The White House has signaled President Barack Obama would veto the proposed law over concerns that it could open the USA up to similar lawsuits from other countries. “The president feels quite strongly about this”. The Obama administration had counted on a firewall in the House against the bill.
Advertisement
It has breezed through both House and Senate without roll call votes. The Senate approved the legislation in May.
The concept of sovereign immunity is one that protects the United States as much as any other country in the world, given the way the United States is engaged in the world. Saudi Arabia has also lobbied against the bill.
It is unclear what the effect on the already strained US-Saudi relationship would be if the bill became law, but Saudi officials have reportedly warned that they would liquidate their US assets to shield them from legal action.
Harsh exchanges in recent days between Saudi Arabia and Iran over Riyadh’s running of the haj have further heightened emotions, after the two countries failed to agree on arrangements to allow Iranian pilgrims to take part. The president “has a pretty persuasive case to make”, the spokesman said. It also allows Americans to direct financial damage claims against those who funded the attacks.
“I think that’s possible”, Earnest said. Brett Eagleson of Middletown, whose father Bruce was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center, urged the President not to veto the legislation. Saudi Arabia has threatened to collapse the US Treasury market in retaliation.
However, a presidential veto can ultimately be overridden by a two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress. The Senate has been aiming to leave Washington as soon as this week, before that deadline, and the House next week, and lawmakers would not be in Washington again until after the November 8 elections. It would be a first for the Obama Administration.
Foremost on the agenda, Obama said, is averting a partial federal government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year on September 30. That effort has been complicated by Republican Party infighting over how long to extend funding.
But in Congress, the bill has strong support. “It hasn’t been presented to him yet”, Earnest added.
The budget issue appears on track to get resolved in tandem with a compromise on Zika funding in the coming weeks. Those provisions would have restricted any of the money from going to affiliates of Planned Parenthood in Puerto Rico.
The Senate sent the bill to Obama on Monday night, giving him a 10-day window to veto the measure that would end on Sept 23.
Advertisement
If Obama does veto the bill, Congress may have the necessary votes to override his veto.
