White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Monday that U.S. President Barack Obama will veto the controversial Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) passed by congress last week, setting up a showdown with Congress.
Earnest reiterated the White House’s fear that the measure would expose U.S. citizens to legal action overseas if foreign countries pass reciprocal measures. “This law actually opens up the United States to the risk of being hauled into court in countries around the world,” he said.
As Politico notes, once Congress sends the bill to Obama, the president has 10 days to veto the measure, not counting Sundays. “On this measure, an Obama veto message would be first sent to the Senate, which will technically remain in session even if senators aren’t in Washington in order to prevent the president from using a recess appointment to place Merrick Garland on the Supreme Court.”
“Since the Senate will be in session, leaders will have to set a date certain for a veto override once the chamber receives the presidential message. That date hasn’t been decided yet, but any such vote is widely expected after Nov. 8,” Politico reports.
Leaders in the GCC unanimously condemned the vote in Congress, which “flagrantly contradicts the principles of international law and the principle of sovereignty among countries as stated in UN Charter,” according to the Saudi Gazette. They also said the measure would actually hinder future efforts at cooperation against terrorist acts.
GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani said that JASTA would “negatively affect the international efforts and international cooperation to combat terrorism.”
But Senators and Congressmen on Capitol Hill – many in the midst of a tough election year – embraced the legislation as a rare bipartisan victory as the 15th anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks on the United States passed on Sunday.
“I find this argument unpersuasive. The United States does not engage in international terrorist activity,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), according to Politico. “We need not fear retaliation from another country. This is not the 1790s, the United States is a major power and can hold our own.”
