Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I previously discussed how passing just a reporting requirement is not justice for survivors, never mind the title. It may be vigilance, but there will be no justice served for a single survivor when this body passes this bill and sends it to the President for his signature. Mr. Speaker, there is something even worse than not providing justice for survivors, and that is depriving them of justice. I want to talk about one of the principles in this bill that, while on the face of it, might read like it is a simple principle--perhaps it sounds like good, common sense--and this is what it does: This bill directs the Secretary of State to submit a report to Congress that assesses and describes the nature and extent that certain countries have gone to in order to meet the goals and objectives of the 2009 Holocaust Era Assets Conference. Again, it sounds reasonable. It is always good to hold countries accountable, especially when we are talking about seeking justice for Holocaust survivors. But one of the big flaws of the 2009 Conference, and what this bill does by asking the Secretary to report on how governments are complying with these goals, is that it enshrines a principle of running out the clock on survivors. The principle, which is specifically highlighted in this bill, the JUST Act, is the notion of allowing governments to use the assets of heirless property claims to provide for other survivors' needs.…”