Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in order to close my part of this debate on the bill, I want to reiterate that, though I strongly oppose the JUST Act--it is smoke and mirrors and it gives you the feel-good moment and provides no justice for survivors, in spite of its fancy name--I do believe that my colleagues do have good intentions and they want to see Holocaust survivors finally get the justice that has for so long evaded them. Their words and their remarks are heartfelt. They just don't apply to this bill. They would more rightly apply to the bill that I have and that I hope this body will soon take up. In fact, this body took action last Congress when the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016, or the HEAR Act, was passed and signed into law. This was an important bill. It actually helped. That bill allowed for civil claims or causes of action for the recovery of artwork stolen from Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust. In other words, we have acted to ensure that Holocaust victims can bring claims in U.S. courts to recover their looted artwork and other possessions. They can have their day in court, and I am glad for it. If you lost a famous painting and there have been movies and books written about it, you can have your day in court. That is wonderful.…”