House moves to stop benefits for ex-Nazis
WASHINGTON – Suspected Nazi war criminals would be blocked from receiving Social Security benefits under a bill unanimously approved Tuesday by the House.
The measure would shut a loophole that allowed suspected Nazis to be paid millions of dollars in benefits. Under the bill, benefits would be terminated for Nazi suspects who have lost their American citizenship, a step called denaturalization. U.S. law currently mandates a higher threshold – a final order of deportation – before Social Security benefits can be stopped.
The legislation was introduced after an Associated Press investigation published in October revealed that Social Security benefits have been paid to dozens of former Nazis after they were forced out of the United States.
AP’s investigation found that the Justice Department used a legal loophole to persuade Nazi suspects to leave the U.S. in exchange for Social Security benefits.
USS Arizona survivors head to reunion
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Four of the remaining nine USS Arizona survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack are vowing this year’s anniversary won’t be their final reunion.
The men in their 90s gathered for a news conference Tuesday in a building overlooking the Arizona memorial.
Even though it’s the last official survivor gathering of the USS Arizona Reunion Association, the men said they still plan to get together, even if not in Hawaii.
Sunday marks the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese attack that killed roughly 2,400 sailors, Marines and soldiers.
Judge hears plan for settlement funds
WASHINGTON – More than $380 million in government dollars left over from a federal discrimination settlement with American Indians is in limbo amid disagreements over how the money should be spent.
U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on Tuesday reviewed a proposal to form a new foundation to help American Indian farmers with the large amount of money unexpectedly left over after the Obama administration settled a class-action lawsuit in 2011. The farmers said they had lost out on decades of farm loans because of government discrimination.
If the judge approves the foundation, it could be the largest charity that Indian country ever has seen.
Associated Press
