Durbin Files Amendments To Republicans' Budget Bill

WASHINGTON – Ahead of tonight’s vote-a-rama, where Senate Democrats will expose the truth about Republicans’ reconciliation budget bill, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, filed amendments that reflect his priorities as Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee.

“Overnight, Senate Republicans will attempt to advance a budget resolution that clears the way to cut taxes for President Trump and Elon Musk’s billionaire friends. And who will be left holding the bag? American families. Democrats are going to hold the floor into the night to expose how Donald Trump and Republicans have eviscerated so many of our institutions for their billionaire buddies,” Durbin said. “While Donald Trump may preach about corruption, fraud, crime, and grocery prices, here’s the reality: he has rid the government of its independent watchdogs, threatened critical funding for survivors of violent crime, endangered America’s food supply chain with his threats of mass deportations, and continues to purge and reassign senior law enforcement officials at DOJ and FBI—making America less safe.”

Durbin’s amendments include:

• Establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to protecting from arrest, detention, or removal noncitizen food and farm laborers who do not present a threat to public safety or national security, and whose removal would create an immediate labor shortage and increase prices of household groceries, such as milk, cheese, eggs, meat, and produce. U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) is a cosponsor of this amendment.
• Establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to protecting from mass deportations noncitizens brought to the United States as children who are eligible for DACA. U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Angus King (I-ME) are cosponsors of this amendment.
• Establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to protecting Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) personnel who worked on January 6 investigations and prosecutions from being terminated or facing other forms of retribution for their work on these cases.
• Establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to protecting DOJ and FBI probationary personnel (staff with one to two years of experience or less) from mass layoffs.
• Establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to preventing DOJ and FBI personnel from being forced to participate in mass deportation efforts to the detriment of their work on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) investigations and prosecutions, responding to the fentanyl crisis, preventing violent crime, protecting national security, and responding to terrorism threats.
• Establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to ensuring that federal funds for victims of crime, support services for survivors, and victim compensation programs are not subject to further attempted funding freezes.
• Establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to protecting certain Violence Against Women Act programs that are tailored to communities, such as Native American and indigenous populations, from being cut due to DOJ’s broad anti-DEI efforts.
• Establishes a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to preventing Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing classified systems, personnel records, investigative records, and prosecutorial records at DOJ and its component agencies.

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