American People Support 9/11 Victims Bill

Today on the Senate floor I discussed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which passed the House unanimously last week and passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year. 

It's important for us to send a message that that evil shall not prevail. Americans from all backgrounds came together in a beautiful display of patriotism and fraternity following that terrible day of September 11th, 2001. And of course, following those attacks the United States took military and diplomatic action to bring justice not only to those families but to demonstrate the consequences of attacking the American homeland.

But the truth is, the victims and their families still don't have the ability to get justice from the people, including the governments, who helped fund those terrorist attacks. And that's where the bill -- the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act -- comes into play because if this legislation is signed by the President, it will become the law of the land.

This law is one that's designed to make sure that these families who are still grieving and still don’t have closure will be able to seek justice in a court of law against the people who killed their loved one on September 11th. This is a bipartisan bill.

The American people, through their elected representatives, have been clear in their support for this legislation. Unfortunately, President Obama has already threatened to veto it, and for what reason I simply am at a loss to say. But I want to point out, this veto threat isn't about a President and his soured relationships with Congress; it's about the victims of 9/11 who've made clear that they deserve to have this avenue of justice made into law.

These victims have certainly been through a lot, and they certainly have the strength of their conviction, and I admire the courage that they display every single day to get up in the morning and go on about their lives in the aftermath of so much loss and so much tragedy. The least we can do is to make JASTA law so that they and others in the future can have access to the courts and a path to justice.