WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) called on President Obama to quickly fill empty seats on the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission (FCSC) so that victims of terror and their family members can receive the compensation they deserve. Currently, the Commission cannot function because only one of three commissioners is in place. As a result, more than 200 claims from victims of Libyan terrorism are pending.
The Federal Claims Settlement Commission is an independent agency within the Department of Justice. It was created in 1954 to adjudicate claims of U.S. nationals against foreign governments. Commissioners are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
A PDF of the Senators’ letter to President Obama can be found here: http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/ForeignClaims.pdf
Text of letter:
September 22, 2010
The Honorable Barack Obama President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We write to respectfully request the prompt nomination of two qualified and capable individuals to be commissioners on the Department of Justice Foreign Claims Settlement Commission.
As you know, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission plays a critical role in ensuring U.S. victims of terrorism receive the compensation they so rightly deserve. According to U.S. law, the Commission should be composed of a chairman and two additional commissioners. At least two members of the Commission are needed to constitute a quorum and process any claims.
We are concerned that currently the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission has only one commissioner and thus lacks a quorum and is unable to adjudicate submitted claims. This has completely halted the processing of any claims submitted by U.S. nationals against foreign governments. For example, there are currently over 200 claims from victims of Libyan terrorism awaiting adjudication. Many of the victims have waited years, even decades, to receive compensation for their injury or loss. We must do everything we can to facilitate the adjudication process.
As such, we urge you to promptly nominate two qualified and capable individuals to serve as commissioners on the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission and we look forward to considering these nominations in the Senate. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
FRANK LAUTENBERG
ROBERT MENENDEZ
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND
CHARLES SCHUMER
United States Senate