Sen. Cruz Issues Statement on President Obama's Threat to Veto Legislation Benefiting Victims of 9/11

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s threat to veto the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which would allow American victims of terrorism to obtain compensation in federal courts from foreign governments responsible for acts of terror committed in the United States. 

“The United States is in a deadly struggle with radical Islamic terrorists—an enemy that routinely engages in violence against innocent civilians with the goal of imposing Sharia law on non-believers. We must use every available tool to defeat this threat, including discrediting the ideology of radical Islam and depriving it of financial support. One such tool is to allow civil lawsuits against the sources of funding for the terrorists by their victims. Not only do these lawsuits compensate the victims, they discredit terrorist ideology and discourage future financial support of terrorism as well.  

“JASTA is critical because it closes legal loopholes that allow state sponsors of terrorist attacks on U.S. soil to escape liability from these suits. Simply put, these loopholes are a travesty. Justice demands that terror victims be empowered to hold foreign governments, no less than the terrorists themselves, accountable for causing murder and mayhem in our country. 

“Congress should be commended for passing JASTA, and if President Obama makes good on his veto threat, I support keeping the Senate in session so we can vote on an override. We have no more pressing business than ensuring that American victims of terrorism, first and foremost the 9/11 families, are able to find justice.”

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