Blumenthal & 9/11 Families Call on Congress to Stay in Session, Override Likely JASTA Veto
[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today called on Congress to stay in session in order to override the likely veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. Blumenthal joined nearly 100 family members of 9/11 victims at a press conference this afternoon to urge President Obama and Congress to allow justice for victims of terrorism.
Congress approved the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act by unanimous votes in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The legislation would allow victims of terrorism and their families to sue foreign actors that sponsor or support violent extremism. The White House has indicated that President Obama will veto the measure, which he must do by the end of the week.
“The strength and courage of the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 are really what drives this effort,” Blumenthal said. “Fifteen years ago, living through the horror of 9/11, our hearts were broken. But not our ideals or national resolve. One of those core ideals is the rule of law and justice. That’s what makes our country different. We believe that individual rights deserve protection, and that every individual deserves a day in court. That is the objective of this measure. I’m urging the president, as I did in a letter with my colleague, Senator Schumer, to sign this measure. It was unanimously passed and I believe it will be overwhelmingly approved again if need be.”
“For years, the families of the 9/11 victims have been fighting for JASTA, and we’re on the brink of making it the law of the land,” said Schumer, one of the legislation’s original authors. “The administration should rethink their planned veto of this bill but if they won’t, they ought to move quickly so that Congress has the chance to vote to override – the sooner the better. There will always be diplomatic concerns that get in the way of justice, but if the Saudis were complicit in 9/11, then they ought to be held accountable. If not, they have nothing to worry about.”
“In our quest for the truth, accountability, and justice for the murder of my husband, and the thousands of other innocent souls lost and injured, my colleagues and I have worked tirelessly with Congress for over four years advocating for the 9/11 families in support of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act,” said Terry Strada, National Chair of 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism, and the widow of Tom Strada, who was killed in the north tower of the World Trade Center. “All we are asking is for an opportunity to have our case heard in a courtroom. Members of Congress, we thank you for your unanimous mandate in passing JASTA and ask that you do not delay a second longer to override whatever veto may come.”
“My father always taught me to do the right thing,” said Kaitlyn Strada, who was four years old when her father, Tom, died. “Every day since my father was killed, this lesson has replayed in my head: ‘Do the right thing.’ Eventually I learned that part of doing the right thing means being accountable even when you do something wrong. As a child left fatherless at the hands of terrorism on 9/11, the pursuit of accountability for my father’s death has come to mean a great deal to me. This bill would give me, and thousands of other children who lost their parents on 9/11, the opportunity to see some degree of accountability. The veto should be overridden at first opportunity and we should not be forced to wait a day longer!”
Alison Crowther, the mother of Welles Crowther who worked in the South Tower and died while using his training as a volunteer firefighter to help others escape the tower, said, “We were ultimately able to learn that Welles saved many lives. He has been credited with the heroic action of making multiple trips from the 78th floor Sky Lobby of the South Tower, going down to the 61st floor, and back up again to the Sky Lobby to save more people. Welles has since become known around the world as the ‘man with the red bandana.’ That’s how people identified him when he was doing his work high up above the ground. I’ve come here today with other families of 9/11 victims in support of Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. If President Obama decides to veto JASTA, we trust that the Senate and House, who represent the will of the 9/11 families and the citizens of this country will stand by their unanimous conviction and override a veto of JASTA without delay.”
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