Gregory Korte

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The White House left no doubt Monday that President Obama would veto a bill allowing victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to sue Saudi Arabia in federal courts, saying it would undermine the president's authority to conduct foreign policy and would expose U.S. interests to be sued in foreign courts.

A veto — which would be the 12th of Obama's presidency — could set the table for his first veto override. The bill passed both chambers by voice vote, suggesting near unanimous support in Congress.

The White House has threatened a veto of the bill before, but the latest statement — coming on the heels of House passage of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act last Friday — was its most definitive to date. "The president does intend to veto this legislation," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday.

The bill was inspired by victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks, and its passage was timed to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the attacks on Sunday.

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It would narrow the the definition of sovereign immunity in federal law,, authorizing courts to hear lawsuits against foreign countries for for injuries, death, or damages from acts of terrorism by officials of that country. The most immediate effect of the bill would be to allow lawsuits against Saudi Arabia, which — according to recently declassified pages from a 9/11 commission report — had several connections to the 9/11 hijackers.

Earnest made two arguments against the bill: It would allow different judges in multiple venues to make separate determinations about whether a country is a state sponsor of terrorism — a designation now made by the State Department. And it could potentially lead other countries to retaliate, making U.S. companies, citizens and members of the military subject to lawsuits in foreign courts.

"The principle of sovereign immunity protects the United States as much as any other country in the world, given how much the us is involved in the world," Earnest said. "So the president feels quite strongly about this, and our concern is not limited to the impact it would have with our relationship with one country."

The sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said on the Senate floor Monday that he's "confident" that Congress will override Obama's veto of the bill.

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Contributing: Erin Kelly and Brian Tumulty.