‘No Social Security for Nazis Act’ Nears Passage

by Austin Petersen
By Rachel Stoltzfoos

Democrats and Republicans in the House voted 420-0 Tuesday to stop writing Social Security checks to Nazi war criminals.

“It’s pretty self-explanatory. American taxpayers should not be awarding Social Security benefits to Nazis,” said Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady, who serves on the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, in a statement following the vote. “End of story.”

Following World War II, the Justice department’s Nazi-hunting unit — the Office of Special Investigations — used Social Security benefits as a bargaining chip to convince some suspected Nazi war criminals to willingly leave the country. Otherwise, the OSI would have had to go through a costly and sometimes lengthy legal battle, and find another country willing to take the Nazis in. (RELATED: US Taxpayers Are Funding Nazi War Criminals Retirements)

As a result, dozens of suspected Nazi criminals have received and continue to receive Social Security benefits. As of 1999, 28 suspected Nazi war criminals kicked out of the United States received $1.5 million in Social Security benefits, reported the AP.

Previous attempts to close the loophole that allowed the payments to happen were thwarted, in part because influential Jewish groups and the Justice Department argued the OSI needed the tool in order to fulfill its mission of finding and ridding the country of Nazis.

The No Social Security for Nazis Act is one step closer to becoming law.

Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

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