The White House reiterated Monday its vow to veto legislation recently passed by the House that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia over the horrific attack.
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The Obama administration has expressed concern that the bill would set a president, putting the US government, soldiers, diplomats and even corporation in legal jeopardy in foreign courts. The president will likely veto a recent bill passed by Congress that allows relatives of 9/11 victims to sue foreign governments over the September 11 attacks.
“It’s not hard to imagine other countries hauling USA service members, US diplomats, and even USA companies into courts around the world”, said Earnest.
The Saudi-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has condemned a law passed by the USA that would allow families of victims of the September 11 attacks to sue the kingdom’s government for damages.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act was approved unanimously in the House last week, four months after Senate cleared it. The Senate agreed on a $1.1 billion Zika funding package in May, but the House passed an alternative $1.1 billion measure that Democrats oppose because it blocks funding to a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Puerto Rico.
“Unanimous passage of this bill, I believe, sends an unmistakable message that we will combat terrorism with every tool we have”, said Sen. Congressional leaders would then have to decide whether to hold floor votes to override his veto pen – which they have the numbers to easily do.
“I think that’s possible”, Earnest said.
“There’s been a lot of moralizing”, Earnest told reporters at the White House daily briefing.
Obama has served the longest period without a veto override of any president in more than a century. This news story is related to Print/150013-Gulf-states-voice-concern-over-US-911-bill/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
The draft bill would allow attack survivors and relatives of the victims of terrorism to pursue cases in United States federal court against foreign governments and to demand compensation if such governments are proven to bear some responsibility for attacks on United States soil.
“T$3 his bill would seek to prohibit any and all transfers of detainees, even where such transfers are conducted securely and responsibly and to further substantial United States national security interests”, the statement said. If they are successful, this would be the first time in Obama’s presidency.
But in Congress, the bill has strong support.
The bill would allow families to sue the Saudi Arabian government.
The veto comes on the heels of the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
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Earnest said that the law runs would run the risk of allowing individual courts to determine which countries sponsor terrorism, jeopardizing the system the federal government has in place.
