House votes to bring contractors, like Blackwater, under U.S. law

October 4, 2007

Washington, DC - The U.S. House of Representatives voted 389-30 Thursday to bring private military contractors, such as Blackwater, overseas under U.S. law and make them accountable for their actions.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 389-30 Thursday to bring private military contractors, such as Blackwater, overseas under U.S. law and make them accountable for their actions.

The vote followed a warning from the White House that the measure would have "unintended and intolerable consequences" for national security. But its sponsor, Rep. David Price, D-N.C., said the bill would hold contractors "working in our name and on our dime" accountable for misconduct.

Currently the legal status of the shadowy security companies working independently of the US military in war zones is unclear and legally untested.

The bill would put contractors working for the U.S. government overseas under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which allows American courts to prosecute crimes committed overseas in war zones. But Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., said the bill could interfere with intelligence-gathering and expose "clandestine assets" to prosecutions that could expose ongoing operations.

Thursday's vote comes as Congress takes a closer look at the government's use of private security contractors like Blackwater USA. Blackwater chairman Erik Prince told a House committee Tuesday that the company supports Price's bill.