WHITE HOUSE: Senate override of 9/11 bill veto 'most embarrassing thing' lawmakers have done in decades

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Barack Obama

Astrid Riecken/Getty Images

Barack Obama.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Wednesday called the Senate's override vote on legislation that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia the "most embarrassing thing" the legislative body has done in decades.

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It's "the single most embarrassing thing the United States Senate has done possibly since 1983," he told reporters after news of the Senate's 97-1 vote broke earlier in the day.

It was not immediately clear what Earnest was referencing from 1983 and a White House spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for clarification.

The override attempt now goes to the House for a vote, where it is expected to pass. If passed, the legislation becomes law.

President Barack Obama vetoed the bill last week.

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