Honorable Richard Durbin
U.S. Senator, Illinois, Democrat
Senator Durbin was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. He is the Senate Democratic whip and serves on the Appropriations and Foreign Relations Committees. The following is excerpted from a November 29, 2011, statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate during debate on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. I have the greatest respect for Senator Carl Levin [MI-D] and Senator John McCain [AZ-R]. They have done an extraordinary job on the Defense authorization bill. I would say, by and large, this bill would not have engendered the controversy that brings us to…
