Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin addressed the media from his Springfield backyard on Thursday, the same spot where he launched his first Senate campaign in 1995. This comes a day after he announced he would not seek reelection.

Durbin said he plans to spend his remaining time in Congress talking to his Republican colleagues, urging them to protect the constitutional authority of the Senate. He added, “The trade war and the decisions on trade policy under the Constitution are on the backs of Congress.” Durbin emphasized that Congress granted the president authority to act in emergency situations, but the U.S. is not in an emergency situation with Canada.

Durbin advised anyone running for his seat to “work the entire state”—including downstate, the suburbs, counties surrounding Cook County and the City of Chicago. He also mentioned that he will not endorse anyone to take his place—at least for now.

Throughout his time in office, Durbin has mentored women who wanted to run, including the state’s other U.S. senator, Tammy Duckworth. He invited her to the State of the Union address in Washington while she was still a patient at Walter Reed Hospital, just weeks after her helicopter was shot down over Iraq. Durbin said Duckworth blew him away. “She’s an amazing, strong, principled, energetic, talented person,” and she will be a great senior senator from Illinois.

Durbin, 80, said he doesn’t see himself sitting in a rocking chair during his retirement. Quoting Oliver Wendell Holmes, “I want to be engaged in the actions and passions of our time.”