PolicySoupstir the potALPHA

Richard J. Durbin headshot
At a Glance
Seat
U.S. Senator from Illinois
Born
November 21, 1944
Age 81
Phone
(202) 224-2152
Office
711 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510, Washington 20515
Congress Member Profile|U.S. Senator|Democrat|Illinois

Richard J. Durbin

Richard Joseph Durbin is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from the state of Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin is in his fifth Senate term and has served since 2005 as the Senate Democratic Whip and since 2025 as the Senate minority whip. He is the longest-serving Democratic whip since the position was established in 1913. Durbin chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2021 to 2025, and led the Ketanji Brown Jackson Supreme Court nomination hearings.

Source: Wikipedia • View full (CC BY-SA)
SoupScoreanalysis-first civic rating · view full breakdown
Loading…
Voting Record — 851
Yes35%
No62%
Present0%
Not Voting3%
Party align93%
Cross-party6%
SoupScore
District Map

Senate District (Statewide)

U.S. Census Bureau boundary data.
Social & Web
Official siteBlueskyX @SenatorDurbinFacebookYouTube
External Resources
WikipediaBallotpediaVoteSmartGovTrackOpenSecrets
Richard J. Durbin headshot
Richard J. Durbin
U.S. SenatorDemocratIllinois
SoupScore
Richard J.'s ATmosphere Activity
20 recent posts · 129 sponsored · 356 cosponsored
View profile

Recent ATmosphere posts, sponsorships, and cosponsorships.

Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 25(source)
Slashing billions from Medicaid will rip away insurance from millions of Americans and could close hospital services, but that didn’t stop President Trump and Congressional Republicans from passing this devastating law.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 25(source)
BREAKING: I sent a letter to EVERY hospital in Illinois requesting information on how Republicans’ so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” will affect hospital operations and patient care.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
The Trump Administration is reallocating resources away from domestic terrorism prevention efforts. Not only that, they’re ALSO gutting the departments meant to prosecute hate crimes. These actions will make America less safe.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
I just reintroduced my legislation to combat the alarming rise in domestic terrorism threats. Federal law enforcement is supposed to keep us safe, secure, and free. We must respond to these threats with the full force of the government.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
Pam Bondi and the Trump Administration already *have* the Epstein files. They’re dangling shiny objects like ‘interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell’ and ‘unsealing grand jury testimony’ as a distraction. Release the Epstein files—now.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
Senate Judiciary Republicans just BLOCKED an amendment to force the release of the Epstein files.   Senate Judiciary Democrats voted on the side of truth and transparency.   This is a vote that the American people should never forget—and we will not let it be forgotten.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
Jeanine Pirro was such a full-throated election denier… that even Fox News executives and her own producers had to tell her to cool it. Should never be a permanent U.S. Attorney.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
NEWS: I sent a letter to HHS Sec. Kennedy urging him to ensure the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act grant programs remain accessible. HHS' significant changes to the programs make it harder for organizations to get critical funding that help youth experiencing homelessness.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
Additionally, I asked to ensure my bipartisan First Step Act continues to be thoroughly implemented, so its proven successes continue to build over time. We must equip our federal prison system to be safe, secure, and effective and ensure incarcerated people’s successful reentry to society.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
I shared my concerns about the challenges facing the Bureau, including the impacts of understaffing, the health and welfare of employees and incarcerated people, and facility safety and infrastructure, especially given the Administration’s ill-fated goal to waste scarce resources to reopen Alcatraz.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 24(source)
I just met with the new Director and Deputy Director of the federal prison system. It was my pleasure to welcome Director Marshall and Deputy Director Smith to my office to talk about reforms I’ve long sought at the Bureau of Prisons under both Democratic and Republican Administrations.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 23(source)
Dreamers are as American as any of us. By investigating scholarships for Dreamers, this Administration is attempting to take away Dreamers’ opportunity to access higher education and to contribute to our country and fulfill their dreams. I urge this Administration to reverse course.
Trump Officials Probe Five Universities Over DACA Scholarships
The Department of Education said it opened investigations into five universities to determine whether the schools were granting scholarships only for undocumented students as the Trump administration ...
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 23(source)
It’s time that we hold corporate criminals accountable. We need national data collection and a searchable public database of all federal enforcement actions to provide better oversight. My Corporate Crime Database Act would do just that.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 23(source)
Our current debt ceiling process is broken. I joined @senjeffmerkley.bsky.social and @repbrendanboyle.bsky.social in introducing the Debt Ceiling Reform Act to make common sense changes to the process. We owe it to the American people to stop the brinksmanship around the debt ceiling.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 23(source)
NEWS: Sen. Grassley and I will try to pass our bill today to crack down on drug ads. Big Pharma floods TV with deceptive Rx ads, but always keeps price secret. Our bill makes Pharma tell the price in the commercial. President Trump and Sec. Kennedy agree.
Senator Dick Durbin@durbin.senate.govJul 22(source)
The Trump Administration is targeting immigrants who have done nothing wrong. They are sending masked agents to arrest immigrants *following the rules* and showing up for court hearings. None of it makes us safer.
← Newer postsPosts page 62Older posts →
SoupScore Breakdown
Loading analysis metrics…
Voting History
851 total votes
ExpandCollapse

Recent roll calls with party-majority context so it is easier to scan how this member tends to vote.

DateBillQuestionPositionParty MajAlign?Result
2025-01-09S. 5 (119th)End filibuster to begin debateYESYES✓Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to (84-9, 3/5 majority required)

Alignment stats consider only votes where a clear yes/no majority existed for the legislator's party. Cross-party marks divergence where the vote matched the opposite party majority. ↔ indicates cross-party divergence.

← PrevPage 18 / 18