But Obama’s staff on Monday confirmed that the bill to allow relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for compensation would be vetoed by the president.
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President Obama is expected to veto a bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Monday.
The White House has said that Mr Obama would veto the bill.
“There is now a list of countries that are state sponsors of terrorism – it’s something that is made public by the federal government, and the impact is serious”, Earnest said.
White House officials said the president intends to discuss legislative priorities for the fall session, a time when most in Washington expect there is little chance for major legislation as the nation nears the conclusion of the 2016 presidential campaign. “I urge the president to sign this bill into law”. A veto showdown opens the possibility of the first veto override of Obama’s presidency.
Analysts believe that Obama will face a huge legislative battle in the upcoming days against the Congress on the case of JASTA, which would remove sovereign immunity, preventing lawsuits against governments, for countries found to be involved in terrorist attacks on USA soil.
“Congress has unanimously spoken”, Buchanan said in a statement, referring to a voice vote on Friday. 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.
During the White House press briefing with reporters, Earnest reiterated the president’s concerns about upsetting ties with top Middle East ally Saudi Arabia, where numerous 9/11 hijackers were from. “I hope for their sake that the Administration will rethink vetoing this bill”, Sen.
“Such laws will negatively affect the global efforts and worldwide cooperation to combat terrorism”, said the Emirates Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to the state news agency WAM.
Saudi Arabia, however, is a US military ally. Earnest also said that the bill has not yet been presented to the president.
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Nonetheless, lawmakers had been under pressure from victims’ families to pass the bill before Sunday’s 15th anniversary of the attacks. A showdown between Obama and the Congress on the issue will make it impossible for Clinton to avoid taking a clear stand.
