Durbin Calls On President Trump To Follow Through On Promise To Prevent Invasive Carp From Entering Great Lakes

Durbin Calls On President Trump To Follow Through On Promise To Prevent Invasive Carp From Entering Great Lakes

In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin pressed the Trump Administration to lift the pause on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project after the President posted on social media about protecting the Great Lakes from invasive carp

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP) after President Trump posted via social media that he will work together with government officials from the Midwest to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. In his remarks, Durbin spoke about the necessity of moving the project forward after the Trump Administration halted progress on BRIP to conduct an "administrative review," despite the project having been previously reviewed, authorized, and appropriated by Congress.

Durbin began by explaining the threat that invasive carp poses to Illinois' waterways and the Great Lakes. Invasive carp have already entered the lower Mississippi River, spreading to tributaries, lakes, and reservoirs in the area, and traveling as far north as the Illinois River. If no action is taken to address the spread of invasive carp, the Great Lakes region will see the species invade waterways, harm native species, disrupt local ecosystems, and harm both commercial and recreational fishing. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with state and local partners, already spends nearly $70 million annually to control the invasive carp population.

"It [invasive carp] made its way into the Mississippi River and heading north… headed for Lake Michigan, the Great Lakes. It was then that they sounded an alarm and said that if this fish ever becomes commonplace in the Great Lakes, it will destroy it as a fishery and change it forever," Durbin explained.

Durbin recounted working with local leaders and experts to prevent the invasive carp from accessing the Great Lakes. Ultimately, Durbin, government leaders from the Great Lakes region, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) developed BRIP to stem the flow of carp.

"I decided 23 years ago to call on the experts and ask them what can we do to stop it. They weren't sure. They hadn't faced a challenge like this in the past, but they made some suggestions," Durbin said. "The good news is we tried a lot of things over the years, and we've been successful so far keeping the invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. There were people who were skeptical from the beginning that we could achieve that, but we did."

"The measures we're taking, the specific measures to protect the Great Lakes, depend on an infrastructure investment known as Brandon Road. Brandon Road is a stretch of the Illinois River in Illinois, the northern part of Illinois, which needs to have an accommodation made to make sure that the ships that are moving back and forth between the river and the Great Lakes aren't carrying the fish into the Great Lakes area. It's a massive investment," Durbin said.

Yesterday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer met with President Trump, and following their meeting, the President posted about his support for addressing invasive carp. Durbin noted that while his public support is welcome, the Trump Administration must lift its hold on BRIP in order for the Army Corps to continue its critical work on the project. After the Trump Administration halted the project, Durbin led a letter to OMB Director Russ Vought urging him to allow work on BRIP to resume. Durbin has yet to receive a response to his letter. The Trump Administration has given no indication on when the pause could end.

"The President of the United States met with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer yesterday, and President Trump posted on Truth Social that he was now joining forces with us to stop this invasive species," Durbin continued.

"The problem we have is the Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for building this facility. At the end of last year, the Trump Administration delayed the Brandon Road Interbasin Project for so-called 'further review.' The funding that was in place and was ready to be spent to protect the Great Lakes has been on hold. On January 15 of this year, I led a letter with Senator Duckworth, my colleague from Illinois, and the Michigan Senators, asking the Trump Administration to lift this review and pause so that we can get going forward with this project. We still have not received a response to that letter," Durbin said.

Durbin concluded his speech by calling on the President to follow through on his promise to work with Great Lakes-area leaders to address invasive carp, and Durbin pressed for construction on BRIP to resume as soon as possible.

"Here's the state of play. We have a new means, an effective means, to stop this fish from invading the Great Lakes. We need the approval of President Trump to make that happen. Yesterday, he promised that he would be part of the solution. Today, I'm asking him to really step forward. Make a call today-not tomorrow-make a call today to the Army Corps of Engineers to tell them you're lifting this Trump Administration pause on the development of Brandon Road," Durbin said.

"I believe this is a serious threat to the future of the Great Lakes. I am happy to have the President on board, but we need him to do something immediately to help us move forward," Durbin concluded his speech.

Durbin has been a tireless advocate for the Brandon Road Project and finding a comprehensive approach to protecting the Great Lakes from the threat of invasive carp. Through previous Water Resources Development Acts, Durbin has secured authorization for design and construction of the Brandon Road Project, and in December 2024, Durbin successfully included a provision in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) to increase the federal cost share for the Brandon Road Project. Under the provision, the federal government will pay 90 percent of the operation and maintenance costs for Brandon Road after the project's construction is complete, significantly lowering the costs of maintaining the infrastructure for Illinois.

In July 2024, Durbin applauded Illinois, Michigan, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for signing a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) regarding the Brandon Road Project, which was necessary to ensure that the Brandon Road Project moves forward and does not lose valuable federal funding for its construction.

Durbin also previously secured $225.8 million in construction funding for the project from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), $47.3 million in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 government funding bill, and $28 million in the FY26 Energy and Water Appropriations bill.

Durbin was instrumental in forcing the release of the original Brandon Road Study, a draft plan that paved the way for the project, after the first Trump Administration stalled the report's release.

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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