On Friday, the United States House of Representatives unanimously voted in support of Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, allowing families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to sue Saudi Arabia.
In May, the bill was also unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate. This means the bill will now go to President Barack Obama to either be signed or vetoed. Here are 5 things to know about the act, its origins and what it means.
1. President Obama will likely veto the legislation
"I do anticipate the president would veto this legislation when it is presented to him," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Monday, according to Reuters .
"It's not hard to imagine other countries using this law as an excuse to haul U.S. diplomats or U.S. service members or even U.S. companies into courts all around the world."
The U.S. president has up to 10 days after legislation is passed to use his veto before it automatically becomes law, if congress remains in session. If congress goes out of session before the 10 day deadline passes, the president can use a "pocket veto," meaning he does nothing and the legislation does not become law. However, even if the president uses his veto, the congress may have enough votes to override his decision.
2. GCC leaders have strongly criticized the legislation
"Such laws will negatively affect the international efforts and international cooperation to combat terrorism," GCC secretary general Abdullatif Al Zayani said, according to The National .
"This law is not equal with the foundations and principles of relations among states, and represents a clear violation given its negative repercussions and dangerous precedents," United Arab Emirates' Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed said.
3. Until now, only countries officially designated by the U.S. as state sponsors of terrorism could be legally sued
This legislation dates back to 1976. Otherwise, countries are protected by sovereign immunity. Many families of 9/11 victims have attempted to sue Saudi Arabia but have been blocked by existing law. During the ongoing U.S. election cycle, pressure has grown significantly to reevaluate this position.
4. 15 of the 19 attackers involved with the 9/11 attacks were from Saudi Arabia
A report by the U.S. investigative 9/11 Commission found that the Saudi state did not play a role in the attacks. However, a report partially declassified earlier this year showed suspicious, although unverified, links between some of the attackers and several low-level Saudi officials in the U.S.
5. Saudi Arabia has previously threatened to liquidate its assets in the U.S. if the legislation goes into effect
This amount is estimated to be worth upwards of $750 billion. This threat brought officials from the U.S. Department of State and the Pentagon to urge lawmakers to avoid passing the legislation, saying it could cause economic uncertainty as well as diplomatic fallout.
