The Eyes Through a Bill On Capitol Hill

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) is a piece of legislation co-sponsored by Senator Chuck Schumer of NY and Senator John Cornyn of TX in the Senate, and represented in the House by Congressmen Peter King of NY. JASTA is a bipartisan bill that clarifies existing anti-terrorism laws, specifically the foreign sovereign immunity act. Currently, the United States cannot sue a foreign nation due to their sovereign immunity limits, however JASTA alters this. JASTA allows the U.S. to sue any foreign nation if they are involved with aiding and abetting terrorism acts that are committed on US soil. Specifically, JASTA will allow a lawsuit to be brought to court between the US and Saudi Arabia. The US is suing Saudi Arabia for their involvement in the September 11th attacks almost 15 years ago. Saudi Arabia has been dismissed in the courts because of the misinterpretation of the laws, and that is where JASTA clarifies and corrects existing law.

My mother, Terry Strada, is the national chair of the 9/11 families and survivors united against terrorism. We lost our beloved husband and father, Tom Strada in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Tom worked on the 104th floor for Cantor Fitzgerald.

About 15 years ago after my father’s death my mom promised myself and my two brothers that she would one day “get the bad guys” that took our father from us. She made it her mission to find justice for our family and the other 2,995 souls that lost their lives on that horrific day. My mom joined the lawsuit against Saudi Arabia to sue them for their involvement in the attacks, and when the court began dismissing them on sovereign immunity, JASTA was formed. My mom joined the fight to pass JASTA two years following its creation. Four years later, JASTA is still not passed, however recently it has made extreme headway in Washington DC.

Last week JASTA was called for a unanimous consent through the Senate. This would mean the bill would be announced on the Senate floor, and without any objections, would pass through the Senate. Due to this exciting announcement, my mom and I traveled to DC to witness history. We were ushered through the Capitol to the Senate Hearing floor to witness Chuck Schumer and John Cornyn announce the bill, and hopefully, see it pass. It did. No ifs ands or buts, JASTA was pushed through Senate and sent to the House.

Shortly after the hearing, my mom and I attended a press conference with the senators in regards to announcing its passing and to ask questions about the bill. With new stations and reporters piled in the Capitol meeting room, Schumer and Cornyn expressed their gratitude for its passing. Any question that arose was quickly put down as the senators corrected any rumors about the bill.

The President of the United States has misinterpreted JASTA, and has come out on national television stating he would veto JASTA if it ever came to his desk. At the press conference, the senators were able to rebutt the president’s recent concerns that this law would open the door for other countries to sue us, when in reality, other countries are able to enact whatever laws they create whether JASTA is enacted or not. Another concern expressed was that JASTA would upset the Saudi government and would result in them taking out billions of dollars of US assets. In reality, that move is a hollow threat since removing all that money would ultimately crush their government, not ours. Schumer responded proudly, “If the Saudis did not participate in this terrorism, they have nothing to fear about going to court, If they did, they should be held accountable.”

My mom and I are beyond proud to be represented by Senator Schumer and Cornyn. Their commitment and passion for helping the 9/11 families find justice against the murder of our loved ones is truly a generous and American thing to do.

After the press conference my mom and I traveled through the senate to thank our sponsors and meet with officials in the House in order to gain their support. JASTA is on it’s way to finally becoming a law if passed through the House. Then it will be in the President’s decision to, hopefully, do the right thing. If it passed unanimously through the senate, and hopefully the house, there should be no debate about enacting it into law. However, if the president does veto it, we have strong backing that would hopefully result in an override from the Senate and House.
Traveling to Washington DC and being on the Senate Floor is truly a huge learning experience. I’m honored to be close acquaintances with successful senators and congressmen. I will continue to travel to DC to fight for this bill to pass, not only to honor my father, but all the other innocent souls that were lost that sunny Tuesday morning 15 years ago.