Senator Dick Durbin Leads Dual Actions on August 25, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C., and CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) spearheaded two major initiatives today, combining a legislative push in Washington with a high-profile demonstration of state and local resistance in Chicago.

In Washington, Durbin joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and six other Senate Democrats in demanding detailed answers from Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank Bisignano. Their letter highlights reports that the Trump administration is labeling thousands of lawfully obtained Social Security Numbers as “fraudulent,” which risks denying immigrants access to jobs, banking, and critical benefits. The senators pressed SSA for data on how many SSNs have been flagged or placed on the Death Master File, the downstream impacts of such designations, and whether an appeals process exists for those affected.

In Chicago, Durbin joined Governor J.B. Pritzker, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, Senator Tammy Duckworth, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and a broad coalition of business, civic, faith, and law enforcement leaders to denounce President Trump’s announced plan to deploy National Guard or active-duty troops to the city. Addressing the press conference, Durbin called the proposal “illegal, hyper-partisan, and a shameful exploitation of the military for political purposes,” noting that Chicago’s elected officials are focused on bipartisan solutions-such as community violence intervention grants and common-sense gun safety laws-rather than militarizing public streets.