Gulf Arab states voice concern over Sept. 11 legislation

The Obama administration has maintained this stance [CNN report] as the legislation progressed through Congress.

“I would anticipate that the president will continue to explain his opposition to this legislation. up until Congress decides whether to override his veto”, Earnest said.

Earnest said the bill – which passed the House unanimously on Friday – has not yet been presented to the President. “The United States does not sponsor acts of terrorism in other countries”.

The bill would waive sovereign immunity for cases dealing with terrorist attacks on US soil. This could have exposed the U.S. to lawsuits in a number of countries.

Gulf nations on Monday expressed concern about Congress’s passage of legislation allowing Americans to sue Saudi Arabia for suspected links to al Qaeda terrorists and the 9/11 attacks, shortly after it sailed through Capitol Hill.

“The way this bill is now written exposes the US … to significant risks in courts across the world”, White House Press Secretary said at his daily briefing Monday.

A White House spokesman said in a briefing on Tuesday it had received the bill, but did not offer updates about timing of a veto. The Senate version boasts 24 co-sponsors, including such unlikely allies as Sen. The bill would revise immunity laws now sheltering Saudis from American lawsuits in USA courts, making it possible for the families to finally get justice, and its passage comes right around the 15th anniversary of the attacks. 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.

The White House first suggested the president would decline signing the bill into law citing complication in diplomatic relations. “And allowing this bill to come into law would increase the risk that they face”.

Speaking on the Senate floor in advance of the White House meeting, McConnell confirmed that he expected action by week’s end on a funding bill including Zika money.

Obama has used his veto power sparingly, only rejecting 10 bills. “We have made a lot of important progress already, ” McConnell said, adding that he expects “to discuss the progress and path forward” later at the White House.