The United States house of representatives voted Friday to pass a bill that would allow the families of victims of the 11 September terror attacks to sue Saudi Arabia's government for damages.

The legislation was passed by a voice vote in the chamber four months after it was approved by the senate and is symptomatic of a growing desire in Washing to re-examine it's alliance with the oil-rich kingdom which has, for decades, been treated as America's untouchable ally.

Ted Poe, a Republican congressmen from Texas who voted on the bill said the American government needs to be more concerned about the families of the Twin Towers victims than "diplomatic niceties".