Durbin Reflects On The Senate Judiciary Committee's Historic Achievements During Biden Administration; Vows To Continue These Efforts During The Incoming Trump Administration

Press Release

“For many of us, the outcome of last week’s election was not what we wanted, fought for, or voted for. But my priorities as Chair of the Judiciary Committee have not changed because of the election.

“Under President Biden’s leadership, the Senate has confirmed more Black women to the federal circuit courts than all prior Presidents combined—including the first-ever Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. We have confirmed a historic number of Asian American, Latino, and LGBTQ+ judges. We have also confirmed more circuit judges with experience as public defenders than all prior presidents combined. The American people deserve federal judges who look like America. Until the end of my tenure as Chair, I will continue to urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of these well-qualified and diverse judicial nominees.

“Following the [Dobbs] decision, nearly two dozen states have either banned or restricted access to abortion or are attempting to do so. Many of these bans provide no exceptions for rape and incest and many utterly fail to protect the health and lives of mothers. Some of these bans are even written in a way that seems to limit access to contraception. During my time as Chair of the Judiciary Committee, we have held multiple hearings on the impact of the Dobbs decision and the critical need to safeguard reproductive rights.

“I share the concerns of many Americans about what a second Trump Administration could mean for women’s reproductive rights and health care. The majority of the country supports a woman’s right to choose. And whatever further turmoil President-elect Trump may unleash on access to reproductive health care, we will not stop fighting for our nation’s women and families.

“This will devastate our economy. If the DACA program alone is struck down, experts predict our economy will lose an estimated $11.7 billion yearly in lost wages. Without continued immigration, the U.S. working-age population will shrink by more than six million by 2040. As Americans retire, this could lead to a 23 percent reduction in monthly Social Security [payouts] to retirees. If we genuinely want to boost our economy and resolve labor shortages, we need to provide a path to citizenship for those who have long contributed to our economy and society.

“I’ve worked for years to pass bipartisan legislation to fix our broken immigration system. Such legislation is needed to secure our border and protect American workers from outsourcing companies that exploit temporary worker programs. And we need immigration reform to protect the children of temporary workers who age out of legal status when they turn 21, as well as Dreamers, recipients of Temporary Protected Status, farmworkers, and other essential workers… Fighting for our nation’s immigrants in the right way will be one of my highest priorities.

“These modified machine guns are weapons of war, and we need to get them off the streets and away from innocent American families.

“While my time as Chair of the Judiciary Committee will end in January, my belief in the promise of this country never will. I promise to work each day in the Senate to look out for the most vulnerable among us, to ensure liberty and equality for every person, and to uphold the rule of law, which is the bedrock of our democracy.”

Source