Durbin Honors Former Congressman John Porter On Senate Floor | U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois

06.06.22

In a speech on the Senate flooring, Durbin paid tribute to Porter and his advocacy for scientific analysis

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) at the moment delivered a speech on the Senate flooring honoring the legacy of former Congressman John E. Porter, who represented northern Illinois in Congress for 21 years. In his remarks, Durbin spoke about Porter’s fame as a principled, bipartisan chief throughout the Illinois congressional delegation.

“John Porter was raised in a house the place public service was a lifestyle…[He] believed that public service was a noble career, that authorities might make life higher, and that America should stay a beacon of hope for the world. He supported efforts to guard the surroundings within the earliest days. He championed human rights efforts throughout the globe and efforts to guard the surroundings at house and was a founding father of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. He was a key supporter of the People with Disabilities Act,” Durbin mentioned. 

Durbin went on to specific his gratitude for Porter’s advocacy on behalf of the medical analysis neighborhood, which impressed Durbin to push for extra funding for the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH).

“As chair of the highly effective Home Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Well being & Human Providers, and Training, he was a driving pressure behind the profitable effort to double the funding for the Nationwide Institutes of Well being… The brand new funding got here at a vital second in historical past.  It made potential discoveries that modified the world, together with the well-known Human Genome Mission… It was one of many best scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century… The mapping of the human genome continues to rework medication each day and has supplied lifesaving cures all world wide. It was the management of then-NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, and the impressed instance of John Porter that satisfied me attempt to group up with Senators on the opposite aspect of the aisle and do the identical in my time within the Senate… I teamed up with Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, and likewise, after all, with Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, and we began our effort to see if we might improve dramatically the Nationwide Institute of Well being funds. We did,” mentioned Durbin.

Durbin concluded his tribute to Porter by acknowledging his household.

“Loretta and I ship our condolences to John’s spouse Amy, their youngsters, stepchildren, and grandchildren… and to all who had been impressed by his instance to make our world and our nation a greater, more healthy, and fairer place,” Durbin mentioned.

Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate flooring is on the market right here.

Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate flooring is on the market right here.

Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate flooring is on the market right here for TV Stations.

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