A biography for Dick Durbinhasn’t been written yet.
“Across the VA's system in our state, the wait times are entirely too long on average.”
“You'll never get progress in Washington until you have a majority, bipartisan majority, that really wants to solve problems.”
“Social Security is the most important social program in America.”
“Everyone, regardless of the mode of expression, has a constitutionally protected right to free speech. But when it comes to freedom of the press, I believe we must define a journalist and the constitutional and statutory protections those journalists should receive.”
“Our soldiers deserve better. They need a plan for success. They need an administration that is honest about the costs of war, human and otherwise, and they need full accountability and oversight on Capitol Hill.”
“Like so many large companies in the U.S., Monsanto has prospered in large part due to U.S. taxpayer-funded programs and services.”
“With every new corporate inversion, the tax burden increases on the rest of us to pay what these corporations don't.”
“When I hear my friend John Boehner say that we have the best health care in the world, I don't dispute it for a moment. If I were sick, this is the country I want to be in, with these doctors, these hospitals, and these medical professionals.”
“We will have health care reform in America.”
“There is no question that tobacco is addictive and that tobacco kills.”
“Millions of Americans take vitamins safely every day, including me. Vitamins and mineral supplements taken in recommended doses are safe. It's the designer supplements that are worrisome.”
“I stood respectfully as Ronald Reagan was sworn in to his second term though I disagreed with him on many issues. I stood as well for the inauguration of George W. Bush's second term though I thought his war in Iraq was a tragic mistake.”
“This city of East St. Louis needs a tomorrow.”
“The fact is I tried for years to work with the financial industry on reasonable swipe fee reform, but the industry wouldn't have it.”
“Any reports of animal cruelty should be thoroughly investigated and those operators held accountable.”
“You know, the purpose of reconciliation is to avoid the filibuster. The filibuster is an effort to talk something to death.”
“Every day seems to bring news about another for-profit college scam. Hundreds of thousands of students have been deceived, misled, and harassed into enrolling at these schools where they end up with a mountain of debt and a worthless degree.”
“Our party feels that we need to have fair compensation, living wage, good benefits, and decent treatment of workers, and that we can do that and still be competitive on a global basis.”
“We need to respect free speech, but we need to respect one another's rights to free speech, too.”
“We can't do much about ensuring that the homeland is safe if our local police and sheriffs' departments don't have the personnel they need to keep our streets and neighborhoods secure.”