Senate Passes ‘No Social Security for Nazis’ Bill
The U.S. Senate approved a bill that would end Social Security payments to former Nazis.
The No Social Security for Nazis Act passed Dec. 4 by voice vote. Having passed the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously earlier in the week, the bill now goes to President Obama for his signature.
It closes a loophole that had allowed ex-Nazis who lied about their past when immigrating to the United States — and had been identified and deported by the Justice Department — to continue receiving Social Security and other benefits.
It seems likely Obama will sign the bill, as the White House has encouraged bids to close the loophole.
News of the continued benefits came in October, when The Associated Press published an expose.
There are at least four living beneficiaries, including Jakob Denzinger, a former guard at Auschwitz. Denzinger, 90, lives in Croatia, where he receives approximately $1,500 a month in Social Security payments.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
