US Senate votes to override Obama’s veto of 9/11 bill

Washington: The US Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to override Barack Obama’s veto of a bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, the first such rebuke of his eight-year presidency.

In a landmark 97-1 vote backing the override, only outgoing Obama ally, Nevada Democrat Harry Reid, voted against it, teeing up a similar vote in the House of Representatives later Wednesday. The rare act of bipartisanship is a severe blow to Obama, who lobbied hard against the bill, known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).

Obama has issued 12 vetoes during his presidency. Until now none have been overridden, a rare feat given Republicans’ longstanding control of Congress.

The White House argued the 9/11 bill would undermine the principle of sovereign immunity and open up the United States itself to lawsuits. PTI