The White House is strongly opposed to the legislation, known as the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act”, out of concerns it will open the floodgates and leave the US vulnerable to similar suits. Saudi Arabia doesn’t want to see this continue in the media or court.We’re going to prevail.
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If a two-thirds vote passes in both chambers of Congress, it would be the first override of a presidential veto to occur during Obama’s time in office.
Soon after the bill passed the House earlier this month, the Obama administration indicated the president would veto the bill.
In this photo taken September 22, 2016, President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington.
The bill’s proponents are disputing those concerns. The bill had sailed through both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support, clearing the final hurdle just days before the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that killed almost 3,000 people.
“If the President’s veto is overridden, then the ball would be in Saudi Arabia’s court and do they want to punish the American economy by changing the denomination of oil from dollars to some other currency?”
“I’ve worked with these families for a very long time, and I think they should have their day in court”, Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol. Previous attempts to overturn Obama’s vetoes have all been unsuccessful.
“This is a disappointing decision that will be swiftly and soundly overturned in Congress”.
In a letter to the Senate, the president said that the bill, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, would “neither protect Americans from terrorist attacks nor improve the effectiveness of our response to such attacks”.
But lawmakers who support the legislation say that if Saudi Arabia did nothing wrong, it should have nothing to fear in this law. It will deter terrorism and hold accountable those nations that support and fund it.
The bill, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, had triggered a threat from Saudi Arabia to pull billions of dollars from the United States economy if it was enacted.
Officials at the Saudi embassy in Washington weren’t immediately available for comment.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is at odds with Mr Obama over the legislation, saying through a spokesman she would sign the Bill if she were president.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has strongly opposed the bill, threatening to sell off $750 billion in American assets if it becomes law.
United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center complex in New York City during the September 11 attacks.
Obama argues that the measure would overturn long-standing principles of worldwide law that shield governments from lawsuits, potentially opening the United States to a raft of litigation in foreign countries.
Obama said it could lead to lawsuits against the US based off of the actions of an armed group that received USA equipment or training.
Still, members of both parties called for Congress to delay its planned override vote so that lawmakers could try to renegotiate the bill with the White House. The pages reignited speculation over links that at least a few of the attackers had to Saudis, including government officials.
Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal said he is confident U.S. congress will overwhelmingly override Mr Obama’s veto.
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Passing the bill by voice vote means there is no record of individual lawmakers’ positions on the measure. The override votes will likely take place next week..
