But if Congress adjourns before the 10-day clock runs out, it could trigger a pocket veto – a constitutional quirk that allows a president to defeat a legislative proposal by holding onto it until Congress is out of session.
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The legislation was approved by the House on a voice vote after it unanimously cleared the Senate on a voice vote in May.
Because the 9/11 bill started in the Senate, leaders there are confident that the pro forma sessions will prevent anyone from arguing that Congress has legally “adjourned”, as defined by the Constitution.
One of the main grounds of the bill, called Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), is that 15 of the main perpetrators of those attacks were citizens of that Arab nation. Chuck Schumer of NY, according to The Hill.
In July, 28 previously classified pages of the 9/11 Commission Report on the topic of Saudi involvement were finally made public.
The war is pitting Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who are allied with army units loyal to a former president.
Recently unclassified documents detail contact and support between some of the hijackers and individuals who may have been connected to the Saudi government.
House lawmakers appealed to Obama not to veto the bill, saying it’s narrowly drawn and merely seeks to clarify 1996 legislation that allows families of terrorism victims and survivors who suffered injuries to sue for damages in federal court under an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976. If they were successful, it would be the first time Congress has overturned a veto under Obama. The Obama administration fears it could harm the country’s relationship with an important ally in the Middle East.
The bill’s passage comes before the 15th anniversary Sunday of the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.
“In fact what they [Congress] are doing is stripping the principle of sovereign immunities which would turn the world for worldwide law into the law of the jungle”, Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said in May in a statement”.
Saudi Arabia has criticized the bill that was passed in the Senate in May, also by a voice vote.
Sen. Schumer pushed back against the Obama administration’s concerns.
“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.
“I’m pleased the House has taken this huge step forward towards justice for the families of the victims of 9/11”, he added.
Earlier on Friday, the White House had reiterated that US President Barack Obama would veto the bill. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
“All we’ve ever wanted is accountability for 9/11, ” Strada said.
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She told the Washington Post: “You can campaign after, you will never have a chance to pass [the bill] again”.
