Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, earlier today, the Senate voted 97-1 to override the President's veto on the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. I rise to urge my colleagues to follow the Senate's action and vote to override this veto so that Americans may seek judicial redress against any foreign government that chooses to sponsor a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. The question that this veto override vote poses is whether we should allow those who harm our citizens to hide behind legal barriers that are required by neither the Constitution nor international law, or whether we should permit U.S. victims to hold those who sponsor terrorism in our country fully accountable in our courts. I think that the answer to this question is clear, and I hope that my colleagues will join me in overwhelmingly overriding the President's veto of JASTA. The changes JASTA makes to existing law are not dramatic, nor are they sweeping. JASTA amends the Anti-Terrorism Act to make clear that any person who aids, abets, or conspires with a State Department designated foreign terrorist organization is subject to civil liability for injury to a U.S. person. In addition, the legislation amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to add an exception to foreign sovereign immunity for acts of international terrorism sponsored by a foreign government that cause physical harm within the United States.…”