In Support of H.R. 5739, The No Social Security for Nazis Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, this week, I voted in support of H.R. 5739, the No Social Security for Nazis Act, of which I am proud original co sponsor.

For decades now individuals who have been identified as Nazi war criminals have accessed their Social Security benefits, by means of a loophole in the Social Security Act. This loophole allowed those who were denaturalized, or those who voluntarily renounced their United States' citizenship, and left the country to avoid formal deportation proceedings, to continue receiving Social Security benefits.

H.R. 5739 will close the loophole by amending the law to stop Social Security benefit payments to those denaturalized due to participation in Nazi persecutions or those who voluntarily renounced their citizenship as part of a settlement with the Attorney General related to their participation in Nazi persecution.

Our country and the world will never forget the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime against millions of Jews and other targeted groups during World War II, nor should the perpetrators of these atrocities be allowed to continue to collect Social Security benefits due to a loophole in the law.

My district in Brooklyn, New York, which is the Ninth Congressional District of New York, is home to one of the largest orthodox Jewish populations in the country as well as being home to the second largest Jewish population in the nation overall. I know that my constituents would feel reassured to know that this loophole has been closed.

So, on behalf of my Jewish constituents and of all Americans, I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who joined me in supporting H.R. 5739, the No Social Security for Nazis Act.

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