President Barack Obama is expected to veto a bill that would permit victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue the government of Saudi Arabia, the White House announced on Monday (12 September). “That is still the plan”, Earnest said.
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Saudi Arabia is a longstanding U.S. ally but it was also home to 15 of the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed almost 3,000 people.
The US House of Representatives approved the legislation last Friday, following earlier passage by the Senate. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “If they’ve done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about”.
Richard Durbin, another Senate Democrat, said “We’re all on the record supporting it, so at this point I think it’s a heavy lift for the president to have his veto sustained”.
“That’s not an effective, forceful way for us to respond to terrorism”, Earnest said.
Earnest made two arguments against the bill: It would allow different judges in multiple venues to make separate determinations about whether a country is a state sponsor of terrorism – a designation now made by the State Department.
“It only applies to acts of terrorism that are supported or funded or planned by a foreign government”, King said.
“That was a concern we have expressed to members of Congress in both parties, ” he said.
The Saudi government, which has denied any involvement in the September 11 attacks, has warned that it might liquidate hundreds of billions of dollars worth of USA assets if the bill becomes law, which many experts believe to be a false threat.
But the Texas Republican said Obama should act quickly to return the legislation to the Capitol. “It has not been presented to him yet”, Earnest added. Overriding a veto requires a recorded vote in support from two-thirds of lawmakers in each chamber. “I hope for their sake that the administration will rethink vetoing this bill”.
Long-sought provisions to provide money to deal with Zika look likely to be added to a must-pass spending bill to fund the government through December 9.
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However since 2016 is an election year not only for the White House but also for many members of Congress, it’s highly unlikely any such vote would take place before Election Day on November 8.
