WarSclerotic

House passes bill to let 9/11 families sue Saudi Arabia, Washington Examiner, Susan Ferrechio, September 9, 2016

The House on Friday cleared a Senate-passed bill that would make it easier for the families of the Sept. 11 terror attack victims to sue the Saudi Arabian government, which some suspect enabled the perpetrators.

The bill was approved by voice-vote, sending a strong signal toPresident Obama that votes are there to override a threatened veto.The House vote comes four months after House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., signaled it might not make it to the House floor because he disapproved of the bill. GOP aides said they decided to change course after consideration of the legislation and support for it by House lawmakers.

The vote occurred two days before the 15th anniversary of the attacks, which falls on Sunday this year.

The Senate passed the bill in May by voice vote, a signal that not one senator in the chamber opposed the bill.

Obama said he believes the bill would damage relations with the Saudis, who are key Middle East allies.

But with wide bipartisan support and sponsorship by the the top Democrat and Republican leaders in the Senate, Obama may lose this one.

The bill was authored by Sen. Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the No. 3 Democrat who is expected to become party leader in the Senate next year.

“We would easily get [the two-thirds majority] should the president veto it,” Schumer said when the Senate passed the bill.

Senate aides say the Obama administration has already tried lobbying Democrats to oppose the bill but has not switched a single vote.