WASHINGTON (AP) – Key Senate Republicans are divided over a GOP senator’s bill that would allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia.
In a political twist, Democrats firmly back the legislation even though it puts them at odds with the White House.
President Barack Obama is visiting Saudi Arabia amid the kingdom’s threats to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s bill is enacted. The legislation from Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, has sparked a veto threat from the White House, which believes the bill could expose Americans overseas to legal risks.
The unease among Republicans over Cornyn’s bill mirrors that of an administration they are frequently at odds with on foreign policy issues.
Separately, the Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for families of victims of the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut and other attacks linked to Iran to collect nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian funds. The court’s 6-2 ruling directly affects more than 1,300 relatives of victims of such attacks, including several who have been seeking compensation for more than 30 years. The Beirut bombing killed 241 U.S. service members.