WGBH News: Congressman Seth Moulton: 9/11 Bill ‘Puts Our Diplomats And Our Troops In Danger’
October 3rd, 2016
By: Amanda McGowan
Last Wednesday, Congress voted 445-78 to override a presidential veto of a bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged involvement in the terror attacks.
Speaking before a Town Hall meeting in Fort Lee, Virginia that same day, President Obama called the override a “mistake” and a “political vote,” and said he wished that “Congress here had done what’s hard.”
Among those standing with the President was Congressman Seth Moulton, one of only two members of the Massachusetts delegation to vote against the override.
“This puts our diplomats and troops in danger,” Moulton told Boston Public Radio Monday.
“There’s a principle called ‘sovereign immunity’ where you don’t sue other states or state officials, and this throws it out the window. It means our troops overseas, our diplomats overseas, are now at risk of being arrested and thrown in prison in ways they never were before,” he continued.
The new law allows for lawsuits against foreign nations in federal court if those nations played a role in a terrorist attack that killed Americans on U.S. soil,according to the Washington Post. The White House had long opposed the bill, saying it could lead to retaliation by foreign governments against U.S. officials.
Almost immediately after the override, members of Congress seemed to indicate they regretted the decision. Both House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said changes to the law might be needed. McConnell went so far as to express concern about the law’s “unintended ramifications.”
Moulton said that, for now, the only option Congress has is to pass subsequent legislation muting the law’s impact.
“Of course we want to support 9/11 victims however we can, but in this case it’s amazing how quickly people have realized that this bill was a bad idea,” Moulton said.
Moulton said he recognized the difficult political situation the vote presented for his fellow members of Congress and expected to be criticized for it during his next election bid. But he stood by the vote.
“I’m not in Washington to do what’s easy,” Moulton said. “I’m there to do what’s right.”
Article here.
