would anger their President.”

Senate28 September 2026Source ↗

“Still, Republicans on the committee have made no effort to obtain a copy of volume 2 of Jack Smith's report, which details the findings from the criminal investigation into President Trump's alleged mishandling of classified materials. You remember the classified information that was found near the bathroom in Mar-a-Lago? I remember it.”

Senate28 September 2026Source ↗

“Think about that for a second. Here are this President and his family, who are making billions of dollars--if you include the family-- from investments that directly relate to his office.”

Senate28 September 2026Source ↗

“Madam President, before I start my remarks this afternoon, I would like to make note of two interesting events this weekend. I was asked to speak at a dinner in St. Louis right across the river from my hometown of East St. Louis, and it was known as a Harry Truman dinner.”

Senate28 September 2026Source ↗

The complete record

1,023 held · 585 searchable for Richard J. Durbin. The searchable lines are below in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 10.

This is not an official version of US Congress proceedings. It reproduces the published record and links to it; the official version is the one US Congress publishes.

  1. “Maybe it is an incentive for all of us to learn a joke or two. I yield the floor.”

    Senate14 March 2025Source ↗

  2. “I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) and, the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) are necessarily absent.”

    Senate14 March 2025Source ↗

  3. “Madam President, on January 6, 2021, a solemn constitutional proceeding was disrupted when a mob of thugs, egged on by President Trump, attacked and trashed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn a free and fair election. The grimmest results of the insurrection were the subsequent deaths of five of our law enforcement officers and the injuries to approximately 140 others, many of whom are still paying the price for that day.”

    Senate13 March 2025Source ↗

  4. “Madam President, later today, the Senate will vote on passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act. Opioid addiction has had a devastating impact on communities all across the country. We have an overdose crisis in the United States, and we should be doing everything possible to combat it. In just a decade, fentanyl has emerged as the deadliest drug in American history. All it takes is 2 milligrams--that is a fraction of the size of a penny--to cause an overdose. But we must do more than simply pass this bill.”

    Senate13 March 2025Source ↗

  5. “I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate13 March 2025Source ↗

  6. “I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate13 March 2025Source ↗

  7. “Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.”

    Senate12 March 2025Source ↗

  8. “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S. 994 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.”

    Senate12 March 2025Source ↗

  9. “I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate12 March 2025Source ↗

  10. “With this funding, researchers in Oklahoma recently conducted research on slowing kidney disease progression, improving brain function after strokes, and how changes in cell activity can slow the progression of Alzheimer's. Senator Mullin, I know, is a graduate--a proud graduate, I am sure-- of Oklahoma State University, which receives $50 million in NIH funding. Mr. President, I hope I can appeal to my colleague and others to take a close look at their own home States on this medical research. It makes a difference in their States, and it makes a valuable difference in the quality of life for Americans across the board. I yield the floor.”

    Senate12 March 2025Source ↗

  11. “I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate12 March 2025Source ↗

  12. “I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.”

    Senate12 March 2025Source ↗

  13. “HALT Fentanyl Act Mr. President, the second point I would like to make is on the HALT Fentanyl bill which is coming before us. I am going to vote for it. It extends the classification of fentanyl-type drugs as schedule I drugs, the most serious narcotics in our country. I do say this: What we are doing is extending current policy. There is no new approach in this bill. It was reported out of committee virtually as it passed the House, and the effort in the committee-- Judiciary Committee--to make it stronger or better was turned back with the argument: We can't change a word.”

    Senate12 March 2025Source ↗

  14. “I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) are necessarily absent.”

    Senate11 March 2025Source ↗

  15. “I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) and the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) are necessarily absent.”

    Senate11 March 2025Source ↗

  16. “I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) and the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) are necessarily absent.”

    Senate11 March 2025Source ↗

  17. “I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate10 March 2025Source ↗

  18. “I cannot imagine there will be any resolution of this peaceably without bringing these children back home to their families, and for us to be on the record saying that does not seem to me to be intrusive or a radical point of view. It just reflects the reality of where America should be.”

    Senate5 March 2025Source ↗

  19. “I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate5 March 2025Source ↗

  20. “I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate5 March 2025Source ↗

  21. “Blanche will not provide the necessary independence to avoid that. His response to questions was not satisfying in this regard. His record and his undying loyalty to the President notwithstanding, I don't believe he is the right person for this job. I ask my colleagues to join me in opposing the nomination.”

    Senate5 March 2025Source ↗

  22. “That is basic midwestern philosophy, which we share, and I don't disagree with you. But I think the addition of the word ``lawful'' in the final sentence equivocates on what the Constitution's clarity is. So I am going to object with the possibility that we can work on this together to see if there is a way to reach a conclusion. I think this is so basic. You have served honorably in the U.S. Senate for your entire career, and the point that I am getting to is that we ought to make certain that, moving forward, there is clarity on this most basic checks-and-balances constitutional provision.”

    Senate5 March 2025Source ↗

  23. “108, Affirming the rule of law and the legitimacy of judicial review, which is at the desk; further, I ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.”

    Senate5 March 2025Source ↗

  24. “These are not partisan talking points; they are basic principles of constitutional law, so fundamental and so essential to our constitutional order that they should go without saying. But in light of recent comments and actions by President Trump, Vice President Vance, and his administration and allies, some things must be said. So I ask my colleagues to say with one clear voice: The U.S. Senate supports the Constitution, the judicial branch, and the rule of law. Every Member of this body has sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I urge my colleagues to fulfill their oaths today. I yield the floor.”

    Senate5 March 2025Source ↗

  25. “I announce that the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate5 March 2025Source ↗

  26. “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S. 835 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1.”

    Senate4 March 2025Source ↗

  27. “I announce that the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate4 March 2025Source ↗

  28. “I announce that the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate4 March 2025Source ↗

  29. “I announce that the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate4 March 2025Source ↗

  30. “Mr. President, instead of improving lives or lowering prices for Americans, we are seeing policies in the Trump administration do exactly the opposite. The President has spent his time trying to systemically dismantle the Federal Government, creating riffs with our closest allies and now imposing restrictive tariffs on our biggest trading partners. The tariffs that he has unleashed--25 percent on Canada and Mexico as well as an additional 10 percent on China--will hurt American consumers and supply chains and undermine American manufacturing.”

    Senate4 March 2025Source ↗

  31. “Mr. President, I have been honored to serve in the U.S. Senate for a number of years, and I carry with that service a great number of memories. But there is one that is particularly personal that I will never forget. The year was 2021, and the day was January 6. The Senate Chamber was filled with Members who were witnessing a meeting required by our Constitution, where the Vice President presided over the Senate where the Presiding Officer is sitting.”

    Senate4 March 2025Source ↗

  32. “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.”

    Senate4 March 2025Source ↗

  33. “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S.”

    Senate3 March 2025Source ↗

  34. “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S.”

    Senate3 March 2025Source ↗

  35. “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S.”

    Senate3 March 2025Source ↗

  36. “I announce that the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Welch) are necessarily absent.”

    Senate3 March 2025Source ↗

  37. “I announce that the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Welch) are necessarily absent.”

    Senate3 March 2025Source ↗

  38. “National Institutes of Health Madam President, on a separate topic, tomorrow night, Members of Congress and their guests will gather on the floor of the House to hear the President on the status of our Nation. This annual address traces its roots back to the Founding Fathers, but I doubt they would recognize their beloved country today. With President Trump and Elon Musk acting unrestrained, we are barreling down a dangerous path to a constitutional crisis.”

    Senate3 March 2025Source ↗

  39. “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 Madam President, I want to say a word about what we are going to vote on today, an issue that is going to come before us. I might ask my colleagues if they could answer the following question: How many athletes, NCAA athletes, are there in the United States? I asked Mr. Baker, the former Governor of Massachusetts, that question. He said over 500,000--500,000. I said: Of all those athletes, what percentage are transgender? Oh, fewer than 10. I said: Fewer than 10 percent? No, fewer than 10 total out of 500,000 are transgender.”

    Senate3 March 2025Source ↗

  40. “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S.”

    Senate27 February 2025Source ↗

  41. “Mr. President, earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting with leaders from Joliet, IL--including Mayor Terry D'Arcy, city manager Beth Beatty, fire chief Jeff Carey, deputy chief of health services Aaron Kozlowski, emergency management coordinator Dr. John Lukancic, and Sister Mary Francis Seely. I take dozens of meetings every week in my office here in Washington, but I was struck by the remarkable work underway in Joliet.”

    Senate27 February 2025Source ↗

  42. “I announce that the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Alsobrooks) and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.”

    Senate25 February 2025Source ↗

  43. “I announce that the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Alsobrooks), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen), are necessarily absent.”

    Senate25 February 2025Source ↗

  44. “I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.”

    Senate25 February 2025Source ↗

  45. “I announce that the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Kaine) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate24 February 2025Source ↗

  46. “I announce that the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Whitehouse), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Warnock), and the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Kaine), are necessarily absent.”

    Senate24 February 2025Source ↗

  47. “Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S. 652 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.”

    Senate20 February 2025Source ↗

  48. “Mr. President, my Republican colleagues know, as I do, that President Trump's cuts, freezes, gag orders, and firings are devastating medical research at NIH. Since we get sick on a bipartisan basis, shouldn't we stand together on a bipartisan basis for medical research at NIH?”

    Senate20 February 2025Source ↗

  49. “I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate20 February 2025Source ↗

  50. “I announce that the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) is necessarily absent.”

    Senate20 February 2025Source ↗

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