It now heads to President Barack Obama’s desk, just days before the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
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The concern is that the law could damage the U.S.’ relationship with Saudi Arabia and create a risky situation for American officials overseas.
The White House has not issues a specific veto threat, but an administration official said ahead of the House vote this week that they have “serious concerns” about the legislation as written.
In an interview on CNN Friday, Schumer said,”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”. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a co-sponsor of the Senate bill, said in a statement. On Sept. 9, The White House reiterated Obama’s stance after the House vote.
Currently, a law allows foreign countries to be sued if they are officially considered a state sponsor of terrorism, but Saudi Arabia doesn’t have that designation.
The Senate passed the bill in May by voice vote despite the strident objections from Saudi Arabia, a key USA ally in the Middle East. “Don’t let the president pocket veto the bill”, said Terry Strada, leader of the 9/11 Families United for Justice Against Terrorism, who lost her husband Tom Strada in the collapse of the World Trade Center’s north tower after it was hit by a hijacked airliner.
In response, the Saudi Embassy said that the national September 11 commission in 2004 had already rejected allegations that the Saudi government or Saudi officials had funded al Qaida.
The surviving terrorists involved in 9/11 have been held in military detention at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where they are awaiting trial. Passing the measure will now put the White House in the awkward position of making good on its threat to veto it.
Even if Mr. Obama vetoes the bill, it’s possible Congress might have the votes to override his veto.
Riyadh reportedly threatened earlier this year to pull hundreds of billions of dollars from the United States economy if the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act was enacted.
Saudi officials have long denied that the kingdom had any role in the plot of the 2001 terror attacks which killed almost 3,000 people in New York, Washington D.C area and Pennsylvania. The “28 pages” that were long secret also note suspicions about ties between the Saudi royal family and al Qaeda, though the documents also say the speculations have not been verified. Saudi Arabia is not just a major supplier of oil to the U.S., it is also one of its most important regional allies. In September, U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels of the Southern District of NY said the court lacked jurisdiction.
The vote’s timing was symbolic, passing two days before the 15th anniversary of the hijacked-plane attacks on NY and Washington.
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The Saudi Foreign Minister previously said that his country’s opposition to the bill was based on basic principles of sovereign immunity.
