Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representatives Lee and Nadler, for bringing this very important piece of legislation to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support, as a cosponsor, of the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, the HEAR Act.

Mr. Speaker, during the Holocaust, the Nazi regime and its collaborators systematically looted hundreds of thousands of works of art and cultural treasures from Jewish families across Europe. These were not simply valuable objects. They were pieces of family history, family identity, and family heritage.

For decades, many survivors and their heirs have fought simply for the chance to have their claims heard in court. The original HEAR Act, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in this Chamber in 2016, tried to ensure that these claims would be decided only on their merits, rather than being dismissed because of technical objections, such as the passage of time.

Mr. Speaker, however, the courts did not follow Congress' intent on many issues, and new legal barriers have emerged that threaten to close or have closed the courthouse doors once again.

This legislation expressly reverses the ability of defendants to use non-merit-based offenses, such as the Supreme Court's decision in Germany v. Phillipp, which held that Germany's expropriation of German Jews' property in the Holocaust was simply a ``domestic taking'' and not a violation of international law under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

If not corrected by Congress, that decision would prevent Holocaust survivors and their heirs from recovering most of the art held by foreign governments and their museums. It would excuse the historical and moral culpability of Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators for perpetrating the Holocaust. An affirmative vote today closes that huge loophole.

Mr. Speaker, time is not on our side. Roughly 30,000 Holocaust survivors remain alive today in the United States of America, many now in their nineties, some of whom live in my district. They deserve to see in their lifetimes--and the world needs to hear--that in these times of rising anti-Semitism, Congress wishes to right these historical wrongs.

Mr. Speaker, this bill does not guarantee outcomes. It simply ensures that claims are heard fairly and decided on their merits. Passing this legislation reaffirms our Nation's commitment to justice, historical truth, and the memory of those who suffered one of history's darkest crimes.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the HEAR Act.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source