The Senate on Tuesday easily passed a bill President Obama opposes that would allow the families of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to sue the Saudi Arabian government.
The legislation passed by voice vote and encountered no objections from anyone in the Senate chamber, despite opposition from Obama and a strong signal recently from House Speaker Paul Ryan that the bill will go nowhere on the other side of the Capitol.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said if the House takes up and passes the bill, there would be enough support in the Senate to override a presidential veto.
“We would easily get [the two-thirds majority] should the president veto it,” said Schumer, the number-three Democrat.
Schumer co-sponsored the legislation with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the majority whip.
The bipartisan nature of the measure and the status of Schumer and Cornyn as top Senate leaders no doubt played a role in getting the bill passed quickly despite objections earlier this year.
“This is simply designed to provide theses families access to justice,” Cornyn said.
Schumer and Cornyn said the legislation was not aimed specifically at the Saudis, who are critical U.S. allies. But the families of the Sept. 11 attacks say they believe the Saudi government played role and want justice in court.
“If the Saudis did not participate in this terrorism they have nothing to fear about going to court,” Schumer said. “If they did, they should be held accountable. It’s that simple.”
The bill makes it possible for the families to sue the Saudi government over its alleged role in the Sept. 11 attacks. The government is currently protected under sovereign immunity, but the bill would provide an exception in cases where a government is tied to terrorist attacks that kill people on U.S. soil.
The Saudis, who maintain they played no role in the attacks, oppose the legislation and have threatened to liquidate their share of U.S. assets if it becomes law.
“I think it’s a hollow threat,” Cornyn said Tuesday. “What the Saudis would be doing by selling off their bonds is suffering a potential loss, which I don’t think they are inclined to do.”
Cornyn said the bill was modified slightly to abate the concerns raised by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a co-sponsor who feared the original language might make the United States liable for the actions of foreign fighters the military is training to fight the Islamic State. Graham lifted his opposition to the bill when the changes were made.
