U.S. Congress Overrides Obama's Veto on Saudi Arabia Lawsuit Bill

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives decisively overturned President Barack Obama's veto of a bill that allowed the survivors of the September 11 attacks to sue the Saudi government. According to a Reuters report, the Senate voted on Wednesday, October 7, with 97 senators voting to override the veto against only one senator opposing it. The U.S. President had warned that passing such a measure would harm U.S. interests and lead to a backlash from Washington's allies. However, only Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic minority leader, voted against the bill in line with the Obama administration. The report states that Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's running mate in the U.S. presidential election, and Bernie Sanders, a former rival of Clinton, did not participate in the vote. Following the Senate, the House of Representatives also managed to override Obama's veto with more than two-thirds of the votes, marking the first time this has occurred during his eight years in office. In the House, 338 representatives voted to override Obama's veto against only 4. Obama had vetoed the congressional bill just four days prior. The bill allows the families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks to sue Riyadh due to the potential involvement of elements linked to the Saudi government in these attacks. Despite the Obama administration's opposition, the bill was passed in the Senate in late May of this year and subsequently in the House on September 20, but after Obama's veto, the Senate decided to vote on it again. The Saudi government, considered one of Washington's main allies in the Middle East, has strongly opposed this bill. Fifteen of the 19 perpetrators of the September 11 attacks were Saudi nationals, although Riyadh strongly denies any connection to the Saudi government.