Cruz, Senators Introduce Bill to Help Return Art Stolen by Nazis

Statement

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was joined by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today to introduce the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act, which facilitates the return of artwork stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust to their rightful owners or heirs. The HEAR Act would ensure that claims in the United States to Nazi-confiscated art are resolved in a fair and just manner on the merits, and are not barred by state statutes of limitations and other procedural defenses. Doing so is consistent with long-standing U.S. foreign policy, as expressed in the 1998 Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art, the Holocaust Victims Redress Act, and the 2009 Terezin Declaration.

"The phrase "never forget' is more than a slogan," said Sen. Cruz. ""Never forget' means working to right all the terrible injustices of the Holocaust, even if many decades have passed. The HEAR Act will empower the victims of this horrific persecution, and help ensure that our legal system does everything it can to redress the widespread looting of cultural property by the Third Reich as part of its genocidal campaign against the Jewish people and other groups.

"Moreover, while this legislation is designed to help recover artwork that the Nazis stole during the Holocaust, it reminds us that the need to protect our cultural history in our own time is as urgent as ever. Terrorist groups from the Taliban to ISIS, seeking nothing less than the destruction of Western civilization, long to walk in the footsteps of their genocidal, thieving forebears. The HEAR Act will make it clear that the United States takes a strong stand against the looting and trafficking of antiquities and other artifacts. I am proud to have worked closely with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to introduce this bill."

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