U.S. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) is among a bipartisan and bicameral group of legislators pushing for the swift end of Social Security payments for Nazis.
An act closing a loophole in the current law to terminate the payments was recently introduced in both the House and Senate.
“Congress must stop the flow of payments to these war criminals immediately,” Black, who co-sponsored the legislation in the House, said. “This legislation will cut off benefits to anyone stripped of U.S. citizenship—either voluntarily or by order of the federal government—related to their participation in Nazi crimes. The legislation further ensures that, if the offenders are married, they are denied spousal benefits under Social Security as well. These human rights violators don’t deserve one more dime from you and me.”
The legislation is the result of an Associated Press investigation that found suspected Nazi war criminals had been paid millions of dollars in Social Security benefits after being forced out of the United States. The U.S. Justice Department used the perk of keeping Social Security benefits to persuade Nazi suspects to leave the country.
The House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Finance Committee have jurisdiction over Social Security.
The No Social Security for Nazis Act was sponsored by Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-Texas) and ranking member Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) in the House. In the Senate, Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced an identical companion bill.