The chairman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Republican Representative Brian Mast, said the United States is asking for actions from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, rather than what he described as “hollow” words.
Mast added that the United States hopes to see Syria become a country that contributes to stability in the region and the world, rather than a source of turmoil and crises. He said what is needed is a country that encourages refugees to return home, not one that triggers new waves of displacement.
During an official, open hearing to discuss Syria’s future and US policy in the post Bashar al-Assad period, on Tuesday , 10 February, Mast said Syria remains far from where it should be today.
He noted that the transition from the rule of the ousted regime president, Bashar al-Assad, to the current president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was not expected to occur without challenges or unrest. However, he said the scale of incidents Syria has witnessed in recent months is concerning, particularly violence against religious and ethnic minorities, as well as violations affecting civilians.
Mast said he met the Syrian president in November 2025 and discussed a set of thorny issues facing the country on its path toward peaceful democratic governance. Among the most prominent challenges, he said, is the continued presence of foreign fighters within Syrian security forces, some backed by Turkey. He also pointed to recent measures against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Washington’s long-term partner in counterterrorism.
Referring to the current Syrian president’s background, the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman said his past as a former al-Qaeda fighte remains a point that raises serious concerns.
Mast said he asked al-Sharaa directly why their relationship had shifted from hostility to dialogue, especially since Mast had been a US soldier while al-Sharaa was involved with the organization. He said the Syrian president expressed a desire to turn the page on the past and work toward a better future for his people and country.
Mast also voiced concern over the fate of about 7,000 Islamic State members held in facilities inside Syria, and the possibility they could be transferred to Iraq. He said the issue represents a serious security threat that requires precise international coordination.
He also pointed to the continued Russian presence in Syria, saying its reasons are not entirely clear. He suggested it may be linked to Moscow hosting former president Bashar al-Assad, and said this presence represents an additional challenge that must be handled cautiously.
“No blank check”
Mast stressed that the Syrian president “does not have a blank check from the United States.” He said lifting Caesar Act sanctions came because the main reason for imposing them no longer exists, namely, Bashar al-Assad remaining in power, but added that the move was tied to a set of commitments. These include strengthening military integration, protecting religious and ethnic minorities and ensuring their participation in state institutions, and cooperating with Washington on counterterrorism.
He said Congress welcomed the agreements signed by President al-Sharaa with a commander in the SDF, calling them a step in the right direction. However, he noted that such agreements have been repeated more than once without full implementation, stressing that the United States “expects actions, not words.”
Mast concluded by saying the hearing aims to examine current challenges in Syria and their implications for regional and international security, at a time when the transitional phase remains complex and open to several possibilities.
Mast had previously reversed his stance opposing the removal of sanctions on Syria, announcing he was prepared to support repeal on the condition that the draft legislation includes clauses allowing sanctions to be reimposed if the Syrian government fails to meet specific conditions.
In remarks to The Hill on 20 November 2025, Mast said he does not oppose the position of US President Donald Trump’s administration, which supports full repeal, but he emphasized the need for “mechanisms” to restore sanctions if “several conditions are not met,” while insisting the repeal would remain “full” regardless.
During the hearing, Republican Representative Mike Lawler, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, said the United States lifted sanctions on Syria to allow al-Sharaa to prove his stance, despite what he described as links to “terrorism.” He said those conditions had not been met, and that Syria’s trajectory under al-Sharaa is “deeply concerning,” in his words.
Trump signs the repeal of the Caesar Act
US President Donald Trump signed the US defense budget on 19 December 2025, which included repealing the Caesar Act sanctions law on Syria, after both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted to approve the budget.
According to Reuters, Trump signed the bill away from media attention and without a ceremony in the Oval Office or the presence of journalists, unlike the usual practice for legislation of this magnitude.
Marah Bukai, editor in chief of the White House Arabic Platform, said on X that President Trump has lifted the sanctions and that “the ball is now in Syria’s court.”
The defense budget law represents a compromise text that bundled together a set of measures previously passed separately in the House and Senate, before receiving final approval this month.
US Representative Joe Wilson said on his X account that he was grateful President Trump had signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which officially repeals the Caesar sanctions law on Syria.
The US Senate voted on 17 December in favor of the final version of the 2026 Defense Department budget bill, which includes lifting the sanctions imposed on Syria under the Caesar Act, and referred it to President Donald Trump to sign, so it would then take effect.
The road to repealing “Caesar.”
The US House of Representatives voted late on Thursday, 10 December, by a majority in favor of the defense budget bill, which included a clause repealing the Caesar sanctions law imposed on Syria.
Congress’s vote on the final text of the repeal annex allows it to become law, under which US sanctions on Syria would be lifted fully and permanently before Christmas.
The US Departments of the Treasury and Commerce had previously announced a partial extension of the suspension of the Caesar Act sanctions for 180 days.
A joint statement by the two departments, issued on 10 November, said the decision replaces the earlier waiver issued on 23 May.
The statement noted that the new suspension halts the implementation of most sanctions imposed under the law, except those involving financial or commercial transactions with Russia and Iran.
The statement came after the visit of Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to the White House, the first visit of a Syrian president to the United States.
What is the Caesar Act
The Caesar Act is a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on November 15, 2016, and signed by President Donald Trump on December 21, 2019, during his first term.
The law mandates sanctions on anyone who provides support to the former Syrian regime, and requires the U.S. president to impose sanctions on states allied with the deposed Assad.
It covers companies, individuals, and countries that provide military, financial, or technical support to the former regime, including Russia and Iran, and targets anyone providing aid for Syria’s reconstruction.
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