WASHINGTON — A bill that would block suspected Nazi war criminals from receiving Social Security benefits is heading to President Obama for his signature.
By voice vote late Thursday, the Senate approved a measure that would shut a loophole allowing suspected Nazis to be paid millions of dollars in benefits.
Under the No Social Security for Nazis Act, benefits would be terminated for suspects who have lost their American citizenship, a step called denaturalization. US law currently requires a higher threshold — a final order of deportation — before Social Security benefits can be stopped.
The legislation was introduced after an Associated Press investigation revealed that Social Security benefits have been paid to dozens of former Nazis after they were forced out of the United States.
The House unanimously approved the bill on Tuesday.
The legislation united Republicans and Democrats, who expressed outrage that US taxpayers were unwittingly financing the retirement of individuals who participated in the Third Reich’s atrocities during World War II.
The White House said Friday it agreed with the thrust of the legislation and is reviewing the bill. A Justice Department spokesman, Peter Carr, said the department supports the goal of terminating federal public benefits for individuals found to have participated in the Nazi persecution during World War II.