The United States House of Representatives voted late on Thursday, 10 December, by a majority in favor of the defense budget bill, which includes a provision to repeal the Caesar Act imposed on Syria.
Mohammed Alaa Ghanem, Director of Policy at the Syrian American Council, said on his account on the X platform that the House approved the Department of Defense budget for 2026, including a clause for the unconditional repeal of the Caesar Act, with 312 votes in favor and 112 against.
Ghanem added that, after its passage in the House of Representatives, the bill now moves to the Senate, which is scheduled to vote on it next week, before it is sent to the US President’s desk for signature.
He pointed out that the vote in the House was “the hardest step”, adding, “A thousand congratulations to Syria, a thousand congratulations to Syrians, a 2026 without sanctions.”
The vote by Congress on the final text of the annex repealing the law would allow it to become legislation under which US sanctions on Syria are lifted fully and permanently before Christmas.
According to a draft document prepared under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), lifting the law requires a review of the situation in Syria every 180 days over a period of four years, to ensure that Damascus is taking appropriate measures.
The article specifies the areas in which the Syrian government must make progress, namely:
- Working with the United States to eliminate the Islamic State group and prevent its return
- Removing foreign fighters from senior positions in the government and security services
- Protecting religious and ethnic minorities and ensuring their fair representation
- Refraining from any unjustified military action against neighboring states
- Implementing the 10 March agreement (between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF), including its security and political provisions
- Combating money laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation activities
- Prosecuting individuals responsible for “serious” human rights violations since 8 December 2024
- Taking verifiable steps to stop the production and trafficking of narcotics, including Captagon
Abdul Hafiz Sharaf, a member of the Syrian American Council, said that after the bill cleared the House, it is now heading back to the Senate because there are some amendments to the budget bill unrelated to Syria, which means there could be another vote in the Senate on the budget as a whole, not specifically on Syria.
Sharaf added that the repeal of the law “will pass automatically and then reach the US President’s desk for his final signature,” according to what was reported by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Suspension of Caesar
The US Departments of the Treasury and Commerce had previously announced an extension of the partial suspension of the implementation of Caesar Act sanctions for a period of 180 days.
A joint statement by the two departments, issued on 10 November, said the decision replaces the previous waiver issued on 23 May, noting that the new suspension halts the enforcement of most sanctions imposed under the law, with the exception of those involving financial or commercial transactions with Russia and Iran.
The statement came after the visit of Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to the White House, the first such visit by a Syrian president.
The statement explained that this step aims to “open space for US and international companies and institutions to engage in economic and development projects in Syria”, while at the same time maintaining “restrictions related to countries and entities subject to separate US sanctions”.
“The United States remains committed to supporting a united, stable, and peaceful Syria. Lifting sanctions will allow for rebuilding the economy and achieving prosperity for all citizens, including ethnic and religious minorities, and enhancing counterterrorism efforts,” the statement said.
It stressed that sanctions remain in place on what it described as “the worst of the worst”, including Bashar al-Assad and his inner circle, human rights violators, Captagon traffickers, and regional actors destabilizing the region, while the US government continues to review Syria’s designation as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism”.
What is the Caesar Act?
The Caesar Act is a bill passed by the US House of Representatives on 15 November 2016, and signed into law by then US President Donald Trump on 21 December 2019, during his first term.
The law mandates sanctions on anyone who provides support to the former Syrian regime, and obliges the President of the United States to impose sanctions on states allied with the ousted president Bashar al-Assad.
The law covers all entities that provide military, financial, or technical support to the former regime, whether companies, individuals, or states, including Russia and Iran, and targets anyone who funds or carries out reconstruction projects in Syria.
The law is named after the Syrian military defector Farid al-Madhhan, known by the code name “Caesar”, who smuggled out 55,000 photographs of 11,000 detainees in 2014, killed under torture. The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) confirmed the authenticity of the images, which stirred global public opinion at the time and were displayed in the US Senate.
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