Durbin Meets With New Fermilab Director

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate National Labs Caucus, today met with Dr. Nobert Holtkamp, the newly appointed Director of Fermilab. During their meeting, Durbin reaffirmed his support for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 17 National Laboratories, including Illinois’ own Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory.

Durbin and Dr. Holtkamp spoke about Fermilab’s flagship research project, the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE), which aims to understand neutrinos, the most abundant and least understood particles in the universe. Durbin has long supported the project, and in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), he secured $260 million for LBNF/DUNE’s continued construction.

Durbin and Dr. Holtkamp also touched on Fermilab’s efforts to push forward quantum research. Fermilab is the home of the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS), one of the five quantum centers run by DOE. Durbin spoke about his DOE Quantum Leadership Act, bipartisan legislation that would raise the authorization for the five centers to $875 million a year over five years to support research and development in quantum technologies.

“National labs, like Illinois’ own Fermilab, have pushed the boundaries of scientific discovery with unmatched dedication to their research missions,” said Durbin. “Today, I met with Dr. Holtkamp and reiterated my commitment to supporting the groundbreaking research conducted at Fermilab, even as the President attempts to slash funding for our nation’s research institutions.”

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