The Media Line: President Trump Signs HEAR Act Expanding Path To Recover Nazi-Looted Art  

President Trump Signs HEAR Act Expanding Path To Recover Nazi-Looted Art  

By The Media Line Staff  

President Donald J. Trump signed the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act into law on April 13, 2026, marking what supporters described as a major step to strengthen efforts to return artwork looted from Jews during the Holocaust.  

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), which prioritized the legislation during the 119th Congress, said the bill received bipartisan backing in the Senate and House of Representatives.   

The organization pointed to the involvement of Sen. John Cornyn, who helped advance and strengthen the measure, along with Congresswoman Laurel Lee, and Sen. Ted Cruz, who supported the effort.  

Joel Greenberg, President of Art Ashes, said the law ensures continued accountability for Holocaust-era crimes. “Holocaust crimes can never be forgotten; and, with its passage, will not be erased by time. We are grateful for the bipartisan legislative process, including the White House, that has ensured a fair and just path to restitution for Holocaust survivors and their families.”  

The HEAR Act builds on a 2016 law and is intended to expand access to justice for victims and their heirs. It limits the use of procedural defenses, including those tied to the passage of time or concealment, and restricts reliance on foreign legal frameworks that have complicated restitution claims.  

RJC CEO Matt Brooks said the timing of the signing, on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, added significance to the measure. “It is deeply meaningful that on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, President Trump signed the HEAR ACT—landmark legislation to extend and improve the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016—into law,” he said.  

Brooks said the legislation supports families who have pursued claims for decades. “The HEAR Act empowers family members, who have fought for decades, to recover artwork stolen from Jews by the Nazi regime during the Second World War.”  

He also praised the president’s role in enacting the law. “President Trump has consistently proven to be the best friend of the Jewish people ever to occupy the Oval Office, and his signature today ratifies the truth: the passage of time can never diminish the injustice of crimes committed by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust.”