The bill has also received support from families of 9/11 victims who want nations like Saudi Arabia, where 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers originated from, to be held accountable.
According to NPR, versions of the bill have bounced around Congress since roughly 2009, but it hadn’t reached the legislative floor until this year.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said publicly that they believe Obama’s veto will be overridden, which requires a minimum of two-thirds of the Senate and then the House, but some have also done some last-minute lobbying against the override.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas — both members of the House Armed Services Committee and the latter being the chairman — issued a letter to lawmakers urging reconsideration, according to USA Today.
“We must work with other nations, even imperfect ones,” Thornberry wrote in the letter. “Requiring their government officials to participate in and give testimony in lawsuit —even when nothing has been proven— will create tensions and lead to less cooperation. I believe the net result will harm our security. ”
