The House is expected to clear the bill, which was approved unanimously by the Senate in May.
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The vote to send the bill to the President comes two days before the 15th anniversary of the attacks that killed almost 3,000 Americans.
If Obama carries out that threat and the required two-thirds of both the Republican-majority House and Senate still support the bill, it would be the first time since Obama’s presidency began in 2009 that Congress had overridden a veto.
The White House had no comment on the House’s action Friday.
If the legislation is approved, other countries could pass similar legislation, opening up the potential for American officials to be sued in a foreign court.
“There are always diplomatic considerations that get in the way of justice, but if a court proves the Saudis were complicit in 9/11, they should be held accountable”, said Sen.
In this case, it would allow suits to proceed in federal court in NY as lawyers try to prove that the Saudis were involved in the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. “If they’ve done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about”.
The Saudi foreign minister personally visited Washington and told lawmakers Saudi Arabia would be forced to sell up to $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets if the law passes, because of the potential for USA courts to freeze the assets on behalf of 9/11 families.
The House is expected to vote on a bill that would let families sue Saudi Arabia in US courts.
The White House has signaled that Obama would veto the legislation over concerns about exposing Americans overseas to legal risks.
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Fifteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers who crashed airliners in NY, outside Washington and in Pennsylvania were Saudi nationals.
