House Passes Bipartisan Legislation Sponsored by Meng, Despite Increased Partisan Wrangling Over Government Shutdown

As partisan wrangling in Congress increases the chance of a government shutdown, the House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) that in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in Benghazi aims to better protect the lives of American diplomats serving overseas.

The measure, which Meng introduced last March in response to the attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, was approved early this morning as part of the State Operations and Embassy Security Act, the bill which funds the United States Department of State.

Meng’s legislation – introduced with Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) – would increase accountability of State Department employees by providing the Secretary of State with more power to discipline personnel who put diplomats in danger.

After the Benghazi attacks, an independent committee that reviewed the incident found that poor performance of State Department staff contributed to inadequate security at the consulate there. But despite this conclusion, the panel was unable to recommend disciplinary action against any employees because the law requires that their actions be a “breach of duty,” a standard which is extremely difficult to prove.

“I applaud my colleagues in the House for approving legislation that contains this very important provision,” said Meng. “Making it easier for the Secretary of State to hold State Department employees more accountable for their actions is a critical step to ensuring that tragedies like Benghazi never occur again.”

Meng introduced the legislation after then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requested the measure when she testified about the Benghazi attack in January during Meng's first Congressional hearing as a new Member of Congress.

The State Operations and Embassy Security Act passed the House 384 to 37. The measure now heads for a vote in the Senate, and if approved by the chamber, it would be sent to President Obama so that it could be signed into law.

The approval of Meng’s legislation marks the second time this year that the House passed legislation sponsored by the freshman Congresswoman. The first was her measure to make houses of worship damaged by Hurricane Sandy eligible for federal disaster aid, which the House passed in February, just six weeks after she was sworn-in as a new member of Congress.

The attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, took place on September 11, 2012.

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