Congress Overrides Obama’s Veto of 9/11 Bill
The first override of Obama’s presidency
By Anthony Cardamone
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
IN THE FIRST VETO OVERRIDE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S 8-YEAR TENURE, Congress voted against the administration’s veto of legislation that would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi Arabian government, citing its alleged support of the terrorists who carried out the attacks.
The Senate voted 97-to-1, while the House of Representatives voted 348-to-77 to easily surpass the two-thirds mark necessary to override a veto.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), introduced by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will allow American courts to seize Saudi assets obtained by the 9/11 families in lawsuits. The bill’s text states that “it authorizes federal court jurisdiction over a civil claim against a foreign state for physical injury to a person or property or death that occurs inside the United States.” Essentially, JASTA ends legal protection for foreign governments from lawsuits in the United States.
“This is possibly the single most embarrassing thing the United States Senate has done possibly since 1983,” White House Press Secretary John Earnest said, referring to when the Senate overrode President Ronald Reagan’s veto of an Oregon lands transfer bill 95–0 in 1983. He also called the override “an abdication” of Congress’s responsibility.
JASTA is no friend to the White House. President Obama, in his veto message to Congress, wrote that JASTA “would be detrimental to U.S. national interests”, and enacting it would do nothing to protect Americans from future attacks nor the response to such attacks. He also writes that the bill would severely damage relations with Saudi Arabia, a strategic ally in the Middle East. Earnest cited concerns that foreign governments could introduce similar legislation in retaliation that would remove legal protections for American citizens and U.S. officials in foreign courts.
Despite the potential consequences, JATSA garnered much support with members of Congress not wanting to be seen opposing 9/11 families under any circumstances, especially during an election year. The bill originally passed Congress unanimously with no “nay” votes until 78 members took Obama’s advice to vote no on the override. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was the lone “nay” vote.
However, a day after the override, many members of Congress began to have doubts about JASTA. A letter was sent out to fellow members of Congress by 28 lawmakers stating there should be potential changes to the bill.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Congress might have to “fix” the legislation to protect U.S. officials, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged that there could be “potential consequences” of JASTA, and that it’s “worth further discussing”.
Congress’s Republican leadership blame Obama for their own indecisiveness on the bill, citing a lack of communication about JASTA’s consequences if enacted into law, despite Obama, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford, the Saudi government, and even the European Union all writing to Congress with warnings of the bill.
Looking forward, the bill may see some tweaks in Congress’s lame duck session after the November 8th elections, a move favored by the Saudi government. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says changes to JASTA could include limiting lawsuits by 9/11 families or creating a separate legal tribunal.
