Backers of a 9/11 bill and family members of those lost in the attacks are urging the United States government to ignore economic threats from Saudi Arabia that aim to block the legislation, and are calling for the release of 28 pages of a Senate report that could shed light on the kingdom’s involvement in the terrorist plot.

“I think our first duty is to make sure the families and the loved ones that we lost on 9/11 receive justice and receive the truth,” said U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch.

“I would say, release the 28 pages from investigation and pass the 9/11 act and let them recover in whatever way they can.”

Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir issued the warning to lawmakers last month that Saudi Arabia would sell up to $750 billion in U.S. assets if Congress passes a bill allowing families of victims of terrorist attacks to sue foreign governments, The New York Times reported yesterday.

The bipartisan bill, called the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act,” is co-sponsored by Democratic U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican.

But the threats should not be a consideration in passing the bill, Lynch said, and lawmakers should not “be dissuaded from doing our duty.”

Lynch added that Saudi Arabia, fraught with threats against the royal family and the ongoing conflict in Yemen, “needs us more than we need them.”

“It sounds a little bit like extortion,” Lynch said.

“But I say let’s call their bluff.”

Lynch has consistently pushed to declassify 28 pages from the U.S. Senate report on the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that reportedly deal with Saudi Arabia’s role in the plot.

Saudi officials have denied that its government had any role in the attacks, and the 9/11 Commission did not find evidence of involvement. But 15 of the 19 hijackers who used commercial jets on Sept. 11, 2001, came from Saudi Arabia.

Terry Strada, a New Jersey native whose husband, Tom, was killed in the 9/11 terror attacks, echoed Lynch’s doubts about the power behind Saudi’s threats in an interview with CNN.

“Do the Saudis really have that much influence on our government? Are they really calling the shots in Washington, D.C.? Are we really not able to pass legislation in our Congress because of the Saudis?” she asked. “It’s unbelievable.”

She also called for the release of the report, which she said President Obama has promised in the past.

“The 9/11 families have a right to know this, and so do the American people,” she said. “Please stand by your promise and let’s get the truth out there.”