US House of Representatives approves bill to sue Saudi Government

House to vote on September 11 legislation as veto threat looms The House is scheduled to vote on a bipartisan bill that would allow families of September 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia.

The House of Representatives passed the bill by voice vote on Friday, months after the Senate passed it in May and two days before the 15th anniversary of the 2001 attacks that killed almost 3,000 Americans, CNN reported. Passage of the bill today (Friday) sets the stage for a showdown with the White House on the eve of the 15th anniversary of the attacks. However, supporters of the measure feel strongly that they have the required two-thirds majority to override such a veto. In fact, the usually reliable White House ally, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, even issued a statement on Friday calling on the President to sign the bill. “That continues to be true”.

The House of Representatives held a voice vote on legislation that the Senate approved in May. “It’s time to make this bill a reality, and I hope the President will sign it into law”.

The legislation gives victims’ families the right to sue in US court any elements of the Saudi government that may have played a role in the 2001 terrorist attacks that killed thousands of Americans. Currently, such a suit would be impossible under United States law. The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, has warned lawmakers that if the bill became law, the country would sell $750 billion in United States assets, including treasury securities.

The threat of individuals suing the United States overseas over drone strikes seems to be one of the chief concerns among critics.

But two months ago Congress released 28 declassified pages from a report that reignited concerns a few of the attackers had links to Saudi government officials.

There’s no proof any Saudi Arabian official was involved in the attacks, but there’s always been speculation that the attackers were supported by the government. The White House has expressed opposition to the measure.

“I know that the advocates of this legislation have suggested that they have taken into account our concerns by more narrowly tailoring the legislation”, Earnest said.

“We believe there needs to be more careful consideration of the potential unintended consequences of its enactment before the House considers the legislation”, the official said. These efforts have largely been stymied, in part because of a 1976 law that gives foreign nations some immunity from lawsuits in American courts.

Under current law, victims of terror attacks can only sue countries officially designated by the State Department as sponsors of terrorism, such as Iran and Syria.

Riyadh has never been formally implicated in the 11 September 2001 attacks.