I will continue working with Senator Duckworth to ensure Illinois airports have the necessary federal resources to keep passengers safe and connected.
Continue working to ensure Illinois airports have the necessary federal resources to keep passengers safe and connected.
Occurrences
Evidence
DOT's Essential Air Service report tables list Quincy Regional Airport in Illinois as a subsidized Chicago-O'Hare community served by Contour Airlines, with the current order shown as running through 2028. That is concrete federal support for an Illinois airport's passenger connectivity.
DOT's Essential Air Service report tables also list Decatur Airport in Illinois as a subsidized Chicago-O'Hare community served by SkyWest/United Express. The table shows continued federal support for maintaining scheduled air service in Illinois.
Assessments
The available evidence shows Illinois airports continued receiving federal connectivity support during Durbin's term through the Essential Air Service program, including subsidized service for Quincy and Decatur. That supports the claim that some federal resources remained in place to keep passengers connected. But the evidence does not show a Durbin-specific action, sponsorship, or material advancement tied to these outcomes, and it does not clearly establish broader airport safety/resource delivery beyond ongoing federal program support. Under a federal officeholder credit standard, that is partial rather than full delivery.