Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Cornyn is the deputy GOP leader and Schumer is expected to become the Democratic leader in January. “But again I think the president’s words and deeds when it comes to standing up for the interests of 9/11 families speak for themselves”. If made into law, JASTA would allow Americans to sue foreign governments suspected of ties to terror attacks on U.S. soil. But he acknowledged that Obama’s stance could anger the families of Americans who perished in the terrorist attacks 15 years ago.
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The legislation gives victims’ families the right to sue in US court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed almost 3,000 people. “Why-such-suits-could-backfire-video” class=”local_link” target=”_blank”>passed by the Senate in May and the House on Friday, was originally conceived amid speculation that some Saudi officials had connections to attackers who had a hand in the attacks of 2001, which took the lives of nearly 3,000.
“I’m pleased the House has taken this huge step forward towards justice for the families of the victims of 9/11”.
“The president believes that it’s important to look out for our country, to look our for our service members, to look out for these diplomats and allowing this bill to come into law would increase the risk that it would face”, Earnest continued.
“That was a concern we have expressed to members of Congress in both parties, ” he said. If Obama vetoes the bill, then it will be sent once more for the congress to vote.
His remarks in the Oval Office, with the congressional leaders present, represented a marked shift in tone from a preview of the meeting provided by his spokesman just hours earlier.
Conservative opposition to the emerging budget deal remains, but negotiators worked through the weekend on the details.
The legislation could also further strain relations between Washington and oil-rich Saudi Arabia, which is wary of the Obama administration’s outreach to its regional rival, Iran. Those provisions would have restricted any of the money from going to affiliates of Planned Parenthood in Puerto Rico. The Senate has been aiming to leave Washington as soon as this week, before that deadline, and the House next week, and lawmakers would not be in Washington again until after the November 8 elections.
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House Speaker Paul Ryan had also said in April that the bill needed to be reviewed “to make sure we are not making mistakes with our allies and that we’re not catching people in this that shouldn’t be caught up in this”.
