{"id":"D000563","bioguide_id":"D000563","first_name":"Richard","last_name":"Durbin","full_name":"Richard Durbin","party":"D","state":"IL","chamber":"senate","district":null,"title":"Senator","photo_url":null,"twitter_handle":"SenatorDurbin","official_website":"https://www.durbin.senate.gov","fec_candidate_ids":["S6IL00151","H2IL20026"],"lis_id":"S253","is_active":true,"term_start":"2025-01-03","term_end":"2027-01-03","created_at":"2026-09-08T22:51:51.014Z","updated_at":"2026-09-09T02:08:13.531Z","url":"https://whovotedwhy.com/politicians/D000563","score":{"id":"D000563","politician_id":"D000563","consistency_score":null,"influence_score":null,"conflict_index":null,"total_ai_votes":6,"total_statements":3,"total_donations_ai":0,"top_donor_industries":[],"said_did_pairs":[],"computed_at":"2026-09-11T15:05:27.382Z"},"votes":[{"id":"f130d36af9ff555e","roll_call_id":"bca10742d0876330","bill_id":"cf89b103e74a3844","politician_id":"D000563","position":"yea","voted_at":"2025-12-17","roll_call":{"id":"bca10742d0876330","chamber":"senate","kind":"floor","category":"procedural","congress":119,"session":1,"number":648,"date":"2025-12-17","question":"On the Motion","description":"Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1071; A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, and for other purposes.","legislation":"S. 1071","amendment":null,"committee":null,"bill_id":"cf89b103e74a3844","result":"Agreed to","yeas":77,"nays":20,"positions_recorded":100,"positions_unmatched":0,"source_url":"https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00648.xml","ai_match":"bill","fetched_at":"2026-09-11T14:58:52.438Z"}},{"id":"5d2c66120f93d4f5","roll_call_id":"47dfb73a82b0a2ce","bill_id":"cf89b103e74a3844","politician_id":"D000563","position":"yea","voted_at":"2025-12-15","roll_call":{"id":"47dfb73a82b0a2ce","chamber":"senate","kind":"floor","category":"cloture","congress":119,"session":1,"number":647,"date":"2025-12-15","question":"On the Cloture Motion","description":"Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1071; A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, and for other purposes.","legislation":"S. 1071","amendment":null,"committee":null,"bill_id":"cf89b103e74a3844","result":"Agreed to","yeas":76,"nays":20,"positions_recorded":100,"positions_unmatched":0,"source_url":"https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00647.xml","ai_match":"bill","fetched_at":"2026-09-11T14:58:52.438Z"}},{"id":"bd66ab41cf08b5ae","roll_call_id":"dd1489dacf44112f","bill_id":"cf89b103e74a3844","politician_id":"D000563","position":"yea","voted_at":"2025-12-11","roll_call":{"id":"dd1489dacf44112f","chamber":"senate","kind":"floor","category":"motion-to-proceed","congress":119,"session":1,"number":646,"date":"2025-12-11","question":"On the Motion to Proceed","description":"Motion to Proceed to the House Message to Accompany S. 1071; A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, and for other purposes.","legislation":"S. 1071","amendment":null,"committee":null,"bill_id":"cf89b103e74a3844","result":"Agreed to","yeas":75,"nays":22,"positions_recorded":100,"positions_unmatched":0,"source_url":"https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00646.xml","ai_match":"bill","fetched_at":"2026-09-11T14:58:52.438Z"}},{"id":"e5c8f1c25db27e04","roll_call_id":"5759c87e484cf21b","bill_id":null,"politician_id":"D000563","position":"yea","voted_at":"2025-07-01","roll_call":{"id":"5759c87e484cf21b","chamber":"senate","kind":"floor","category":"amendment","congress":119,"session":1,"number":363,"date":"2025-07-01","question":"On the Amendment","description":"To strike the section relating to support for artificial intelligence.","legislation":"H.R. 1","amendment":"S.Amdt. 2814","committee":null,"bill_id":null,"result":"Agreed to","yeas":99,"nays":1,"positions_recorded":100,"positions_unmatched":0,"source_url":"https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00363.xml","ai_match":"keyword","fetched_at":"2026-09-11T14:58:52.438Z"}},{"id":"3e6ad16bdb8c4cc8","roll_call_id":"de7744646acadb2c","bill_id":"fe01c2d25c573f9b","politician_id":"D000563","position":"yea","voted_at":"2026-07-16","roll_call":{"id":"de7744646acadb2c","chamber":"senate","kind":"floor","category":"motion-to-proceed","congress":119,"session":2,"number":199,"date":"2026-07-16","question":"On the Motion to Proceed","description":"Motion to Proceed to S.J. Res. 198; A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to \"Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model\".","legislation":"S.J.Res. 198","amendment":null,"committee":null,"bill_id":"fe01c2d25c573f9b","result":"Rejected","yeas":46,"nays":50,"positions_recorded":100,"positions_unmatched":0,"source_url":"https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00199.xml","ai_match":"bill","fetched_at":"2026-09-11T14:58:52.438Z"}},{"id":"ee325cb0cb0dc79a","roll_call_id":"1582c6eb48e4c5fc","bill_id":"c3a830c9118e3ee4","politician_id":"D000563","position":"nay","voted_at":"2026-07-14","roll_call":{"id":"1582c6eb48e4c5fc","chamber":"senate","kind":"floor","category":"cloture","congress":119,"session":2,"number":195,"date":"2026-07-14","question":"On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed","description":"Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 4784; An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.","legislation":"S. 4784","amendment":null,"committee":null,"bill_id":"c3a830c9118e3ee4","result":"Rejected","yeas":50,"nays":46,"positions_recorded":100,"positions_unmatched":0,"source_url":"https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00195.xml","ai_match":"bill","fetched_at":"2026-09-11T14:58:52.438Z"}}],"statements":[{"id":"05acdd10f258dba8","politician_id":"D000563","type":"press_release","content":"The letter follows an admission from the Trump Administration that the decision to cancel energy project grants in states, including Illinois, that did not vote for Trump was “based solely” on politics\n\nWASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led members of the Illinois Congressional delegation in a letter to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought demanding that the Trump Administration restore funding for the 33 energy grants totaling more than $580 million to the State of Illinois that were unlawfully terminated in October 2025. The Trump Administration has since admitted to illegally canceling energy grants because those projects were in states, including Illinois, that did not vote for President Trump in the 2024 Presidential election. The canceled federal grant funds designated for Illinois included projects on domestic energy production, lowering energy costs, and improving grid reliability.\n\nIn addition to Durbin and Duckworth, the letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Jonathan Jackson (D-01-IL), Robin Kelly (D-02-IL), Jesús \"Chuy\" García (D-04-IL), Mike Quigley (D-05-IL), Sean Casten (D-06-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-08-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-09-IL), Brad Schneider (D-10-IL), Bill Foster (D-11-IL), Nikki Budzinski (D-13-IL), Lauren Underwood (D-14-IL), and Eric Sorensen (D-17-IL).\n\nThe lawmakers wrote, “As if this brazen politicization of DOE’s grant-making process were not bad enough, these cancellations also took aim at our constituents’ wallets. Average household energy bills in Illinois rose by $210 in 2025, and that number is expected to increase further by the end of 2026. As Artificial Intelligence data centers—welcomed and unchecked by your Administration—demand a growing quantity of electricity, bills are projected to rise even higher. In fact, Illinois officials warn that without action, the state may exper","url":"https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-lead-members-of-the-illinois-delegation-to-demand-trump-administration-restore-funding-for-illinois-energy-projects-that-were-politically-targeted-and-illegally-canceled","published_at":"2026-08-06","ai_relevance_score":0.3,"ai_topics":["data_centers"],"ai_stance":"neutral","ai_summary":"Letter mentions AI data centers driving up electricity demand and bills as context for opposing energy grant cancellations, not proposing AI policy itself.","ai_processed":true,"bill_ids":[],"bill_refs":[],"classifier":{"model":"claude-sonnet-5","prompt_hash":"999b4401fea1","input_hash":"6ff78fbbfe2f","input_chars":2232,"classified_at":"2026-09-09T02:10:22.606Z"}},{"id":"d1a13a090238c63c","politician_id":"D000563","type":"press_release","content":"Durbin also pushed for the passage of his bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act to bring down the cost of swipe fees for consumers and small businesses\n\nWASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement in a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing entitled “Your Data, Their Profit: The Consumer Cost of AI Surveillance Pricing.” During his opening remarks, Durbin raised concerns about the collecting, tracking, and selling of consumer data online. In advocating for consumers, Durbin also pushed for the passage of his bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act, which would put an end to the Visa-Mastercard duopoly that is squeezing small businesses and consumers.\n\nKey Quotes:\n\n“Every click we make on the internet leaves a trail of personal data. We know that. That data is collected, tracked, and sold. Congress can address it.”\n\n“There’s another thing Congress can do right now for consumers and small businesses: pass the Credit Card Competition Act—a bipartisan bill I sponsor with Senator Marshall of Kansas. This bill would bring down the cost of swipe fees that Visa and Mastercard take out of every purchase we make with a credit card.”\n\n“For some small businesses, these swipe fees become their second or third largest expense, and many of them have been forced to raise prices as a result.”\n\n“Americans pay the highest swipe fees anywhere in the world. The Credit Card Competition Act would bring these down, leading to savings for businesses and lower prices for consumers.”\n\nVideo of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.\n\nAudio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.\n\nFootage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.\n\n-30-","url":"https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-advocates-for-protecting-consumers-privacy-during-opening-statement-in-senate-judiciary-subcommittee-hearing","published_at":"2026-08-04","ai_topics":["privacy","regulation"],"ai_stance":"support","ai_summary":"Durbin raises concerns about AI surveillance pricing and consumer data collection, saying Congress can and should address it.","ai_processed":true,"bill_ids":[],"ai_relevance_score":null,"bill_refs":[],"classifier":null},{"id":"53effa95697925d3","politician_id":"D000563","type":"press_release","content":"Durbin calls for the passage of his bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act, which would crack down on swipe fees\n\nWASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing entitled “Your Data, Their Profit: The Consumer Cost of AI Surveillance Pricing.” Today’s hearing examined how companies can use consumers’ personal data to set a personalized price for individual customers by estimating how much or how little they are willing to pay for a product.\n\nDurbin began his questioning by asking Hillary Caron, policy counsel at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), about the Norwegian government’s crackdown on grocery store chains that were found to be price fixing.\n\nMs. Caron explained that the Norwegian Competition Authority found that three major grocery store chains in the country were colluding by constantly monitoring each other’s prices. Because these stores were using electronic shelf labels, management could quickly raise prices, sometimes several times a day, on products in high demand. The Norwegian Competition Authority fined the three Norwegian grocery store chains a combined $466 million for breaking antitrust rules. Ms. Caron underscored that the United States should learn from Norway’s example by more vigorously enforcing competition laws.\n\nTurning to Dr. Z. John Zhang, professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Durbin asked about what recourse consumers have to push back against surveillance pricing.\n\n“I don’t think we give consumers have a fighting chance. The information that is being gathered about us involuntarily is hard to describe in terms of any limitations…It’s all designed in terms of measuring and influencing consumer behavior. Does the consumer have a chance?” Durbin asked Dr. Zhang.\n\nDr. Zhang explained that companies collect individuals’ data so they can understand their consumers as a whole in order to make marketing and price setting decisions. Dr. Zhang noted that companies collect far more information from consumers when they make online purchases than they do when customers purchase products in store.\n\nDurbin continued his questioning by asking Robert Hedges, former Chief Data Officer at Visa, about swipe fees. Durbin has long advocated for cracking down on swipe fees, which is the aim of his bipartisan legislation, the Credit Card Competition Act.\n\n“Many years ago, I walked into this room and sat down at the corner over there for [then-Senator] Arlen Specter’s hearing on swipe fees, interchange fees. I’d never heard of them. I listened and understood that if I had a business or restaurant in Springfield, Illinois, and I wanted to accept Visa and Mastercard, I had to pay a swipe fee—a percentage of a dinner I’m going to serve. The consumer still doesn’t know how much that is, yet that fee continues to be charged. Most retailers will tell you it’s a big piece of their profit. Is that fair?” Durbin asked.\n\nMr. Hedges explained that clarity and transparency on pricing should be a core principle of business.\n\nDurbin concluded his remarks by asserting that Visa and Mastercard should be required to disclose what these swipes fees cost Americans every time they use their credit card.\n\n“Our hearing is about information being gathered and consumers paying a higher price because of it. That is our concern. I think the Chairman [Senator Josh Hawley] has illustrated that pretty effectively. I think the same thing applies when it comes to Visa and Mastercard. I think there ought to be disclosure to the consumer about what you [Visa and Mastercard] are charging,” Durbin said.\n\nVideo of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.\n\nAudio of Durbin’s questions in Committee is available here.\n\nFootage of Durbin’s question in Committee is available here for TV stations.\n\n-30-","url":"https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-questions-witnesses-on-protecting-consumers-privacy-during-senate-judiciary-subcommittee-hearing","published_at":"2026-08-04","ai_topics":["privacy","regulation","transparency"],"ai_stance":"support","ai_summary":"Durbin presses witnesses on AI-driven surveillance pricing and urges stronger enforcement and disclosure to protect consumers.","ai_processed":true,"bill_ids":[],"ai_relevance_score":null,"bill_refs":[],"classifier":null}],"donations":[],"outside_spending_totals":[],"provenance":{"commit":"38624a3af16ec6b3fff9b27c7d1d9f2cb7fe9152","generated_at":"2026-09-11T15:06:57.105Z","schema_version":2,"manifest":"https://whovotedwhy.com/data/index.json"}}